Help! My 8-month Boston Terrier puppy won't eat, but he's playful.

The first thing you will need to determine is is Oscar is being finicky or if he is sick. Here is a link about finicky eating: https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater/ Most puppies eat well so there is a concern that he is actually not feeling well. If there is a cause for concern for illness. If this is behavioral, my advice is to pick a high quality food and stick with it. The two brands that seem to be most palatable are Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan. Also, as long as your pet is healthy, its ok if he skips a meal. Dogs are smart and they often train humans to give them something else. Have him examined if illness or a medical cause is suspected. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It is likey just that - him being picky and stubborn. I would see if he would at least eat canned food. Canned food is at least more of a balance diet than just chicken and rice. If he doesn't eat, be sure to give him some nutrical to help keep his blood sugar up since he is so tiny. It will likely take you becoming stubborn as well to get him to transition to regular diet, but you don't want him to miss too many meals. You could also slowly mix in some soften kibbles with the chicken to help him get use to the taste and over a few weeks, decrease the amount of water you use to soft the kibbles and decrease the chicken as well. If you end up just cooking for him, I would visit balanceit.com to ensure he is getting a balanced diet. I hope this helps !

Hi there! Scooby sure sounds like he's becoming a very picky eater! A lot of dogs do this, and the more you give in, the more they will demand new and different foods mixed in and people food. The best way to break the behavior is to offer him his food, and no matter how long he takes to eat it, wait it out. Eventually he will realize that that's what he's getting to eat and that's it! If some people still have trouble at this point, I tell them to try balanceIT.com. it is a website that teaches you how to make a home cooked diet for your dog and also offers a supplement you can add into the food to make sure that they ate getting enough of the minerals and vitamins that they need. From the way it sounds, no matter what you add to scooby's food he's going to want something different in a few days, but you can try some plain low fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or pumpkin mixed into the food, or even just some warm water to help bring out the fragrance. Also make sure of course that scooby is up to date on his vet visits, vaccines, dewormings, and other preventive care, and that he is not having any signs of illness like diarrhea or vomiting. If he absolutely will not est, a vet visit is in order, but it doesn't seem that way.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Romeo Lion. I recommend seeking emergency veterinary care for him today. It is abnormal for a puppy to go so long without eating. Being such a young dog, I worry that his blood sugar will drop without eating. The veterinarian will examine him and try to determine why he isn't eating. You can try placing karo syrup on his gums prior to seeking care. I hope this information helps!

Good Evening! As long as this is not a brand new problem, Bleu is of normal weight (not underweight where his ribs, back bone or pelvis are showing through his skin...) drinking well, bright, alert, not experiencing any other signs such as vomiting, loose stools, it sounds to me as though you may have a dog who simply is not very "food motivated", and you may have a "picky eater." on your hands! The good news about picky eaters is that they indeed WILL eat when they are hungry. If this is a new condition for Bleu, if he is underweight, or experiencing any other signs of illness, please consider visiting your veterinarian for a check up.

Some dogs tend to be picky eaters, and I think it sounds like Canelo is probably one of them. If you want to curb this behavior you should offer the food you want him to eat and not give treats or more/different food even if he doesn’t eat. As long as he’s otherwise in good health he’ll eat when he’s hungry enough. Some dogs will skip a meal or even two but in general once they realize nothing better is coming they will eat what’s offered.

It can be frustrating and a little scary when puppies won't eat their food! Things to ask yourself to determine if this is something you should take Max into the veterinarian for: How long has it been since he has eaten a good meal? If it has been over a day, he should likely see a veterinarian -- puppies are usually HUNGRY! How is he acting otherwise? If he is still a bright bouncy puppy - he may just not be hungry - and I would try feeding him again in a few hours. If he is lethargic or vomiting or has diarrhea, he should be seen by your veterinarian soon. Also, take a look at the food you are feeding him - is it a high quality puppy food? I like brands such as Purina (Purina Dog Chow or Purina One, for example), Science Diet, Iams, Royal Canin all make very good food with lots of research behind their foods. Making the dry food moist by adding water and even heating it up a little (make sure it is not too hot that could cause burns!) can make the food smell more appetizing to the dog. It is always a good idea to have a good relationship with a veterinarian, especially during the puppy stage - to make sure he gets his vaccinations when he is supposed to AND to make sure he does not have any intestinal parasites (which can also make him feel bad). I hope this helps and Max is eating again soon! Thank you for using pet coach!