My 4-month puppy refuses dry food. Can I feed him homemade meals?

What about a canned or dehydrated food? Those sometimes are preferable to young dogs. The dehydrated foods are great because that are a lot like homemade food but don't require the time or effort needed. Canned foods are not bad for them either. You can start that or mix it with dry food to help encourage her to eat dry food. I hope this helps!

If it's been ongoing a week, I would think about scheduling a vet visit as there may be some minor GI upset or an underlying illness causing the change. If you see obvious signs of illness including lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, pain, refusing all food, etc, then seeking care right away is best.

Do not feed him adult food, it will not provide the nutrition Prince needs as a growing puppy. Try warming his puppy food slightly before feeding. You can also mix in an appropriate puppy milk replacer or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate his appetite. If he still won't eat, have Prince examined by your veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury.

Congratulations on your new baby! I definitely recommend getting him back on his puppy food, since it nutritionally balanced for his growing body. My favorite brands are Science Diet and Royal Canin. Feed the highest quality food you can afford, since this will help prevent illness in the future and save money on vet bills in the long run. The bad news is it sounds like he's training you they way he wants you, the good news is you can correct his behavior. Dogs can go without eating for a few days without any detrimental effects, unlike cats. So, to convince him he needs to eat his food, offer his puppy food in two to three meals a day. Read the directions on the bag or can for guidelines on how much to feed per day and divide that into however many meals you need to. You can offer dry, canned or a combination. It may help him transition if you offer him some canned food with the dry, and/or moisten the dry with some low-sodium chicken broth to entice him to eat. Try to keep him on a regular a schedule as you can. Put his food down in the morning and give him 20 minutes to eat it. If he doesn't eat it, take it up, and put it away for the next meal. Only give him treats for doing something, such as training or going potty outside, and only a few. You don't want to have him rely on treats as a meal. When it's time for the next meal, put his food down, give him 20 minutes. When he gets hungry enough, usually after a day or so, he'll eat. Don't feed him anything off the table either. If he begs and you feel you have to give him something, keep a bowl of his kibble on the table and give him that. Most dogs think it's fantastic because it came off the table from you.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sure, you can use baby food mixed into kibbles if you like. But the real question is why won’t Luna eat the dry food? Possibilities include: 1) A bad tooth or other mouth problem 2) An organ dysfunction, disease, or infection that affects appetite 3) She has you well trained. I recommend seeing your vet to help rule out medical causes. If nothing is found, it could simply be that she has you well trained and knows that if she waits long enough, you’ll put something good in her bowl. My advice for that is to wait her out. Don’t give in and within 3 days, every healthy dog I know has eaten plain kibbles. Of course if Luna is a healthy weight and you don’t mind pampering her, that’s fine too, so long as she does get some dog food (it has all the minerals and vitamins we need her to get). Best wishes to you and Luna!

Sometimes puppies can have a slight decrease in appetite when they first come home since it is a big adjustment, however it sounds like you've had her a few days. Given her age and her breed I'd recommend seeing a veterinarian to make sure she doesn't have low blood sugar, parasites, or another medical problem affecting her appetite. If she also seems weak, lethargic or disoriented you should see an emergency veterinarian as soon as possible. She is adorable!

Hi there. It should be fine to start feeding Blacky a home-cooked diet now, if you want to - you'll just need to make sure that it's nutritionally complete and balanced for growing puppies. I would recommend using either www.balanceit.com or www.petdiets.com to put together appropriate recipes for him.