My 4-month puppy won't eat adult food after wet. What to do?

Poncholo could be feeling ill, causing him to not want to eat. You are absolutely correct he needs to be on puppy food, and I would recommend keeping him on puppy food until he is a year old. You can try soaking his dry food in gently warmed low sodium beef or chicken broth, or mixing in some boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in with his dry food. If these methods don't tempt him to eat, I would take him into the vet for an exam.

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.

You might consider soaking the dog food to make it softer/easier to eat since he is still young. Mixing a small amount of rice or cooked chicken breast or lean ground beef may entice him we just don't want him to fill up on those alone. I am not familiar with the Canine Creek food, be sure it is appropriate for puppies or switch to the Royal Canin puppy food as this is a reliable/trustworthy brand.

If Simon suddenly isn’t eating a food that he had been eating well before, you definitely need to see your vet. If he is eating it but just waits for you to put the home cooked food in, I would say he has you well-trained! Try avoiding the home-cooked food for a day or two and I bet he gets hungry enough to eat. Also try offering whatever food he was eating before he stopped eating or before he came to you. Best of luck to you and Simon!

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At 4 weeks you can start to wean bottle feeding. I would start with soft canned puppy food for 1 week then mix in wet dry food over another week. By 6 weeks the puppy should be able to eat dry food or moistened dry food. I hope this helps and I wish you and Cujo the best!

As you probably realize this is not a balanced diet for a growing puppy. If you haven't already I would recommend trying various canned puppy foods with a little chicken and rice mixed in. If he absolutely won't eat you can talk to your veterinarian about whether or not it is safe for you to leave food out and wait for him to eat when he's hungry - this could take a day or even longer. If you don't mind cooking for him you could also ask your veterinarian for a referral to a nutritionist to help create a recipe for a balanced home cooked diet.