my 13 week old puppy wont eat, please can anyone help

[julie67]

Hi
Please can anyone help, my 13 week old puppy has gone off his food, found out he had worms, i have done his worming treatment on Thursday evening, I have tried everything, but on Friday teatime he had boiled chicken and rice which he ate, but he still wont eat anything else apart from this, am I doing the right thing by keeping him on chicken and rice.

[cazza]

What were you feeding? Was it the same food as he came to you on?

Is he losing any weight? How many times a day are / were you feeding and how much ?

Sorry for the questions, but need this info to try and help you

[julie67]

Hi
He was on dry food breeder sent, then tried him on beta puppy, then tried pets at home dry puppy, I've tried natures wet food, been in contact with burns, they sent samples wont touch, he had scrambled eggs early in the week he wasn't impressed, he still has loose stools, which sometimes at the end passes jelly mucus with blood in it, people say that's down to the worms.

[Sharon]

You have changed his food too many times, stick to what the breeder gave him, he will eat it when hungry....changing his food so often will upset his tummy big time!

[Karma]

That's an awful lot of different foods in a short space of time!!  

The worming treatment may well upset his tum and affect his appetite for a bit, but beyond this, I think you need to choose a food and stick to it... puppy tummies can be very easily upset by abrupt changes in food, and changing too often can often lead to fussy eater, as the pup learns they can hold out for only the yummiest treats.

I'd stick with chicken and rice till his tummy settles and the worms are fully dealt with, then choose a decent kibble and put this down.  You can soften it with some warm water (especially as he may well be teething at the minute and this can make crunching kibble more uncomfortable!).  Leave it down for 15 minutes, then pick it up and give nothing else until his next meal.
I'm assuming he is on 4 meals a day at the minute?  If he is already down to 3 (we changed at about this age) you can offer 4 times a day, until he starts eating, just so you can be sure he is getting enough opportunities to choose to eat...
If he doesn't eat anything for a whole day (as he's been poorly already), I'd be tempted to add a small amount of chicken to the soaked kibble, but mixed in really well, to see if this tempts him to start eating... but wean him off this as soon as he is eating.  
Dogs won't starve themselves, so as long as he is drinking well and isn't otherwise unwell, I would play the mean Mum and if it isn't eaten, tough luck... though obviously as your pup has been unwell, as I say, you need to make sure he is over that first.

[julie67]

I haven't changed his food like it sounds, he didn't eat for 2 days and was loosing weight! that is why i tried him on chicken and rice

[amanda9586]

Agree with Karma - stick with the chicken and rice for a few days now and then once he is settled then start him on a decent kibble - we have all been there with little puppies not wanting to eat and Poppy had the most awful upset tummy's from time to time as well - I just stuck to chicken and rice at these times for a few days then back to her normal food - which I took up if she was not eating it - as others said he will eat if hungry.

Hope he is feeling better soon - 

[ElaineH]

Good advice from Karma. What was wrong with the food the breeder had him on that you felt you had to change? If you got him at 8 weeks old and he's now 13 weeks then you've had him on 4 different foods in 5 weeks plus the Burns samples you've tried. These changes were too quick, it takes about 1-2 weeks to change gradually from one food to another and even then it takes time for the system to settle completely to the new food. Once his tummy has settled, I'm sure he'll be fine  just buy a good brand of kibble and he'll be ok. 

[julie67]

He ate none of the foods i tried him on that's why i was trying the different stuff, he just walked away from them all, he stopped eating the food the breeder gave me so thats why i was trying to give him something else but wouldnt touch any of them,then i tried chicken and rice which he ate, and now thats all he will eat

[lilylulu]

When Lily was a pup she would often get loose stools mucous etc. She was on J.W.B. Always fed chicken with rice when this occurred and still do. She now has tinned wet food and mixer which she seems to prefer. She is 2 now.

[mooching]

I haven't changed his food like it sounds, he didn't eat for 2 days and was loosing weight! that is why i tried him on chicken and rice

Julie, in your post you said:

quote author=julie67 link=topic=75775.msg1119235#msg1119235 date=1283079806]
He was on dry food breeder sent, then tried him on beta puppy, then tried pets at home dry puppy, I've tried natures wet food, been in contact with burns, they sent samples wont touch, he had scrambled eggs early in the week he wasn't impressed, he still has loose stools, which sometimes at the end passes jelly mucus with blood in it, people say that's down to the worms.

That's five different foods, not including the one that the breeder sent, and not including the chicken and rice. That's why Sharon and Karma remarked on the number of food changes.

What's the make of the kibble that the breeder sent?

[julie67]

I dont know what make it was, but when he gave us some i said about beta puppy he said that would be fine, i have still got some, but he wont touch it.

[mooching]

Julie,

I will reiterate Karma's advice:

I'd stick with chicken and rice till his tummy settles and the worms are fully dealt with, then choose a decent kibble and put this down.

If it was me, I'd give chicken and rice and then after a couple of days add a little kibble to the chicken and rice, then gradually increase the amount of kibble. Don't be tempted to change brands again, stick with whatever you decide on. Too much choice can make a puppy fussy.

I personally am not a fan of Beta Puppy, but would choose something like Arden Grange, Burns (my first two choices because of their ethical standpoint), Barking Heads, Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved or CSJ.

Whatever you choose, stick to it and he will eat it. Moistening it with a little hot water can help, as it releases the aroma of the meat for the pup.

[julie67]

the things i tried him with he never touched any of them, thats why i was buying different ones, but now he is eating chicken and rice i am following everyones advice and staying with that for a few days then i will try adding a kibble
thanks again for your help 

[Helen]

I can understand how frustrating that can be - I had a very fussy pup and it was a real battle.  You could wean him off the chicken by rice gradually and add in some kibble. 

I found that adding some warm water and soaking the kibble helped - your pup may be teething so hard kibble may be a bit tough on him...