New puppy not eating this morning - advice needed

[Bombers Mom]

Hi - I am concerned because my new little 5 1/2 month old tiny puppy (2 1/2 lbs) is not eating this morning and she has been ravenous since we picked her up from the breeder on Saturday. I think it's my fault as I fed her some leftover rotisseries chicken last night as a treat (along with my two other adult Yorkies - who ate it as well and are fine) and thinking it might have been too rich for her.

Do you all think I should take her to the vet or just monitor her and maybe try to give her a little cheese (which she usually loves) rather than her puppy food?

I feel terrible that I may have made her sick.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Patti]

Welcome and Congrats on your new baby. THe chicken was probably too greasy and spicy for her. Is she acting sick? If she doesn't start eating soon, or starts with vomiting or diarrhea I would get her to the vet today. They can get really sick fast. I would only give her her dog food. You may want to call the vet to see what they recommend. We all have done that, give them something they shouldn't have because we want them to have a nice treat. I learned the hard way to not give them people food. Hope she starts eating soon and all is well.

[Rachael x]

My Poppy is the same age and some days she eats lots and others not so much.
I usually leave food available to her at all times on days when she isnt eating much, Im sure she will be fine but keep an eye on her.
In the future I wouldnt give any kind of people food, you really dont know how they will react to it.
If she starts to vomit or her stools become loose I would contact your vet.

[lexi43]

We used to give our puppies table scraps and we had a hard time getting them to eat their own food. Once they get a taste of people food they sometimes refuse to eat their own food and wait to see if something better is coming along. As long as the dog isn't acting sick you have to get her back on the dog food track again. Unless you see that she is acting sick I wouldn't worry too much just lay off the table food thats what I did with mine and it worked.

[cally930]

If the puppy is not vomitting or having diarreah then she's fine and is probably just waiting around for you to give her that delicious chicken again. Stick to the dog food or else you will be developing a very picky eater.

[Bombers Mom]

She ate a tiny bit of her food - not much. Also had some string cheese. There was some diarhea earlier this morning and nothing since. Otherwise, she seems fine. If any more diarhea, I will call the vet.

[Patti]

Glad to hear she is doing ok.

[MauiGirl]

Congratulations on the new baby. Adjusting to the new home can be stressful and affect eating. I'd stick to whatever the breeder was feeding and only if she completely refuses to eat then supplement with some "enticement" goodies like a little boiled chicken breast (no skin or fat), or a bit of cottage cheese on top of her regular food.

For either diarrhea or constipation, it is often recommended here that you give a little cooked canned pumpkin (with NO spices or added stuff). Sometimes you can get them to eat it off your finger.

Any changes in food must be made very slowly over a period of 2 weeks or so.

Good luck, and show us some pictures of the wee one when you can

[boopster]

Tallulah's vet warned me that people food (usually pretty high in fat, even when we're not aware of it) can cause severe pancreatitis in dogs. In fact, that's the most common problem he sees in his Yorkie patients. A lot of people food also has ingredients that can be toxic to dogs - such as onions/onion powder/onion salt or garlic/garlic powder/garlic salt.

You, and more importantly, your little dogs, will be much happier if you stick with food made specifically for small dogs. If you do try the boiled chicken breast, be sure you don't season it. It should be as bland as possible. And as others have said, you should give the new one time to adjust to all of the changes to her life before you try to change her diet.

You should have a tube of Nutrical or other high calorie supplement for dogs on hand. If she gets shaky, give her just a pea-sized dab to avoid hypoglycemia. Don't offer it instead of a meal -- it's like giving a kid a candy bar just before dinner and will just make her less inclined to eat.

Hope you get your new little one back on track soon.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by boopster

Tallulah's vet warned me that people food (usually pretty high in fat, even when we're not aware of it) can cause severe pancreatitis in dogs. In fact, that's the most common problem he sees in his Yorkie patients. A lot of people food also has ingredients that can be toxic to dogs - such as onions/onion powder/onion salt or garlic/garlic powder/garlic salt.

You, and more importantly, your little dogs, will be much happier if you stick with food made specifically for small dogs. If you do try the boiled chicken breast, be sure you don't season it. It should be as bland as possible. And as others have said, you should give the new one time to adjust to all of the changes to her life before you try to change her diet.

You should have a tube of Nutrical or other high calorie supplement for dogs on hand. If she gets shaky, give her just a pea-sized dab to avoid hypoglycemia. Don't offer it instead of a meal -- it's like giving a kid a candy bar just before dinner and will just make her less inclined to eat.

Hope you get your new little one back on track soon.

Excellent advice!

[Bombers Mom]

Thanks, everyone. She still is not eating her dog food except for a couple of tiny nibbles. She did eat the string cheese so I guess that's a good sign. I will give her some Nutrical if she doesn't eat anything more before bed. If she's not eating in the morning, we'll take her to the vet.

Thanks, again for all your advice!

[YorkieZoo]

I would definitely recommend trying sodium free/fat free chicken broth mixed with "boil in a bag" enriched white rice.

Anytime ours get sick (vomitting or diarrhea) or refuse to eat at two mealtimes, we switch them over to this.

After a day or two, then we migrate back to the regular food mixing it in the rice and reducing the rice.

The broth will get her the protein and keep her hydrated, the rice will fluff up the poo.

Works great on our Meadow (Piggers) when she has a pancreatitis flare up as well. The only drawback is anytime WE eat rice or chicken...the babies goes nuts thinking its for them!!!

[ally173]

a bland diet will help; boiled ground turkey and oatmeal. taker her to the vet just to be safe. hope she's feeling better