My New Yorkie Puppy Doesn't Want to Eat.
 

Hi, I just recently adopted my first Yorkie puppy about 3 weeks ago. He is absolutely precious and sweet. He is currently 9 weeks old and I have a few questions for experienced Yorkie owners. The first week after I got Leo, he was experiencing diarrhea and wouldn't eat his soft puppy food. Finally after a few days of giving him Nutracal and puppy milk, he began to eat! But the next morning I had to rush him to the vet for a hypoglycemic episode. All was well, but he back tracked to not eating again. The vet suggested to make him a puppy "flurry" with water and soft puppy food to syringe feed him until he will eat on his own. He hates being force fed, but acts so indifferent to puppy food if I sit it out for him! Will his interest change? I am using the food the breeder suggested and gave to me that he was on before, saying he ate it up with the other puppies. I've had him for 3 weeks now, and I've heard about puppy stress. It just makes me nervous that this will become a habit he will become used to, not eating on his own. Advise is greatly appreciated.

So you brought him home @ 6 weeks? Hum, poor little guy doesn't know what to do without his Mom & siblings to guide him.
Just do whatever it takes to feed him to prevent anymore attacks.
Good luck.

I brought him home the day after he turned 7 weeks old, so I'm going on the 3rd week of having him. I thought that this was a little early. I just hope all will get better.
Thank you for the reply!

Get the nutrical, caro syrup, honey nut cherrios, all those can help keep or bring up blood sugar!! I always say try the Parmasean trick on their food because that is how I got my Cooper to eat!!!

If this baby will not eat on his own, YOU have to do whatever it takes to get it done. This baby was not weaned correctly, and is trying to learn how to eat, on top of all the other stress he is going thru being separated from his momma and siblings, new owner, new environment, etc. If you have to sit and feed him with a syringe every 3 hours, enjoy the pleasure of weaning a baby puppy! You must make sure you are getting food and calories into this baby or he will not only fail to grow, he will fail to thrive and may die.

Your main concern at this stage of the game is NOT "....It just makes me nervous that this will become a habit he will become used to, not eating on his own".....
Your main issue is keeping this baby alive and providing him the nutrition he needs to develop properly. That included feeding him baby food if that is all he will take, even off the tip of your finger.....if he wont take it, syringe feed him, every three hours, AROUND THE CLOCK, to keep his sugar levels up. He needs enough calories to develop his brain, let alone his other organs....10-15cc of baby food, every 3 hours, around the clock, should cover it.

If you decide to make a "flurry" of something, use CALORIES!!! Use canned puppy food and canned puppy formula mixed together...not just water!! No nutrition or calories in WATER and this baby need every single calorie you can get into him. For water, use pedialyte.....that has electrolytes he needs.....

Too bad he does not like being syringe fed....you are the adult and you are now his momma since he was taken too young from his momma.....you must do whatever you have to do to keep this puppy not only alive, but also healthy and developing well.

[QUOTE=Connorcheyenne;4562725]Hi, I just recently adopted my first Yorkie puppy about 3 weeks ago. He is absolutely precious and sweet. He is currently 9 weeks old and I have a few questions for experienced Yorkie owners. The first week after I got Leo, he was experiencing diarrhea and wouldn't eat his soft puppy food. Finally after a few days of giving him Nutracal and puppy milk, he began to eat! But the next morning I had to rush him to the vet for a hypoglycemic episode. All was well, but he back tracked to not eating again. The vet suggested to make him a puppy "flurry" with water and soft puppy food to syringe feed him until he will eat on his own. He hates being force fed, but acts so indifferent to puppy food if I sit it out for him! Will his interest change? I am using the food the breeder suggested and gave to me that he was on before, saying he ate it up with the other puppies. I've had him for 3 weeks now, and I've heard about puppy stress. It just makes me nervous that this will become a habit he will become used to, not eating on his own. Advise is greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE

I also took ownership of my Yorkie around 7 wks. With much admonishment. It was almost a rescue type situation, but that's neither here nor there. That said I also had the same problem. I was at the vet with this less than a pound and a half Yorkie more times then I could realistically count his first 4 months. My vet gave me a can of A/D (it's like a mousse for unweaned babies) and a tongue depressor. I had to open his mouth and put the A/D on the roof of his mouth 6 times a day. Eventually (2/3 days) he decided he would rather eat it himself than have me force it on him. Now, I buy a can and heat it up for him once or twice a month as a treat. He loves the stuff.
A/D is sold at my vet but I never found it at the pet store or in the grocery stores.
Hope that helps. 😊

[quote=MaWilliams3;4562818]That helps a lot, just to know I'm not the only one who has had this problem. Thank you. I went into this believing he was going to be around 9 weeks. To my surprise after looking over his papers, he was two weeks younger than I expected. Last week, he weighed 1 pound 6 oz. My vet also gave me A/D, about two cans, but I'm not sure if they sell it. I will look into it though, it seemed a lot easier than just soft food. If you don't mind me asking, how long did your puppy act this way? I have been with him all times of the day, he has little bursts of energy and plays but sleeps most of the day, which I've heard is normal. NutraCal is available at all times and given about every 3 hours just to be safe. My vet said I just need to get over the 12 week mark and his sugar should begin to level out as well. I'm just worried I'm not doing something right. Thank you so much again!

our breeder would grind up honey nut Cheerios and mix it with can food and a little kibble that had been soaked in warm water and make a paste kinda of all of that till about four month old getting less moist as they got better at eating it

