Puppy not eating

Question
Hi Jana,

We have a 13 week old Golden Retriever puppy - when we first got him we gave him dry dog food which he wolfed down. Out of the blue 10 days ago he pretty much stopped eating. After 4 days I took him to the vet who checked him out and did blood swabs for billiary etc. She suggested I try him on Intestinal food for 2 days and then back to his normal biscuits. He was happy to eat the tinned food but the second I put his old food down again he stopped eating again. I have tried a different brand of dry food to no avail. He doesn't seem ill and still plays with our other puppy but I can see he is getting thinner. I have tried putting gravy on his food and soaking them in water but it hasn't helped. Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Do you think I should take him back to the vet and have more tests run? Maybe he needs x-rays?

Thanks!
Kim

Answer
While that is odd that he quit again once you offered the dry food how does his stool look?
Some dogs are pickier eaters than others but maybe the reason he isn't eating the dry food is because his teeth are coming in and out at this age and it hurts him to eat it. It doesn't matter if you wet it, he associates the dry food with mouth pain.

I would go back on some canned Science Diet Large Breed Puppy Growth, which is what he should be on, at this point, then daily mix in some of the same brand of dry. By mixing I mean one or two kibbles a day- no more- into the wet until little by painful little steps he is back to the dry.

Science Diet is so complete and balanced nutritionally that even if he eats a small amount he is getting a lot of nutrition.

Another thing I would consider is xrays of his throat and upper digestive tract to see if he has an obstruction, or has developed a problem with his esophagus. While I hope that isn't the case, it is worth investigating. Most dogs with that kind of a problem eat the food but regurgitate it right back up. Since that isn't an issue, he should be okay in that respect, but you never know until you look.

I hope this helps some. Please let me know what you do find out.