Is your little pup turning up its nose at mealtime? Have you ever found yourself asking, ‘Why is my puppy not eating?’
We understand how challenging this can be for you as a puppy parent. I meet many puppy parents with all kinds of concerns about their puppy’s feeding habits and issues.
Such as, why a puppy is always hungry, how long can they go without eating, how to maintain a feeding schedule, what are the best wet or dry foods for puppies, and many more.
Among all of them, ‘Why is my puppy not eating?’ is one of the most common concerns of puppy parents.
Therefore, I have jotted down the 10 most common reasons why your puppy may not be eating, including some tricks and tips to help them eat again.
10 Reasons Why Is My Puppy Not Eating
Check out these 10 reasons to figure out the possible reasons behind your little friend’s loss of appetite to answer your question, ‘Why is my puppy not eating?’.
1. Change in Diet
Puppies often react resistant to new food as it breaks their familiarity with the food. Making sudden shifts between puppy food brands, dry to wet food, and puppy food to adult dog food can make them uninterested in eating anymore.
2. Overfeeding
It can be as simple as your puppy is not hungry anymore. If you use up a lot of treats in activities such as behavioral training, your puppy will be full by meal time. Because they have considerably small tummies they will not be able to have any more food.
3. Picky eater
While puppies are lovely and adorable, sometimes they can be picky about their food preferences. A picky eater puppy selectively refuses or fusses over food choices. They may also stop eating if not given the food of their choice.
4. Dental Problems
After the age of 4 weeks, the puppy’s teething process begins. The teething process can cause a lot of discomfort for puppies.
Other issues like dental infection, or oral diseases can also cause discomfort and pain. This can affect the eating habits of your puppy.
5. Medication or Medical Procedure related issues
New medications or vaccinations can cause side effects, post-surgery discomfort, or illness associated with medical procedures.
Pain, nausea, changes in appetite, or stress from procedures can also cause the loss of appetite in puppies.
6. Stomach Issues
As puppies do not have a well-developed digestive system, they are prone to digestive problems. Issues like diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, gastritis, colitis, and intestinal parasites can affect a puppy’s willingness to eat.
7. Organ Disease or Dysfunction
Puppies may stop eating due to organ disease or dysfunction, which can cause pain, nausea, or metabolic disturbances. Some organ diseases or dysfunctions in puppies include parvovirus infection, kidney disease, liver disease, pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal obstruction.
8. Changes in Environment
Puppies are very sensitive to changes in their environment. Sudden exposure to new people or animals, sudden increase or decrease in temperature, loud noises, and shifting to a new location can cause a sense of stability, causing the puppy to not have an appetite for food anymore.
9. Stress and Anxiety
Just like us humans, puppies experience stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety in puppies can be triggered by separation from their mother or littermates, changes in environment or routine, lack of socialization, separation from owner, sensory overload, etc.
10. Disturbed Routine and Consistency
Breaking routine can cause stress and anxiety in puppies, leading to loss of appetite. Puppies thrive on consistency, and disruptions can affect their eating habits negatively.
How to Solve if Puppy Not Eating
Here are some tricks and tips to make your puppy eat again and maintain a healthy feeding schedule based on the book, 25 Reasons Your Dog Isn’t Eating.
- Gradual transitions while making changes in diet.
- Monitor treat intake.
- Offer a variety of food and be patient.
- Feed soft/moistened food during teething.
- Monitor side effects and consult a vet.
- Offer easily digestible foods.
- Ensure regular vet check-ups.
- Implement gradual introductions to new environments, early socialization with people and other animals, and provide comfortable space.
- Provide comfort and reassurance, and consider professional training or therapy if necessary.
- Stick to schedule to maintain stability.
Conclusion
Puppies can stop eating due to issues like dietary change, health and medicine, behavioral problems, stress and anxiety, etc. Using proper tricks and techniques you can get your puppy back on this feeding schedule.
Being an informed puppy parent is always beneficial to the health and well-being of your little furry friend. Check out our website to learn more to become an educated and well-prepared puppy parent.