[quote=Connorcheyenne;4562822]I brought Cali home at 6 weeks as well. You are not alone! I've been lucky because Cali has always been a pretty good eater. She was eating the Caeser's wet food when we brought her home, and as she got older we mixed it with kibble. Sometimes we softened the kibble in a bit of milk, but I am not sure milk is the best for dogs. Didn't know that at the time though. Good luck with your pup! Oh, please make sure to have Nutrical on hand. Very important! :)

[quote=Connorcheyenne;4562822]Just a couple days till he warmed up to us. I took vacation for the first week he was home so I could give him a good start. He slept ...... alot. But eventually after all his shots we started taking him to my mom's to socialize with other dogs. She's got 4 shi zues and he was always looking for me. Your baby will warm up. Give it time, and you'll be hiding the food bowl before long. (J/k. No coal raking for that comment pls) ;)

My Buddybear was 3 1/2 months when I got him. After reading these posts i'm glad he wasn't any younger......well maybe 12 weeks or 14 but not much more.
Best wishes for you + your new baby!

And the fun part is, once you get them past this stage, then you will probably encounter the "fussy eater" syndrome these guys are known for. We have a girl who loves it one week, but not the next. We alternate between several good foods she will eat to cater to her whim. But as I have often said... she is not spoiled!! :rolleyes::cool:

He's not yet ready to give up mommy milk. Take her back for a week. I got my yorkie at 8 wks and she did the same thing. Kept looking under my boy dog belly for food. Had yo take her back for another week. 8 wks is acceptable but not always best

By the way, I've been on a mission to find the best dog food. Here's what I found out:

1) Wellness Core is the best but recommended for adults so I've used the Wellness Complete for small breed puppies - it's has glucosamine and chondrites (?) for bone and joint health
2) surprisingly Blue Buffalo came in at a near tie I just prefer the smaller kibble size and that the W. Core is grain free. I'm in the process of switching my guy from puppy to Core and happily shocked to say he loves it.
3) science diet came in third. Rice and other grain fillers (yucky)
4) Royal Canin. This group has a lot of Royal Canin fans, I'm sorry but I am not a fan. Wheat, corn, soy .... More yucky. Looks like it used to be a really great brand- not so much any more.
That said, I was looking for a brand that didn't contain meat meal..... Looks I'm still on the hunt, outside of cooking organically.

I got in trouble today for spending so much on pet stuff. I've been using Train me" treats and I'm not sure that it isn't causing some GI agitation. I posted about it, but I noticed this morning that when I was handing out treats, he put it in his mouth then set it down. I just got this bag of treats so I'm not going to change it yet but I was checking out the wellness treats, looks a little healthier. No greasy bag.

Just something for you something to consider when your baby gets a lil bigger. 😁

If you have not tried the Royal Canin puppy mousse, give it a try....RC makes their foods highly palatable and puppies and most dogs love it. The company continues to produce dog food that appeals to DOGS, is formulated for DOGS and what THEY require, and while DFA does not like RC, you can feel very confident feeding this product to your pet. I have used it for over 35 years with EXCELLENT results and NO health issues...no picky eaters, no GI upsets, no allergies, etc......."yucky wheat, corn and soy" has had no adverse effects on my dogs over all these years. The prescription dog food formulas are also excellent and used by many, many people, around the world, helping lots of these precious babies, managing health issues....and the quality control management of the company is second to NONE! RC has always been an excellent dog food and continues to be so.....the proof is years and years of world wide success and results in dogs fed the formulas. The success and results of RC extend far, far beyond this forum!

:rolleyes:

Scary
 

My Bella was 16 weeks and 1lb.12oz. She would not eat for 2 days. Nothing! Okay so I was freaking. Rubbed her nutra vite on the roof of her mouth and she would eat a Honey Nut Cherrio here and there.
I called around and found a store that would give samples of puppy kibble. Oh, Thank goodness.
We found a food she liked but beyond that, what helped us through this crazy time was frozen goats milk. Supposedly closest to puppy mommas milk. It's rich! Please keep trying different food. Our picky little one like Primal. It's a dehydrated raw food. Good luck and remember that they are small but mighty. Hugs.

I would just like to thank everyone who replied to my thread, and to give an update. I'm sort of new to YorkieTalk so I'm not sure if you can even see this unless you come back to it, but sadly my little Leo passed away last Saturday. After still not eating for me, and acting a little strange I took him to the vet on Friday and his sugar was high and everything seemed fine, I woke up at 5 am (after I just had at 2am) and he was in a coma, barely alive. I rushed him to the vet of course and we discovered he had a liver shunt or a neurological problem... I, of course, couldn't stand to see him suffer since he was not coming back around. I have been so upset and I wish I could have done something more for him. In the short 3 weeks I had him, he had become my baby and latched to my side. Again, thank you so much..

I'm so sorry for your loss of this little one. It truly is better to go through a responsible breeder. It doesn't mean nothing will ever happen but the chances are much less. If you decide to get another puppy, save up and find a breeder who will be there for you and your puppy. I hate to imagine your heartbreak...my prayers are with you.

I am so sorry for the loss of your little guy. So sad. Please be sure to contact your breeder....did you have a health contract?

Oh no!
 

My heart breaks for you. I am so sorry, you did everything you could.

Aw, I'm really so sorry to hear this. It really seems like you did everything you could given the situation. At least your little puppy knew he was loved and cared for...you can be proud of that.

How devastating this is for you, not your fault, you did all you could for this little baby. I am so very sorry for the loss of your little Leo.

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your Leo. Bless the newest Yorkie Angel sweet baby Leo.