# 9 Week Puppy not eating



## jackytony (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi All 

I have a new V Puppy called Gunfield Voyager aka 'Riley'

He is a very active little boy but he doesn't want to eat much at all - Hes on Dry Food recommended by the breeder but he just doesn't seem to be getting stuck in at all

He has dropped weight in the week we have had him so I'm a little concerned.

Ive dried adding some puppy wet food, tried adding water to the dry to soften but nothing yet

Is this common with new V pups as this is our first

Any suggestions comments very wellcome

Jacky


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## Ro-Ro (Aug 30, 2009)

Ours was not a big eater either - much to my husband's dismay, I started sitting on the floor next to her bowl. I ended up hand feeding her for about a week. Good luck.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

We had a very similar issue with our V pup, Pumpkin (now 5m). The first 2 days we had her, she would not eat even if we were sitting with her or moistened her food. She would eat a few pieces of kibble or sweet potato treats by hand; therefore, I followed the recommendation of the breeder. She said if I had difficulty getting her to eat in her new environment, add a little goat's milk to her food. Goats milk (not cow or anything else) is the most like dog's milk & nutritious without causing intestinal issues. I verified this information via our vet & internet. I would moisten Pumpkins food with the goats milk at each feeding (not soak or swim), and it worked like a dream! You find canned goats milk at your grocery store along with condensed & evaporated milk. I gradually weaned her off the goats milk after not more than 2 wks. I stored the open cans, covered, in the fridge. Maybe this will work for your little guy? Best wishes!


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## Keneomac (Oct 12, 2010)

Hi JackyTony!

I think you will find most pups aren't the best eaters right away especially if you have only had him a week. He is getting used to the new place, you, and everything else that is new in the world! Our dog Darwin, was a very picky eater for the first few weeks of having him, but he grew out of it. The one thing a puppy will NOT do is starve itself. He will eat when he gets hungry, so don't worry about it too much. If he doesn't eat at all for a day or two then I would go get him checked out by a vet because that could be a medical condition, but other than that you are experiencing what I would call normal behavior at this age.

If you do start hand feeding or using an additive to the food, make sure you don't keep it up for too long since then he will start to refuse food unless it is what he likes! Vizsla's are picky enough eaters as it is, so I wouldn't want to start out a puppy thinking the special food is how all food is!

Best of luck!

Best of luck!


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## jackytony (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks for the advice

We got him in a ruck sack this afternoon for a bit of fresh air = ended up in the pub but we felt if anything it was good socialisation!!!

Came back and fed him some wet puppy food with Kibble and moistened it slightly. He has taken some so ill persevere

Not sure if it was the fresh air or the 'Froth' of the Real Ale which is giving him some appetite 

Might try the Goats Milk as this seems a good idea

Ill keep you posted

Jacky


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

As others have stated, they are very picky eaters. We still haven't found a food that Holley will eat and enjoy without an adder (currently pumpkin for her tummy). We have tried 3 different kinds of puppy food so far with no luck. For now we are just mixing in pumpkin per the vet which she seems to like but hopefully we will find a flavor/brand one day. Good luck to you. New puppies are full of surprises.


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## kockazat (Jul 22, 2010)

We have always had trouble getting Sarah to eat (although we didn't have her as such a small puppy), and even now, at almost 4 years old, we constantly have to monitor her weight. When she was young, we would add meat fat to her food. Since the part of the meat that's bad for us is the part that fattens her up, it also has the side benefit of being good for our diets. We find that whatever brand of dog food she's on has to be rotated after every few bags or she stops eating.


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## tiggers mum (Jan 6, 2011)

This is all very common so don't panic. Theres always something far more interesting to do than eat in a V's mind !! Bear in mind they are generally contained at the breeders so when they come to their new home, its a wide open space so with their energy levels and initial anxiety, they can often drop weight at first. Try not to start the job of feeding by hand as they will expect it forever. I have always fed my V twice a day and if he doesnt eat it straight away, it comes up until the next meal time. When he went through the fussy stage I started to feed salmon mousse ontop and have continued to do so (get it from fish4dogs.com). Fish is great for fussy eaters from puppies through to adulthood. Hope this helps?


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## Gema18 (Jan 9, 2011)

My pup was very fussy to begin with so much so that I was really panicking... She all of a sudden went of the complete food I was giving her so then I started mixing it with raw Rabbit mince which she loved. 
I have now changed to Skinners F & T puppy which she loves and has this mixed with fresh meat or rabbit mince or sometimes a bit of a Butchers tin. 

Her Mum is the biggest dustbin dog ever and is soooo greedy so I am unsure where she gets her fussiness from but keep going and I thing that variety is the spice of life when it comes to feeding a fussy Viz!!


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