When a Young Dog Won't Eat

Having a puppy is a huge responsibility; they are fragile! If you find that your puppy won't eat or can't seem to eat enough, it is time to quickly jump into action so that your puppy can be healthy and grow up strong. Since this puppy is small and growing rapidly even 1 day of not eating can affect its health. 

One of the reasons why a newborn may have difficulty eating is if the dog was taken from its mother too early. This is what is called Early Weaning Syndrome and can severely affect a puppy that is trying to grow. A puppy should never be taken from its mother before the age of 6 weeks. 8 weeks is optimal. Unfortunately, in the race to sell puppies, a breeder, store or individual may sell a puppy before it is the proper time. When at all possible, do not buy or take a puppy until he or she is old enough. When the dog is forced to stop drinking its mother milk, this can cause major problems. 

A puppy may also not eat, or not eat enough because of a medical issue. Before you take matters into your own hands, a good owner must bring the puppy to a vet to have a complete medical checkup. There are many medical reasons why the dog may not be eating, including stomach and intestinal problems. If present, this must be address or no matter what you do, the puppy will have issues.

When a Dog Won't Eat - Puppy Age

Once you have eliminated all of the medical possibilities with vet consultations then warm tasty home cooked food is always the best way forward. Then only thing to remember, in addition to the other recommendations, is that a dogs food should never be hotter than its own body temperature.