Sheltie puppy eating & drinking very little

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I bought a sheltie puppy at 8 weeks old, he is now 13 weeks and his appetite has remained the same.  He eats & drinks very very little, maybe 1/3-1/2 cup a day of food.  If I hand feed him he seems to eat a little more.  His hindquarters are extremely thin.  I've also noticed a lot of dandriff on him these past few days.  Any ideas why he's not eating or is a little food enough?  Thanks so much!!!  Michele
ANSWER: Michele,

Questions like this require a veterinarian's opinion and physical exam.  Go at the earliest opportunity.  Please be ready to talk about eating, drinking, sleeping, activity and potty habits with your vet.  An 13 week old should be very active and inquisitive with a lot of energy.

Keep in mind that a Sheltie is rather skinny under their fur.  However a physical exam is the best determination of what is too skinny in a question like yours.

Dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Dave.  I have been to the vet 2 weeks ago and she noticed that he was "little too thin" as documented on his records.  She asked if I keep food out all the time, and I said I do because he never eats.  As for his thin hindquarters she asked if he was jumping and running okay and he is doing that extensively with no apparent pain.  He goes back this Wednesday and we'll see what she says this time.  I also changed his food to "holistic" thinking that maybe he didn't like Pro Plan.  He chowed it down when it was first served (a mix of old & new), but is now back to not liking it.  I've also quit feeding him treats when he goes potty, so that he has more of an appetite (but no luck there either).  Anyway, thanks so much!  Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!!  Maybe he looks this skinny because he doesn't have a real thick coat of fur like other shelties??

Answer
Michele,

You can understand why these questions scare me.  Yours not so much-but others have.

The other thing I was thinking was that the fur doesn't mature until about 2 years of age.  I hesitated to write that because I wanted a vet to tell you if it was ok.  The vet sounds comfortable because of the activity level and a good exam.  If that's true then I'm ok too.  You could try taking him to the pet store and see what he wants to eat?  Let him smell the bags?  

I hope that helps!

Dave