Why is my puppy not eating kibble and has skin issues? Is it stress?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bear! Medications can mess with an already sensitive stomach. So if his decrease in appetite matches when you started medications for his skin that is likely the reason. See if adding warm water to the dry food helps or a tablespoon of canned food with in the same brand will get him to eat. Hopefully when his skin is cleared up and the medication is over he will resume eating normally. I wish you the best

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I have had excellent luck with Royal Canin so I can definitely support giving that a try. In general for giant breed dogs, feed according to the bag. Being 7 months, Bear is probably past the biggest of the growth spurts but we probably still don’t want to free feed. However, it the giant breed formulas, it is safer to feed larger quantities while still keeping bone growth at a proper rate. As for the beard, I have a schnauzer so I can relate a little. My best advice is just to wash the beard with a puppy shampoo once a week. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Finally, for the skin. Adding about 2000 mg per day of Fish oil can sometimes help with the skin however, I recommend talking to your vet. If Bear is already this itchy, food or environmental allergies could be to blame. Bet wishes to you and Bear!

Is this new that he won't eat his kibble? If so then I recommend bringing Bear to the veterinarian to have him examined. If this is not new I would try adding water to the food to see if he would like it. I would not hand feed him or just feed him piece by piece. Would he eat off of a plate? Or maybe if his bowls are not raised, raising his bowls. I would also make sure he isn't thin. So if your veterinarian said he is ideal weight as long as he is not losing I am not as concerned. They will eat when they are hungry unless something medical is going on. With you hand feeding or adding stuff he is going to wait to eat because he knows he will be getting something else. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Offer a canned food that has a strong odor. Warming it slightly, mixing in a teaspoon of baby food or mixing in water from a can of tuna may stimulate her appetite. A pheromone product such as Feliway spray or plug in diffuser may decrease any anxiety related to the move. An "allergy friendly" diet would be difficult to recommend without knowing everything your dog has allergies against. What you can do is discuss allergy testing and hydrolyzed diets with your veterinarian. Read ingredient labels for possible allergens.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry you are so frustrated. If Chewbacca is still active and drinking and not having vomiting or diarrhea, I would give him more time. Movin can be stressful and it isn't necessary for dogs to eat every day. I know you want him to eat but he may need to acclimate to the new place before he decides to eat. If he is acting ill, I recommend taking him to a vet to make sure nothing else is going on. I would also visit PetCo for Adaptil, a pheromone to help calm pets in stressful situtation. Talk to your vet about other behavior supplements like Composure or Zylkene. I hope this helps. Try to relax about the appetite. He knows you are stressed. He will eat when he's hungry as long as he's healthy. Good luck and kisses to Chewbacca!

Thank you for your question. There are some dogs that are very picky eaters, including mine. You can approach this a couple of different ways. You can decide to stick to one food and take the approach that Kimi will eat it when he is hungry. If you choose to do this, you need to avoid adding anything to the food, or he will simply wait until you add something to eat it. At his age, I would be comfortable letting him go 48 hours without eating before giving in and adding something to encourage him to eat. The second approach would be to recognize that he gets bored with his food and rotate through foods. You can find a brand with multiple flavors. Or you can change between brands. If you change between brands, I recommend adding some of the new food to the old food for a few days. Lastly, there are some dogs that only eat once a day, and if that is all he is interested in, that is okay too. He will eat when he is hungry, and as long as his weight is stable, and there are no other symptoms (such as vomiting or diarrhea), I wouldn't be concerned. For the barking, I recommend ignoring her when she barks. If she receives attention for this behavior it will continue. Here is a link to an article on barking. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-stop-excessive-barking-in-dogs/ I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It can be difficult going from one place to another since Kane most likely doesn't understand. If he isn't eating I would recommend a physical to make sure there is nothing going on medically with him. If he is fine then I would talk to your veterinarian about how he is behaving. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.