# 8 week old doesn't eat



## Bea's Big Sis (May 29, 2008)

Hi everyone! We just got an 8 week old puppy last Friday (her name is Minnie). This is my second golden retriever, but this one is very different from the first! First of all, Minnie is a very tiny girl (only 6.2 pounds). Is that normal? My first golden weighed 14 pounds at that age, so I am a little concerned.

Also, she is showing no interest in food whatsoever. When we picked her up from the breeder, he told us how she hardly ate anything last week either. We tried soft food (which we didn't really want to do), mixing in warm milk, syrup, yogurt, etc. She doesn't even care for treats. We've tried feeding her Royal Canin (which the breeder was feeding), and we wanted to wean her off it and feed Purina One. She didn't care for either...

I'm just worried our little girl is not getting enough food...you can feel all of her bones! She is very active besides that - she likes to run around and play with her toys, so I don't think she's sick or anything like that. The vet didn't seem too concerned, but only eating a small amount of food over 6 days is not a good thing. Any suggestions? 

Also, her breath is not the normal "puppy breath"...it smells like stale coffee and Spam. Ew!

Thanks for the help!


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## Lynne94 (Nov 8, 2011)

First of all, Minnie is so sweet and adorable! 

When we brought Lucy home 3 weeks ago she would not eat either. At her first vet visit at about 8 weeks, she was only 7 pounds. The vet said to do whatever we could do to get her to eat. So I went out and bought a few different kinds of wet puppy food - the vet had recommended something with chicken and rice. From the second I put the first food down she went crazy and gobbled up the whole thing. So we stuck with it slowly starting to add the same brand dry food (moistened with water) and reducing the wet. 

She has been eating great ever since and at her vet visit last week at 10 weeks she was up to almost 11 pounds. 

I think getting her to start eating was the key and it wouldn't hurt to call the vet and see what they recommend. Ours was very concerned with Lucy's weight at the first visit - she felt she should have been at least 8 pounds.

Good Luck!!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

wow 6 pounds is tiny for an 8 week old pup...
What has the breeder offered for advice?
Wouldn't hurt to double check her papers to be sure she is 8 weeks old.
Will she eat human pureed babyfood meat?


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## Bea's Big Sis (May 29, 2008)

Thanks for the tips! I think we'll try more wet food even though we didn't want to go down that pathway originally. I thought her problem also might be worms, but she was checked last week at the vet and it came up negative. The vet didn't seem worried about her weight....but I am! She is just so tiny.

The breeder did not offer too much advice. He fed her deer meat before we took her home, which then led to her throwing up in the car and having a bathroom problem. 

We visit the vet again next weekend so we'll see if she's gained any weight. We'll keep trying to make her eat!


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## Sam's dad (Nov 1, 2011)

Try a lil cottage cheese and some chopped up cut green beans mixed in a small amount of kibble  My guy wasn't too interested at first then I fed him that and he's been on a feeding binge since


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

I am not liking your breeder too much. But I think you might encourage her eating by giving her foods that smell, and maybe heating them a bit which will also make the smell come out it you are using canned food that has been refrigerated. Stinky to you may be good to eat to your baby.


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

Have you had your pup in to get vet checked and vaccinations? What about stool checked for parasites? Seems to me your pup needs a very thorough vet exam in order to really start the process of good health and well-being. Are you feeding three times a day? Do you have a routine for feeding or do you leave the food out all day? Leaving dogfood out all day is not recommended. Try putting the food out and leaving it for 15-20 minutes first thing in the morning, if your pup eats only a little or isn't interested, take up the food and be sure to try this again at noon time and at dinner time. Be sure to have fresh water out all day. How is the house training going. Have you observed the stools of your puppy? Is your puppy having difficulty moving her bowels or is she having diarrhea? You could try adding some warm chicken broth to dry food. Cook some hamburger and rice for a couple of days and see how that goes. There are alot of food options available. Finding the "right fit," may take a bit of doing. Best of luck.


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## LittleLouie (Feb 21, 2011)

Try different varieties of chicken, beef, lamb, even fish. My dog doesn't like chicken, but he loves lamb and rice. When I was younger, my mother would always pour warm chicken broth over the dogs' food if they weren't eating or needed to gain weight. 

Is it possible that she may not have properly been weaned from her mother? I would don't like the sound of this breeder, either. Not sure how old puppies are when they can be affected by parvo, but maybe that is a possibility? I hope not, though, because parvo is a nightmare. Hopefully something will work soon! But don't get another dog from this breeder, sounds a little odd.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Bea's Big Sis*

Bea's Big Sis

You should take your adorable puppy into the vet for a checkup to make sure everything is alright!! She is so cute-puppies are so fragile.


