new puppy not eating or drinking

[ricky]

Hello,

My wife and I just purchased our first dog - a beautiful yorkie puppy. My wife and I fell absolutely in love. Maddie is 8 weeks old. We brought Maddie home today but she hasn't eaten anything nor has she drank anything. I'm a little concerned. Is this normal? I'm thinking (and hoping) it's just an adjustment issue. I was told that it could be that our Maddie has to just get used to her new surroundings. Could this be all that this is? I did get her to eat a little bit out of my hand and she did drink a tiny bit but nothing that I would consider "normal". Am I just being paranoid or could there be something really wrong? Please, I would like to know anyone's thoughts on this.

Thank you so much in advance!!!

Ricky

[marcerella02]

8 weeks is pretty young so it is good to keep a close eye on her. How much does she weight?

Chances are she is just adjusting- I remember Layla wouldn't eat much when she first came home and for MANY months she would only eat out of my hands a good way to know how she is doing is to check her gums- if they are pink you are good- if they are kinda white- she has low blood sugar and use something like honey and rub it on her gums to get her sugar back up- i'm sure starting some time tomorrow she will get used to your house and be hungry again

WELCOME!!!

i just saw in your other post that she is 2 lbs- most breeders let them go at 12 weeks or 2 lbs- whichever comes first- well at least that is what our breeder did So she is a good size- but still teeny tiny- keep a good eye on her- if you are worried about her overnight try giving her some apple sauce or yogurt (NOT "lite" yogurt with aspartame- it is lethal) She WILL be up tonight to pee so make sure her gums are good then too.

[phfgkl]

How much does Maddie weigh? I wouldn't run out and get nutrical, but, if you have a little bit of white karo syrup, take a little on your finger and rub them on her gums, you don't want her to be end up with hypoglycemia. You may also want to try a little bit of canned food or taking her food and adding some warm water to it to soften it a bit. Most people on here will tell you they shouldn't leave until 10-12 weeks of age, some let them go around 7-8 weeks, if the pups are bigger and eating well on their own. Good luck. the karo syrup should make her thirsty. Also make sure she has water and food available 24/7

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by phfgkl

How much does Maddie weigh? I wouldn't run out and get nutrical, but, if you have a little bit of white karo syrup, take a little on your finger and rub them on her gums, you don't want her to be end up with hypoglycemia. You may also want to try a little bit of canned food or taking her food and adding some warm water to it to soften it a bit. Most people on here will tell you they shouldn't leave until 10-12 weeks of age, some let them go around 7-8 weeks, if the pups are bigger and eating well on their own. Good luck. the karo syrup should make her thirsty. Also make sure she has water and food available 24/7

the ONLY problem with water available 24/7 is you will be up with her MANY times during the night and she will never learn to hold it. If she is being crated (Which i suggest) at night do not leave water in her crate- she will wake you when she needs to pee and then you can check her gums and offer her more apple sauce, baby food or yogurt.

[viviansnickers]

Oh my....congrats on your new sweet baby!! One word of advise..make sure you crate your pup in your bedroom. If you leave her alone...she will feel very isolated and will whine and cry all night. If she can hear and see you, it will help much more. Put a blanket over her crate for warmth and security (den feel.) She will need to pee every hour or so, so be prepared not to sleep much for the next few days. After a few days she will hold it a little longer each night if she catches on. I agree--do not leave water in her crate, she will prob knock it over anyway. Even if she does not wake you up, I suggest you take her out to potty every 2 hours at night if she does not wake you. Make sure her crate is comfy--fleece blankets are the best. She prob will eat and drink tomorrow, and she most likely will not poop for the 1st 24 hours. She is nervous...!! You're going to have a ball with her.. she will soon be the light of your life! CONGRATS!!

-Vivian

[yorkiepuppie]

i recommend getting nutri-cal and feeding it to her to make sure she doesn't become hypoglycemic! could be very dangerous if her blood sugar gets too low.

yea, she is too young to be away from her mother, it is best to bring a puppy home when they are at least 12 weeks old. they have things that they should be learning from their mom's and siblings when they are young to become well socialized.

good luck to you and your baby!

why did the breeder let her go so young? usually good breeders will not do that is my understanding.

[vviccles1]

Hi Ricky! WElcome to the site and congrats on your puppy. Is she drinking? Do you have nutrical or honey in the house? PLease give her some.Did you get her from a local breeder? You can pm me if you wish. You are lucky,There is an excellent ER vet and she is a reg vet to in your town.Please keep her hydrated and I am glad she ate a bit.

[wishies]

i brought riley home when he was 8 weeks and he was a tough one lol. i had to feed him nutrical the first couple days because he wouldnt eat. then i fed him chicken baby food mixed with a couple drops of karo syrup through a syringe. then i had to mix the chicken baby food with a spoonful of wet innova puppy food THEN i had to mix all of that with a small amount of orijen puppy kibble until he ate the kibble by itself.. the process took 3 weeks.

madison on the other hand i got at 11 weeks. she had nutrical the first day she was here and the second she started chowing down on the kibble. she's silly though she takes one piece and runs away from the bowl to eat it then goes back for more. i think she realized food was there when she saw riley eating so then she went to eat and has been doing so ever since. it seems like she eats more than riley does but then i realize she takes one piece of kibble at a time

i also free feed because my babies are little and i feel like they should eat when they want but usually its in the morning, afternoon & nightime that i see them go to their bowl.

[ricky]

thank you so much for the information. I am finding everyone's response so helpful. I am so grateful I found this great site. Maddie weighs almost 2lbs. Maddie ate a little bit this morning from her bowl but it was only maybe 2 or 3 pieces of kibble. I added a teaspoon of canned food which the pet store gave me and added it to her kibble. Maddie only sniffed the canned food and ate some of the kibble but left the canned food. Maddie will eat from my hand but I was concerned because I wasn't sure if she ate enough.

[chachi]

When Jewels was that young I would feed her gerber baby food chicken sticks

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by ricky

thank you so much for the information. I am finding everyone's response so helpful. I am so grateful I found this great site. Maddie weighs almost 2lbs. Maddie ate a little bit this morning from her bowl but it was only maybe 2 or 3 pieces of kibble. I added a teaspoon of canned food which the pet store gave me and added it to her kibble. Maddie only sniffed the canned food and ate some of the kibble but left the canned food. Maddie will eat from my hand but I was concerned because I wasn't sure if she ate enough.

glad to hear that maddie is eating now
you can look at the bag for feeding instructions, it will tell you how much maddie is supposed to eat based on her age and weight.

but 2 -3 pieces of kibbles is NOT enough. milu used to do that and she became hypoglycemic.

it is really important to get them to eat!

i also fed baby food as well, they seem to really like that. (i got milu the chicken flavor)

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by ricky

thank you so much for the information. I am finding everyone's response so helpful. I am so grateful I found this great site. Maddie weighs almost 2lbs. Maddie ate a little bit this morning from her bowl but it was only maybe 2 or 3 pieces of kibble. I added a teaspoon of canned food which the pet store gave me and added it to her kibble. Maddie only sniffed the canned food and ate some of the kibble but left the canned food. Maddie will eat from my hand but I was concerned because I wasn't sure if she ate enough.

if she eats out of your hands- hand feed her all day Do whatever it takes to make sure she is getting enough!