My new small dog is underweight and won't eat or drink. Help!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is certainly not that unusual in puppies and really in some adults as well as they adjust to a new environment. If she seems fine otherwise with a good activity level, I recommend you try a highly palatable diet such as the Purina Pro Plan shredded blends or potentially consider adding pieces of boiled chicken or dog grade gravy to make her current diet more palatable. This is likely going to work for you. If at some point, she appears to not be doing well, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment. Good luck!

She is going to drink less on that bland diet because those foods hold a lot of moisture. She is getting liquid and water through the food so her intake is less. You can add chicken broth or extra water to the food to encourage her to get more if she is eating well.

Ideally, she should be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose and treat any illness or injury. As long as she is behaving normally though, you can try warming her food, adding in a bit of baby food or adding in some warm water. You can also offer unflavored PediaLyte. If she is lethargic, vomiting or has diarrhea, then she should definitely be seen by a veterinarian.

Moymoy needs to be eating at least something, and drinking water, or I am worried she is ill. Try cooked chicken breast and rice, and see if she'll eat this. Otherwise, she needs to see a vet as she may have an infectious disease or other issue that is making her feel poorly. Good luck!

Congratulations on your new addition! I'm glad to hear that Champ is very well-behaved. It's never a big surprise when a new pet refuses to eat or drink well when they're first brought to a new home. This change can be quite stressful and intimidating to them, and can evoke a bit of anxiety, leading to this refusal to eat or drink. First of all, try to give Champ as much space as he wants. You can offer him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice for a few days to try to tempt him to eat, then gradually mix in his regular dog food. When you offer him food, try to do so in a quiet, calm environment where he can eat undisturbed by people or other pets. Initially, he'll probably be more willing to eat and drink when he's alone. My guess is that he's drinking some water when you aren't watching - particularly if he's urinating normally. Try to work on giving Champ a safe space where he can always go if he wants to be alone, such as a crate or a bed in the corner of a quiet room, and respect his boundaries by always leaving him alone if he's in that space. Building up on this safe space can help a dog feel more comfortable and confident in their surroundings, which in turn will likely facilitate normal behaviors, including eating and drinking. Best of luck with everything!

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Changing the food to a canned diet is a good idea if you are concerned with in adequate water consumption. You can add a lot of water to the canned food to make it a gruel based diet. I do have a few suggestions on what may help her consume more water. First, you may want to invest in a waterfall or water movement type of water bowl. These types of watering devices can help mimic a running faucet and studies have shown that animals will drink more from this type of device. Second, you could perhaps change the water you are giving. So for instance, if you are giving your pet well water, you would switch to city water or filtered water. Or if you are giving city water, you may want to switch to filtered water for just a while to see if that helps drink more. I hope I have been of some help. Have a great day.

Add water to her food, this will get fluid into her. You can also syringe water into her cheek pocket. If you cannot get her to drink or eat the moistened food she will need fluids given under the skin or into the vein by your veterinarian.