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## Pemphredo (Nov 14, 2011)

My puppy wouldn't eat when I first got her. I started out having to soak the kibble in puppy milk then puree it and force feed her from a syringe. She started to get her apatite back and now I have to cut her kibbles up in half and hand feed her them one by one. HOWEVER at the vet yesterday he put some science diet out on the table and she wolfed it down.... I had just said to him she wouldn't eat for me.... My breeder said they were feeding blue buffalo.... I don't think she was cause she wouldn't eat that either. I got taste of the wild and she isn't a fan of it either.... she loved the science diet though. It might just be she doesn't like the food. My girl is 7 weeks old and 2 days and she is WAY under weight. she is 4 lb 6 oz... but she had a BAD case of coccidia that stunted her growth a bit from the start she should start getting bigger soon. Good luck. and I hope she starts eating soon.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

good luck... you might try hand-feeding. put the wet food on your fingers and let her lick it off. I give my dogs human baby food--the ones with mostly meat in them--when they are sick and they slurp them right up. Most dogs like peanut butter. You wouldn't want to give her too much if she's not feeling up to par, but you could put a bit on your finger and let her lick it off.


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## Bogart (Nov 14, 2009)

I would take her to the Vet and also take a Stool sample along. She might have worms or giardia (they don't thrive with hich hikers in their system).
Also my little guy wasn't eating too well the first 2 month either.
He also had worms pups very sensitive to these things.
I bought green tribe (in a can) in a dog healthfood store and mixed it with his regular puppyfood. He also got his meds and got better.
How is the stool on the pup lose or normal? Any diareah?


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

First of all, welcome and congratulation on Minnie! 

My first thought is...she doesn't look like she's 8 weeks, are you sure? With that said, my guy came to me at 5.5 weeks and weighed less than 4 lbs. At 8 weeks he weighed 10 lbs. He wouldn't eat much either. I fed him boiled chicken & rice for a few days followed by Innova Large Breed Puppy dry with some of the canned version mixed in along with a little cottage cheese.


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## dexter0125 (Mar 20, 2011)

I agree with others that she doesn't look 8 weeks..but, that's another issue.

I say try mixing in something high, high, high value with her food. Yogurt, steamed green beans, steamed carrots, steamed peas, cottage cheese, pumpkin, maybe chicken or hamburger, a small amount of steak, fish..anything to get her to eat. You can even try to give her low fat string cheese. Hand feed her (which is a great way to build trust and avoid resource guarding, too).

If the breeder KNEW she wasn't eating, they should've kept her and taken care of her until she was ready to go home..sketchy.


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## Pemphredo (Nov 14, 2011)

Did the breeder give you a birth date? He for sure does not look 8 weeks old! My guess is about 5 or 6 weeks..... or he could just be like my puppy and you can join my under weight puppy club LOL my girl will be 8 weeks monday and she is just 2 ounces shy from 5 pounds. :O( she has gained a pound in 3 days though. she was REAL sick and wouldn't eat AND was real thin when i got her so I hope she catches up to the weight she should be real soon now that she is feeling better.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

My puppy had a negative fecal at 9 weeks and so didn't get wormed. I'd have to look up the life cycle of round worms, but I'm not trusting those tests anymore. I'm worming my pup every month. Once the worms get out of hand, the pup is sick and the clean up is icky. 

I've never had a dog turn down anything with bacon grease, but I've never given bacon grease to a puppy that young. Casper has his first table scraps yesterday.  He's 16 weeks.


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## Bea's Big Sis (May 29, 2008)

Here is the update for Minnie....she was still eating just a little bit last week, and then on Saturday she wolfed down her food (both times we fed her). Yesterday she ate breakfast but not dinner. We usually put out the food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then take it away. Everything else seems to be fine with her...she is doing very well with the housetraining, she is very playful, she knows her name, and she has been getting used to her kennel. We go to the vet on Saturday for some shots, so hopefully he'll be able to tell if everything seems to be ok. We don't have a scale so I'm not sure if she's gained weight, but just by looking at her it seems like she's grown quite a bit over the last few days!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

She's beautiful and looks like a little lady. Glad she's eating now and playing. 

does she have a cowlick on her nose? my Tucker has one. you don't see them too often. they're called a "zipper"!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

i agree with LibertyMe about a little human babyfood. We use Earth First(Earth Born??) Chicken and Sweet Potato bc it has no onion. Another thing is a teenie bit of kitty food mixed into the puppy food. Stella & Chewey's for little dogs or small dog puppy food might get more calories into her.


