9wk Old puppy with poor appetite?

[Vagus]

Originally Posted by carmspack

why in the world !?! would you teach the dog to leave it , leave his food , using his food , to leave it when you have just gained foot hold in him TAKING his food.

Sigh, this is a very good point. I honestly did not even think about this when I tried teach it to him. I should mention that I first started teaching him 'leave it' using the cat's food, and it has not turned him off her kibble at all. I see what you're saying though, very stupid and inconsistent move on my part. His interest in the other various things we've bought for him (tinned food, dog roll etc.) are still low too. As for the vet, I am not particularly happy with him and think I may look for another. He also claims that neutering at 5 months old has no impact on growth and development according to studies in US shelters. Is there any truth to this?

I've just read an excerpt from The Knowledge of Dog Behaviour, focusing on the critical periods, and it was definitely an important read. Thank you for mentioning that.

[Sunflowers]

New Zealand makes Ziwipeak ! It doesn't get better than that if you want the next best thing to raw !

[carmspack]

further to development and critical periods for socialization --- it is during the age of your dog when trust is established . It is a tricky age because you do want to give some discipline , little pressures so that the dog builds in tolerance , but if too harsh, too much , too demanding then you can easily confuse the dog and come to mistrust humans , not because "they" have made the impact , but you , the representative have . You have to be fair and firm . If you go with the idea of 'oh its still a baby' and allow the dog free rein to do what he pleases then you have a dog that won't be as responsive or as resilient , because changes in behaviour which could have been done with praise for the right response will need more effort on your part later on. This is the period for learning trust and gaining confidence , not exposing the dog to harm , over tiring , over stimulating , but making learning and doing the right thing rewarding , not emphasing the negative aspect or the correction . So instead of hovering over the dog with a no no no , leave it (negative) , CALL him to you , make it so rewarding , nothing negative involved. You have killed two birds with one stone - he leaves the cats food which was the desired response and you have built a great recall and positive association with your self. Reward amply.
Personally I love this age .

[doggiedad]

maybe your pup doesn't like what you're feeding. my pup was
in a puppy class at 10 weeks old. he had his 2nd round of shots
when the class started.

[AngieW]

My vet recommended Royal Canin large breed puppy for Kylie. Of course, the vet's office also sells Royal Canin, so that may be why.

I don't agree with the practice of feeding your dog one type of kibble for the entirety of her life. That just seems crazy.

What I did with my golden was feed her Royal Canin golden retriever formula every morning and then a different food at night. The food she got at night was whatever premium brand was on sale that month. So she got Taste of the wild, Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, Naturo, Wellness, ... Once she finished off one bag, I would make sure to get her a different brand.

My vet also recommended waiting until after all the puppy shots were completed. I actually got her started in puppy classes at 3.5 months old. The place where we do puppy classes requires all puppies to have had their first set of shots.

The vet didn't want us to walk her anywhere other than the backyard until she had completed the whole puppy series, but she needed FAR more walking than that. I did keep her away from parks and pet store, but I needed to walk her every day. Even at 4 mo, she needed at least a one mile walk every day.

A couple of days after she completed her puppy series, we went to the dog park for the first time and she absolutely loved it! We go at least once every weekend. It's a great way for her to burn off a lot of energy without tiring me out. I wouldn't go to any kind of park with your puppy until he has finished the whole puppy series.

I don't feed Kylie from a bowl at all. She gets all of her food either from a Kong or a Bob-a-lot or by hand from me as part of her training.

In the Kongs, I mix her kibble with canned pumpkin. That makes it more difficult to get out and she could use the challenge. Kylie is very highly food-driven though.

[qbchottu]

If premium kibble is expensive, feed raw. Will be better quality and cheaper than feeding food like RC.

[Vagus]

Thank you for all the replies so far everyone! It is really reassuring to have a large group of experienced dog owners out there willing to offer advice (for free!).

Once again I've celebrated too early. This morning when I let Baron out he threw up bile 3 times and had a small loose stool. I tried to get him to eat some more beef medallions (basically a mix of raw beef, kidney, heart). He took one sniff and walked off. I ended up feeding him by hand with minimal interest in his part. If I tried to lure him in any particular direction he would just lose interest completely and look around instead. He's still behaving normally, running around and following us everywhere.

I'm going to contact the vet when they open in a few hours. Should I request a fecal test? Blood test? Both? Neither? Do I contact the breeder? When I spoke to her last, she recommended chicken mince and beef medallions to get his appetite up. I tried the mince last week, mixed in with his kibble and while initially interested, that wore off. The beef medallions weren't in stock at the time, but I picked some up yesterday and he seemed really into it. This morning, not so much. At this rate I am really worrying about his growth and development

[Doc]

I would check/ recheck for Giardia. To be honest, at this point my concern would be to find a food the dog likes - I don't care if it is Pedigree or Puk a Nuba. Find something he enjoys and will eat; don't get too hung up on if it is the best kibble in the world. Find one he will eat and feed him.
Bile in the morning seems to me to be because of an empty stomach. I would feed him 3X a day, morning, noon and night if possible. If not, twice a day, morning and evening.
Rule out any internal parasites, find a kibble he will eat, feed very small meals several times a day.
I once had a German shepherd that would not eat any kibble until I closed my eyes and put Pedigree in the bowl. She ate it and lived to be over 13 years old.

[msvette2u]

Find one he will eat and feed him.

Even the worst foods have to have adequate nutrition or they can't be sold.

If Royal Canin is all that's available in your area, and the puppy likes and will eat it, then by all means, feed it.