Why won't my puppy eat his food? I've tried changing it, he seems fine.

The first thing you will need to determine is is Oscar is being finicky or if he is sick. Here is a link about finicky eating: https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater/ Most puppies eat well so there is a concern that he is actually not feeling well. If there is a cause for concern for illness. If this is behavioral, my advice is to pick a high quality food and stick with it. The two brands that seem to be most palatable are Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan. Also, as long as your pet is healthy, its ok if he skips a meal. Dogs are smart and they often train humans to give them something else. Have him examined if illness or a medical cause is suspected. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Brands of puppy food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. There could be a medical reason why Shabby isn't eating, so I do recommend a check up with the vet today to make sure she is healthy. Best of luck.

It can be frustrating and a little scary when puppies won't eat their food! Things to ask yourself to determine if this is something you should take Max into the veterinarian for: How long has it been since he has eaten a good meal? If it has been over a day, he should likely see a veterinarian -- puppies are usually HUNGRY! How is he acting otherwise? If he is still a bright bouncy puppy - he may just not be hungry - and I would try feeding him again in a few hours. If he is lethargic or vomiting or has diarrhea, he should be seen by your veterinarian soon. Also, take a look at the food you are feeding him - is it a high quality puppy food? I like brands such as Purina (Purina Dog Chow or Purina One, for example), Science Diet, Iams, Royal Canin all make very good food with lots of research behind their foods. Making the dry food moist by adding water and even heating it up a little (make sure it is not too hot that could cause burns!) can make the food smell more appetizing to the dog. It is always a good idea to have a good relationship with a veterinarian, especially during the puppy stage - to make sure he gets his vaccinations when he is supposed to AND to make sure he does not have any intestinal parasites (which can also make him feel bad). I hope this helps and Max is eating again soon! Thank you for using pet coach!

Chapatis, oats, and rice are not a balanced or healthy diet for a dog. Dogs need protein and calcium as well as many other vitamins and nutrients, and that diet you provided doesn't give him that. I see that Max is six months old, so he needs a puppy formulated food. Puppies need higher amounts of calories, protein, and calcium than adult dogs, and a puppy formulated food will provide that for him. I would not give him human food any longer, and put him on a puppy dog food until he is 12 months. Then he should be on an adult dog food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I would also have a health check for him with the vet. He may be feeling unwell from have a nutrient deficient diet, or he could also have a medical illness causing the loss of appetite. Please keep in mind that even if it is a medical illness causing him to lose his appetite, the current diet you are feeding him is very poor and he needs to be on a puppy food. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not uncommon for puppies to not show a completely normal appetite at times. I recommend that you try a highly palatable diet such as Purina Pro Plan shredded blends. Also, you may use dog grade gravy or pieces of boiled chicken to be mixed with his food to try to improve his appetite. Otherwise, it is very likely that Tucker will be fine. They will usually eat until they are not hungry and then resume eating when they feel like eating again. Good luck and have a great day!

If your puppy is not eating at all and this began within the last day or two, I would be very concerned about a serious medical problem - if this is the case, you should get him to a vet right away. Common causes of not eating in puppies would include parvo or intestinal obstruction, but almost any serious illness could cause not eating as a symptom so it would be hard to know the cause without an exam and possibly some blood work or x-rays. If this problem has been going on for a while and your pup is acting fairly normal otherwise, then yes - it's possible that he could have worms, or he may be a picky eater who would do better with a different diet. You could try deworming him with a dewormer labeled for dogs such as Panacur - you can get this over the counter at many pet stores, just follow the dosing instructions on the label for your puppy's weight. You may also want to try a different brand or flavor of puppy chow, or mix some canned puppy food in with his dry food to see if this helps to tempt his appetite. If this doesn't seem to help, then I would recommend having him seen by a vet to find out if there is some other reason for his poor appetite.

Hi there! Scooby sure sounds like he's becoming a very picky eater! A lot of dogs do this, and the more you give in, the more they will demand new and different foods mixed in and people food. The best way to break the behavior is to offer him his food, and no matter how long he takes to eat it, wait it out. Eventually he will realize that that's what he's getting to eat and that's it! If some people still have trouble at this point, I tell them to try balanceIT.com. it is a website that teaches you how to make a home cooked diet for your dog and also offers a supplement you can add into the food to make sure that they ate getting enough of the minerals and vitamins that they need. From the way it sounds, no matter what you add to scooby's food he's going to want something different in a few days, but you can try some plain low fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or pumpkin mixed into the food, or even just some warm water to help bring out the fragrance. Also make sure of course that scooby is up to date on his vet visits, vaccines, dewormings, and other preventive care, and that he is not having any signs of illness like diarrhea or vomiting. If he absolutely will not est, a vet visit is in order, but it doesn't seem that way.