8 week old puppy not interested in eating

S

Sallie1226

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Hi there - we brought home our little girl, Sallie, a little over a week ago. She just turned 8 weeks old and is doing really well! She sleeps through the night, has never made a mess in her crate, is starting to pick up on potty training, and has met lots of people and does really well with new faces.

However, she isn't eating much at all. We've been giving her 1/4 a cup in the morning and in the evening, and she acts excited when we put the food down but only eats a little of it from the bowl before becoming uninterested. We can get her to eat a little more by hand feeding her or putting it into a Kong but overall she is barely eating half of what we give her at each meal. She had a little tapeworm when we picked her up but we went to the vet immediately and she was given medicine for it. It has been about a week and a half since then and I haven't seen anymore worms in her stool. We feed in her in the bedroom in front of her crate but not yet inside of the crate.

Is this eating habit normal for her age? Could it be that she doesn't like the food? We are giving her Diamond Naturals small breed puppy food. We also use her puppy food as training treats and she is excited to receive one after she eliminates outside. We are going to transition to real training treats this week. Any insight/suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Hello and welcome to the Forums! Congratulations on your Sallie. Was she eating the Blue Diamond when you got her from the breeder? It's not uncommon for puppies to take a few days to adapt to a new home and eat normally, but after a week she should be eating better. Also, an 8-week-old puppy should be eating three meals a day, around 1/2 cup each time so your girl is definitely not eating what she should. If she doesn't like the Blue Diamond, I would try switching her to another food made for puppies gradually as soon as you can. There are lots of good quality puppy foods you can try.

It's possible the meds for tapeworm may have inhibited her appetite, but if she's off the medication she should be eating better now. You might also check with your vet to be sure she's clear.
 
Thank you for your reply! Yes, the breeder was feeding her Diamond. I'll start feeding her three times a day and up the amount to 1/2 cup - she seems to get distracted during feedings so hopefully this will help. Thank you for letting me know that. I grew up with Shelties but this is the first one to train on my own.
 
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You're very welcome! One other tip....try feeding her in her crate, instead of outside of it, and close the door while she's eating. She's less likely to be distracted and may concentrate on her food. Leave her for a solid 15 - 20 minutes. That may help her eat more.
 
You could also try adding some warm water to the kibble. It makes a nice broth and softens the food.

Kathy
 
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Just guessing, Lil' Lady was in competition I believe as a pup with her litter mates, but she would eat.
How she acted when I brought her home, she was the Royal Highness and took over the house. I had
to assume she was the dominate one. Maybe your fur baby was one that let the dominate ones go ahead
of her, and now that she is by herself its another situation for her.

If worse comes to worse with her eating, add a tad of baby food on top of her dog food, maybe sweet potato.
Yes the crate is a great idea. I would switch dog food also. Best of luck.
 
Hi everyone - thanks for all your replies. Here's a quick update:

Sallie is now 10 weeks old. She had her second round of shots this week and did great. She weighed in at 5.4 lbs. I know guessing the adult size of a sheltie is nearly impossible, but does anyone have any ideas of how her growth is progressing? Is 5 pounds at 10 weeks considered small or normal?

Our vet does vaccinations every 4 weeks, so she won't be fully vaccinated until 18 weeks old. Because of her size our vet recommended we really wait to take her places until she is fully vaccinated, but that seems so long to keep her isolated. Has anyone had experience with waiting that long to socialize? She has met a few dogs (who I am 100% sure are fully vaccinated) and is doing well with them - I just don't want to miss the window of introducing her to everything she will encounter later in life.

She is really starting to eat better. She still doesn't finish all of her food at each meal, but she gets so excited and barks when I begin to fill her bowl and goes right to it when I put it down. She's getting less distracted while eating as well. Just last night we were playing in the living room and she started barking and barking at me then ran into my room to let me know she was hungry. The vet assured me that if she's excited when she gets fed and is eating until she is full, then I don't need to worry about her finishing her meal.

She sleeps through the night and never makes a sound - even in the mornings she is quiet until I get up and we go outside. She also isn't crying when she goes back in the crate when I go to work. We hung bells on our back door and she has learned that ringing them will get her outside - she doesn't do it every time and we still catch her trying to potty inside, but it's a great start! She LOVES to be outside and I am excited for lots of walks in our future.
 
She sleeps in the cage at night and if she is in a cage when you are at work, she's not quite active and therefore does not need much food.

She needs activity for her bones to grow strong and develops - why should she be caged ??
 
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