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## Bea's Big Sis (May 29, 2008)

Thanks for the tips! Yesterday she gobbled her food down (although it was a mix of wet and dry), and I think it might have been because she smelled the salami I happened to be eating and that got her appetite going! I think that is a little cowlick on her nose...it's really funny! I didn't know it was called a zipper - we called it her "nose mohawk!" Here's another photo of her helping out with the dishes last night!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

She's really cute! I think the 'breeder' pulled a fast one on you: she looks about 8 weeks in the dishwasher picture. I'm glad she has you for her mom!


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## desi.n.nutro (Mar 18, 2011)

Minnie...you are so cute! 

I know someone mentioned this but I wanted to repeat it because it was true with my puppies. They are so social that they want to eat with you there. I think they would starve themselves to be with you over taking time-out to eat. I had to initiate eating with one by hand feeding the first bite or two. My 2 girls eat dinner with us. They eat breakfast with me. When we go out for a meal I have to "feed" them first. I was out to dinner last night and their food was still in the bowl for breakfast this morning. I agree the Vet should make sure there isn't something more but my guess is this. 

Also, puppies love oatmeal. Natural Choice has a Chicken, Rice, and Oatmeal that my puppies gobbled up when they were new before I moved them to the LB Puppy (4 mo). Maybe you can try a few cans of that or mix the dry in with the breeder recommended food.

Here is a picture of a puppy at 4 weeks and 3 pups at 8 weeks.


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## Bea's Big Sis (May 29, 2008)

I am wondering, is there any way to tell what age your golden is, by behavior or life stages (i.e. when teeth begin falling out, how they are acting, etc.) My husband and I are really wondering if the breeder lied about Minnie's age since she is so small. Just trying to figure out if they told us the truth, or if she's just a really small girl!

Note: Last week we took her to the vet and she weighed 7.9 lbs - that is at about 10 weeks old.


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## Pemphredo (Nov 14, 2011)

Bea's Big Sis said:


> I am wondering, is there any way to tell what age your golden is, by behavior or life stages (i.e. when teeth begin falling out, how they are acting, etc.) My husband and I are really wondering if the breeder lied about Minnie's age since she is so small. Just trying to figure out if they told us the truth, or if she's just a really small girl!
> 
> Note: Last week we took her to the vet and she weighed 7.9 lbs - that is at about 10 weeks old.


that is REAL small for a 10 week old.... my 9 week old is considered under weight right now and she is 9lb 12oz... how tall is your pup from floor to shoulder? 

here is a good link to check out for sizes of puppies Golden Retriever Puppy Growth Charts


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## Sokokomo (Aug 15, 2011)

I used a growth chart to make sure Leo was on the right track when he was younger. Using this one Golden Retriever Puppy Growth Charts it would put your pup at about 7 weeks now (7.5lbs average), assuming she looks the right weight for her (i.e. ribs not easily seen). 
Even looking at the lowest weights and not the average, at 10 weeks the smallest is 12lbs.
ETA - oops, beaten!


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## dexter0125 (Mar 20, 2011)

I realize that I have a male, so he has more than likely been a little bigger than her at each stage...but here is mine...

4 weeks (when I met him)









8 weeks









10/11 weeks


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

vets can usually tell age by looking at the developement of the teeth... 

I will be honest and say that considering the eating issues and the size and what we know about hte breeder... I would be testing for parasites... I would probably be treating for giardia...but testing for other parasites but I would run some blood work and be checking those liver values (personally would also be doing a bile acid test to make sure she doesn't have a shunt... )


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Minnie*

How is Minnie?

Hope that she's eating-she is SO CUTE!! I could just hug her!!!


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## Bea's Big Sis (May 29, 2008)

Minnie is doing well! She has been eating most of her food (dry food - yay!) and seems to be having normal puppy behavior. This weekend she played with her first friends - another puppy lab and a 10 yr old golden (her cousin!) She has such a cute personality...she's super afraid of the vacuum, and she really likes looking at herself in the mirror! Here's a few photos of her from this weekend.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Minnie is such a cute little girl, so adorable. Looking through the pictures in this thread, I can see she has grown

The picture of her watching TV is so cute.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I can tell she's thriving...looks plump like a puppy should...

You can get her past the fear of the vacuum...just have someone run it in the other room, act normal and give her a treat every now and then. Next time, give her treats and entice her into the room where the vacuum is running, etc. 

Puppies have fearful stages... she can grow out of this. Probably not a big deal for you but she might be happier if she weren't scared of the big bad noisy machine.


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## Bea's Big Sis (May 29, 2008)

Update: we finally got Minnie completely switched over to the food we wanted to give her (she had been having a mix of what the breeder fed and the food we bought). Anyways, she now SCARFS down her meals! She even goes back to the spot where we keep her bowl to see if we gave her any more! I think my days of worrying about her lack of appetite are over...YAY!


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