Title: Dog Nutrition: My Puppy Won't Eat. What Do I Do?
Author: Sylvia Dickens
Dog Nutrition: My Puppy Won't Eat. What Do I Do?
Good dog nutrition is crucial to your puppy's overall
growth and health. When he stops eating, it's important to
determine why. Fortunately, in most cases it's a temporary
situation that will clear on its own. When it lasts more
than a day or two, it's time to find out what's going on.
There are a few important things you can do at home.
Contrary to what you might believe, dogs don't get bored
with their food. They stop eating for a number of other
reasons, including stress, too much activity in his dining
area, and new surroundings. Of course, there's also the
possibility of illness, but before seeking veterinarian
help, give it a few days to see if your puppy begins eating
again.
A puppy does most of his growing in the first year, so any
dog nutrition issues must be addressed quickly. Your dog's
nutrition will not suffer if he doesn't eat for a few days,
but if his refusal to eat persists, it could jeopardize his
proper growth.
When your new puppy arrives at your house, he'll be a
little disoriented, confused, and worried because he was
recently taken from his mother and siblings. Dogs are
social creatures, so this separation can be distressing to
a young puppy. By making sure he gets a lot of attention
from your family and is successfully introduced to and
accepted by any other household pets, you can help him to
adjust more quickly.
If he stops eating, the worst thing you can do is to hand
feed him, as tempting as that can be. This can trigger a
behavior you don't want to have to address later on. The
only time you'd hand feed him is if your vet suggests it.
Otherwise, you want to feed him at a regularly scheduled
time every day. If he doesn't eat the food in 15 minutes,
remove it and leave only the water. Put his food back down
at his next regular feeding.
While it can be upsetting to see your puppy not eating,
there's little concern at this stage about lack of dog
nutrition. He will have sufficient reserves to keep him
healthy for the short term. Still, you'll want to take a
look at possible causes of his eating problems to shorten
the delay in his getting proper nutrition.
Here are a few things you can do.
If your puppy has diarrhea, keep your eye on him to see how
bad it is. If it is severe or if it doesn't stop after the
first day, take your puppy to the vet quickly as
dehydration can become a very real threat to your puppy's
health.
Always put his food and water in the same place to avoid
disruptions in his behavior. Dogs like stability, and
moving his pot around will not help.
Avoid feeding him table scraps as this can disturb his
digestive system and lead to certain behavior problems
later on.
Make sure that his dining area is quiet during feeding
times. It's difficult for a puppy to concentrate on eating
when kids are running around, vacuums are running, and
people are walking back and forth.
If other pets in the household are showing aggression,
bullying or jealousy against your new puppy, keep them out
of his eating area until he's finished his food. Nothing
can jeopardize your dog's nutrition intake faster than
animals trying to attack him or take his food while he's
eating.
After you've ensured his dining area is free of
distractions and disruptions, and if he's still not eating
after a few days, take him to your veterinarian. He
probably has a treatable condition such as worms that is
causing him not to eat.
Apart from affecting his food intake, worms prevent your
puppy from getting proper dog nutrition because they get to
any food he's eaten before he can digest it. If left
untreated, worms can cause more serious problems for your
puppy. The sooner the condition is treated, the sooner your
dog will recover and begin eating again.
A puppy's growth rate and long term health are influenced
by his food intake. Because your puppy uses a lot of energy
and resources during his growing process, his body demands
more nutrients by body weight than an adult dog.
During his first year, feed him a good quality commercial
food that has been specially formulated to meet the
nutritional demands of your growing puppy. By following
these simple steps, you can ensure your puppy grows healthy
and strong. It's all about making sure he gets good dog
nutrition right from the start.
About the Author:
More dog training and dog nutrition information is
available at http://www.ebook-
Sylvia is a retired journalist who has been a dog lover all
her life. She writes and publishes articles and reviews of
dog-related products on her ebook web site. See her recent
book, "Healthy Dog Nutrition Secrets" available at
http://healthydognu
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