[HELP] 8 w/o boerboel not eating

[marina777]

Morning Dog Lovers.
So, i just got my 8 W/O boerboel, and he is refusing to eat Dry food. In this phase of life,when he will need more nutrients to grow healthy, should i keep insisting on the dry food(I've changed brands twice already but still nothing), or feed him what he wants for now and change later? He should be eating ±500g a day but he is barely eating half of that. Its been 3 days and its starting to get worrying. Thanks in advance.

I've taken him to the vet, and he has no internal parasites. The current dog's food was recommended by my vet. But still no luck feeding the pup.

 

[davecb]

@marina777 What was he eating at his breeder's house?

I tend to not cater to baby dogs about food. I give them five minutes with their food bowl, three times a day, and if they're not hungry, oh well.

Old dogs I will cater to, but baby dogs will quickly train you to give them what they want.

 

[marina777]

@davecb He was on a mix of mother's milk and dry food...But i don't know the portions. Yeah i will try to be pragmatic with him. As long as he is active... I'll keep on going. Hope he realizes soon, he wont getting anything else.

 

[haruchi]

@marina777 Someone recommended we try mixing hot water or low sodium broth with dry food to make it more appealing. Let it sit out until it’s cool before feeding.

Not sure if it’s the best option but it works for us when our pups get less interested in food. Or you could mix half wet / half dry.

 

[marina777]

@haruchi At this point im willing to try anything...but human food. I've done the hot water thing... Raw Eggs... next i will try the wet dog food. This breed should be devouring food, since they grow in a fast pace. Thanks

 

[huskcrow]

@marina777 You don't want him growing fast at all! With how large the breed is, slow, steady growth is preferred. Too much growth too soon can hurt growth plates.

 

[miekka]

@marina777 My English bulldog did that at around 10 years old. He suddenly stopped eating dry food. I added a can of wet to his normal dry food and we haven't had any problems with him eating since.

 

[marina777]

@miekka its lunch time, i just bought a can of wet food, but he still doesnt seems too interested. Gave him 15mn... We'll see if he is hungry by night time.

 

[jedi4christ]

@marina777 What will he eat? I agree that he needs the calories. I would try to make them as balanced and healthy as possible. Canned food, either by itself or mixed with kibble, is a great choice if he will eat it.

And don't overlook the appeal of working/playing for food. Some puppies who are not interested in meals (let's face it, the WORLD is all NEW!) will eat, say, kibble scattered on the floor to hunt for, or tossed to chase. Something like a Kong Wobbler might just do it. Worth trying

 

[marina777]

@jedi4christ He doesn't seem too interested in anything i give him, but treats(little pieces of sausage) at play time. Just got a new brand of puppy food, and we'll see if he eats it better....might be a flavour thing.

 

[jedi4christ]

@marina777 If he doesn't eat today, bring him back to the vet, specifically for this issue. A puppy that young should get very hungry very regularly, so you really want to be sure there is nothing physically wrong with him (parasites are not the only possible health concern).

 

[marina777]

@jedi4christ Took him yesterday, we did a full checkup, but nothing too abnormal. He said he was getting thin, but it was still in the normal parameters. 8 Weaks-12kgs. I'll keep on monitoring him, as i wont rest untill i see him doing this

 

[jedi4christ]

@marina777 Well, in all fairness, no dog eats with quite the enthusiasm as a beagle

 

[dukedesu]

@marina777 I would mix in some wet food for this puppy, but I wouldn't spoil him too much because you might just make things harder on yourself in the long run.

 

[marina777]

@dukedesu Just did it, no luck... i'll see if i get lucky at night time.

 

[rev20]

@marina777 Make sure it's not some kind of food allergy. My one girl started refusing to eat kibble when we switched to lamb protien and it ended up being due to an allergy.

Other than that, add warm water to the kibble and only give them 5-10 min. with the food bowl. After that, take the food away and give it back at their next meal time.

 

[marina777]

@rev20 Well i've used 3 types of kibble... dont think its an alergy problem. Since the food will be soft, shall i add hot water again later?

 

[huskcrow]

@marina777 3 days, 3 foods and a band new home. That sounds like a recipe for an upset tummy. I wouldn't change from what the breeder had for another 2 weeks at least. If he doesn't eat today, vet tomorrow.

 

[marina777]

@huskcrow I changed from the breeder's food because he wasn't eating it properly to begin with. I'll go back to it with some moistured food to see if i get luckier. I'll give the vet a credit, and give the puppy a couple more days, since i took him yesterday. Thanks for the advice.

 

[huskcrow]

@marina777 How many days did you give the breeder's food?