Puppies refusing to eat food - Page 2

Cordon, how old are these pups? 8 weeks or so? At that age, they might just be "over" soaked foods, assuming that they are well in all other respects. Try them on cut up roast chicken and see what the reaction is. Then try giving them dry food without so much soaking, maybe just mix a little smelly food like tuna or mackeral in with it and see how you go. I find that pups around 6-8 weeks old get sick of soaked food and want a different texture to try. In fact, my pups usually have had rice and pasta with cooked mince by the time they are 4-5 weeks and are pretty much completely off mushy foods by 5 weeks.

Of course, if there is any doubt about their health, off to the vet like everyone has suggested, but if they are well, but not putting on weight, try the above.

Cordon, be careful about weaning these pups too fast.  There's a chance they don't want solids because their mother is producing far more milk than average.  If you take the pups off the mother all at once, the bitch may get a whopping case of mastitis due to the engorgement of too much milk.  Wean slowly, keeping her out of the box with only 3 chances a day for the pups to get at her, then after a few days go to two chances.  Wait a 4 or 5 days more and then allow contact once a day.  By then she'll have dried up safely and the pups will lose interest.

I've had pups of a different breed nursing at 8 weeks.  If Mama doesn't want to nurse, she'll discipline the whelps.

Good luck,

Micky