My 10-week puppy is always hungry after worming. Is it normal?

Eight week old puppies will sleep a lot. But when awake, he should be active, alert, and hungry. Many times it takes multiple deworming treatments several weeks apart to clear an infestation, I would recommend having a fecal sample checked by the veterinarian. Be sure that he is getting his vaccinations, the vet will recommend a series of vaccines every 3-4 weeks until 16-18 weeks old. Until he is fully vaccinated he may still be very susceptible to parvo or distemper. If he is very lethargic, vomiting or diarrhea he needs to see a vet right away. At 8 weeks old I recommend feeding 3 times daily. He should be on a high quality large breed dog food (some great brands are Science Diet, Royal Canin, Eukanuba or ProPlan). At this point you can base what you feed him according to the directions on the package. Be careful when playing that you don't tire him out too much. Be sure he stops for breaks and snacks. Until fully vaccinated I would not take him outside much and avoid public parks, dog parks or petstores with Twix. I hope this helps. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Congratulations on your new puppy! Fergus is adorable! In the photos, he does not look particularly thin, but you can monitor his weight to make sure. He should be eating food formulated for puppies - the back of most bags of food has directions on feeding. You can definitely feed him a food specific for large breed dogs, but this is not necessary. He should be eating about 3-4 meals per day, which can be decreased to 2 meals per day once he turns about 6 months.

Puppies tend to go through a lanky phase especially if they're a taller breed. Typically they will grow taller before they start to fill out and grow muscle mass. It sounds like your kid is still young and otherwise very happy, so I would give it some time if she was dewormed appropriately. If you're feeding once a day it might be best to consider twice a day feeding as well, like 2 cups twice a day instead of 3 cups once a day. It's very hard to overfeed puppies as they are actively growing. So if you feel like she is not gaining weight appropriately you can try adding an additional 1/2 cup at a time and reassessing in a week or two. Also most veterinary clinics will be fine with you bringing your pet in just to use the scale, just call ahead to ask. This would be a good way for you to know about weight gain. I hope this helps and thank you for using pet coach!

Yes your puppy can definitively wait until tomorrow. Gastrointestinal worms generally speaking cause abnormal digestion and absorption of nutrients from intestine and that usually cause increased appetite. Energy requirements may increase for that reason or for fast growing phase. Worming treatments will soon get rid of them all. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding the stray dog. It is difficult to say why his appetite is a bit decreased. I recommend continuing offering him food as you have been doing. If he demonstrates other signs of illness or seems to be losing weight, then that would be concerning. In this case, I would try to seek veterinary care for him if possible. Otherwise offer him food as normal and monitor his intake. He could be finding food elsewhere and appetite can vary with environmental temperature and stress levels. Good luck!

It is quite possible that he is nauseous from the medicine or he had a lot of worms which are now dying and that is causing him a tummy ache. Don;t feed him for 12 to 24 hours and then offer him some bland food such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken. Feed him small portions often. When he has regained his appetite he should be fine. There is a possibility that he will get diarrhea as well for a day or two as the body is going to try to get rid of the worms as quickly as possible.

I would recommend a really good deworming since he is young. However it would be best to take a fecal to the vet to determine if he has parasites and if so what kind. If he does not have any parasites I would recommend a food change. I would try a basic diet like purina, royal canine, or science diet puppy food.