My young puppy hasn't eaten in 11 hours. Is this an emergency?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Romeo Lion. I recommend seeking emergency veterinary care for him today. It is abnormal for a puppy to go so long without eating. Being such a young dog, I worry that his blood sugar will drop without eating. The veterinarian will examine him and try to determine why he isn't eating. You can try placing karo syrup on his gums prior to seeking care. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your puppy. This is not normal behavior for such a young puppy. If he goes too long between meals, his blood sugar will drop too low. I recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian today. In the meantime, you can place karo or maple syrup on his gums to help raise his blood sugar. I hope this information helps!

Yes, your friend can take Lola into the vet. If she's 13 days old, it's very serious that she isn't eating or drinking. Young puppies are very fragile, and whenever there is a problem with them (especially if they aren't eating), it's considered a medical emergency. Have your friend take her into a vet immediately.

And in terms of the food -- he should be willing to eat wet food, if not dry food, at this age. So if he's not, I would highly recommend a check up with your vet to make sure everything looks ok. He may just need more time to adjust, but with such a young guy, he can get low blood sugar and dehydration very quickly, so it's important to act sooner rather than later.

That is very young for a puppy to be adopted out. Ideally, it should have been at least 8 weeks old before being adopted. If she isn't eating much, she won't be defecating much either. You can try warming the food or mixing in some plain baby food (no onion, no garlic) to stimulate her appetite. An exam for any new pet is always recommended to confirm good health or to diagnose and treat any preexisting conditions. Unless she is lethargic, not eating all, is vomiting or has diarrhea, then she can probably see your regular veterinarian today or tomorrow.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that your puppy is not eating well and seems ill. Puppies need to feed approximately ever 2 hours when they are first born; if they don't, they can become dehydrated and also get dangerously low blood sugar levels. If the puppy is not feeding well and seems to not be thriving, I recommend bringing the puppy to your local veterinarian as soon as you can. Puppies can rapidly decompensate and even pass on their own when they aren't thriving. Bottle feeding is not the safest option for feeding puppies, as they can accidentally aspirate the milk into their lungs and develop fatal pneumonia. The safest way to feed newborn puppies is tube feeding, where you pass a feeding tube down into their stomach and directly deliver the food. This should be demonstrated by a veterinarian so you can do it safely. I hope this is helpful!

She’s tiny, she could have low sugar or hypoglycemia. This can become life threatening. Please give her a 1/2 teaspoonful of honey or Karo syrup. You can rub it into her gums if she won’t lick it. I would try to have her eat small amounts of small breed puppy food at least six times daily until she’s bigger and stronger. If you still can’t get her to eat she will need veterinary treatment soon. This is a serious medical problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your puppy.