Help, My 8 week old puppy won't eat! - Page 2

Hello, please let us know how your puppy is doing. I hope you can get to a vet this weekend....do you have a vet that  you are comfortable with? .*** Make sure the puppy has clean, fresh water always available. If the puppy stops drinking, that's an emergency. A pup that's not drinking, having loose stools, not peeing or peeing very little (only a couple of drops) needs to be seen by a vet immediately!!! It doesn't sound like you're there yet, but it can happen pretty quickly, & if you get to that stage of illness, pups can fade away quickly...not trying to scare you, but you need to know when things are too bad to wait for a vet appt. ***  I am an advocate of boiled chicken & rice for sick puppies...I know raw is good, but I would hate to add to an already sick pups possible problems. Boiling the chicken will knock out the burden of possible bacterial contamination, something I would be concerned about for a puppy already acting 'off'. Did the breeder give you any info on what they were feeding? Any change in diet will throw the puppy's digestive system for a loop, & as you probably know, even humans get ill from changes in water, etc. while traveling, so it's a lot to expect for a little puppy! Make sure that you feed small frequent bland feedings of either boiled ground beef or chicken mixed with soft cooked rice for 7 to 10 days, offer good quality natural yoghurt (no sweeteners or corn syrup which will make the stools softer)- just a tablespoon or so, then if all is well, start introducing the kibble, high quality-not supermarket stuff, dampened with homemade or no sodium chicken broth, very slowly, Don't hover over the pup when feeding, give the meal, & retreat, let the pup have a few minutes alone with the food, then pick it up if it's not gone. Obviously don't take it away if puppy is still working on it, but remove it if pup's not interested . I've had a pup develope 'picky' eating habits after an illness, what a pain in the butt that was! So good luck & keep us posted, pictures & a pedigree would be great when things settle down for you. Out of curiosity, you said you are not experienced dog owners, what made you pick a German Shepherd Dog?    
Good Luck! jackie harris

OliveVonW, you are writing because your puppy seems off to you. She needs to go to the vet tomorrow. If she's just not a good eater and is working you over by being picky, it's good to find out one way or another. Rather than her have some health problem that will only get worse.

 

Lief, boy those Lab puppies look like trouble!

 

 Thank you so much for all of your advice.  Olive is doing better today.  She has had no fever.  Her stools are normal.  I called the breeder and they said she was always more social than interested in her food.  To the breeders advice we added more of the broth the chicken was boiled in with a small amount of salt to make her food a little more flavorful and gave her more space during meal time.  We also added steamed carrots.  I don't want her to be finicky but I really wanted her to get over this hump.  She has eaten her last  2 meals much better, just under a half of a cup at each feeding and her water intake seems good and she is has been peeing.  We will continue to watch her closely for continued improvement and follow up with the vet tomorrow or sooner if the improvement does not continue.  
I am not the most computer literate,  could someone let me know how to post a picture on this site.  We have a mac, this site looks like windows.    
Someone asked why we chose a german shepard.  We did a lot of research on attributes and temperament before we made our decision.  We wanted a very loyal, protective family dog as we were recently broken into but most importantly we wanted to raise a puppy with our children that we would not have to worry about ever being a threat of any kind to them.  This is why we went with a german import line to more assure temperament.  So far so good.  We also have acreage and knew she would be happy being able to run and explore.  
She loves playing with the kids  and seems very patient with them.  She followed the kids around at the breeders and immediately attached to the kids.  This was when we knew we had the right puppy.

I'm glad she's feeling a little better and also that she'll be seeing the vet.  If she is cleared by the vet as having no problems, I wouldn't start making too many adjustments to her diet as she will end up being a picky eater.  Choose a food that you know will meet her needs and don't use additives.  Giving her a raw bone to chew would be okay, as well as treats while training.  Other than that, keep her diet simple and it will make your life much easier.  Keep us posted on her progress, almost like we know her now.  Please do post some pics, we'd love to see the little bugger!

To post a picture, go to the little icon above here where you're typing and click the little yellow icon with the mountain and moon.  You can choose the "upload" tab and send pictures to the server, or choose pics from a photo hosting website such as Photobucket, copy the direct link and past in in the "URL" box.  Go down to "width" type 640 and the rest will fill in.  Just hit enter.  Remember to hit enter after each picture is inserted so they stack on top of each other.  If not, they will go across the screen and screw up the page.  If you have any problems, let us know.

Just as a side note, a pet peeve of many GSD people is spelling the breed name incorrectly.  It's "shepherd", just don't want you getting slammed for it.

Welcome to the breed!

Glad she's feeling better! I wish you nothing but happiness with your puppy. Her name is Olive? How cute! A long time ago I had a long coated German 3/4 bred. She was named Grendyll, & she took care of us & our kids after someone broke into our home. She was so good with our kids, I was just amazed. Later in life, my 2nd husband & I got our first GSD together, from a local hobby breeder, & she did not let us down. She was protective, loyal, gentle with the grandkids, intuitive, & so intelligent it sometimes seems she can read our minds. We have since bought another, adopted yet another, & now have 4.....like potato chips, we can't have just one! I must warn you, they are totally addictive! Be careful of puppy teeth, they are like little needles, & as your pup becomes more active & self assured, she may become a little mouthy...it's perfectly normal, just like toddlers put everything in their mouths, so do puppies. And toenails can be razor sharp as well, keep them clipped. Little kids can be scared by just one needle sharp nip or scratch, however unintended it may have been. I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't already know, & I was incredibly lucky with my first pup, she just seemed to know how to be gentle with my kids. My next girl was a little more energetic, but she still seemed to instinctivly know to be gentle with my grandchildren. My German male, however, was just too rambunctious to be alone with my grandkids....maybe it's a male thing, LOL! Our DDR adopted male is perfect with the kids however, a big teddy bear, but he was older when we got him. Our 2 young girls are good with them, & their brother, who was a gift to my grandchildren, has been described by my daughters vet as "made of gold" because he is so gentle & intuitive with the kids, & he's not 2 yet! So, good luck, God bless, & have fun with your girl! Can't wait to see some pics! jackie harris

Happy to hear about Olive! My best wishes for you and your puppy!

HEY!.....Lief!......those Lab puppies look amazing!
Robin

 

 

AW, what a cute little furball!  Looks like she may be a coat?  I love the coats and they actually do seem to have sweeter personalities.  It's wonderful to see such tiny pups bonding with kids, doesn't get much cuter than that.  She doesn't look thin to me but it's hard to tell with all that fuzz.  Let us know what the vet thinks.

Next time you post pics (and I'm hoping you post many more!), make sure you hit enter after the first picture is on the screen.  When you see your cursor under the pic you posted, then post another.  It's too hard to scroll sideways, much easier to see when they stack below.

Thanks for sharing, can't wait to watch her grow up.

Cute little pup, OliveVonW!

Be sure to find a quality kibble and stick to feeding her that, don't keep changing her diet, it will make her have loose stools, and remember, you will never find quality kibble food in a supermarket, pet store (unless it's a holistic one) and vets. office.

Go to previous post on here about what is good dog food, also, check-out the raw diet (BARF..)

Lots of luck with your new pup!

Lief,  aren't yellows the best!!