My daughters 3 month old Yorkie

Question
Melinda,
My daughter bought a 3 month old Yorkie from a breeder in Kansas and we live in New Jersey. She picked the puppy (Gus-Gus) up on Tuesday and today is Thursday. He has not eaten and puppy food but he is drinking water. We are concerned because he hasn't eaten. I don't know if he is still shooken up from the plane ride or if he is home sick.. She has an appt. with the vet but it is not untill next week. What can we try to feed him untill then? Thank you in advance.
We have tried calling and emailing the woman who sold her the puppy but to no a vail she does not answer or respond.  
Thank you
Nicole

Answer
Nicole,

It sounds like she is has a case of separation anxiety.  If that is the problem she should be eating again in a couple of days.  If you try to feed her a dog treat or a small piece of meat and she eats it then that is probably what it is.  However, if she will not eat the piece of meat then she could be ill and I would advise not waiting to take her to the vet.  Puppies that are as young as she is can die in a very short period of time if they are not eating.  

I have cut and pasted another method you could try below.  It is from my book about Yorkshire Terriers and it is another thing you could try.  I know this is a holiday weekend but if she is still not eating by tomorrow you should take her to the vet immediately.

Alternative feeding method:

Get some Rice Gerber baby cereal from your local store. It comes in a box and is in a dry flakey consistency. When you are ready to prepare the baby cereal, you begin by mixing some cereal with warm water until the flakes are dissolved and the consistency is like a thick gravy.  Give it to your puppy while it is still warm.  It is easy to digest and it will give her the nutrition she needs.

If she eats it you can increase the amount of flakes and make the mixture thicker until it is the consistency of canned dog food.  After a short time you can try switching her over to Puppy Chow.  You will prepare the Puppy Chow in the same manner you did with the baby food.  

Place some Puppy Chow in a bowl, and pour very hot water over it.  You should put enough water in the bowl so it just covers the Puppy Chow.  Once the water has completely soaked into the Puppy Chow, it should be cool enough to not burn her mouth.  You should be able to mash it up so it is similar in consistency to the baby food you have been feeding her. In the beginning you will have to experiment with the consistency just like you did with the baby food. When she starts to eat regularly you can gradually reduce the water until until she is eating the puppy chow hard.  
  
I do not suggest feeding her canned dog food.  Many people think that because a puppy will eat dog food (soft, canned) that it is alright for them to feed it to their puppy.  That is simply not true.  Canned dog food can cause intestinal problems in puppies.  Puppies should never be fed dog food before the age of seven weeks and this includes canned.  Dog food including those for puppies is too harsh for their intestines before the age of seven weeks and because they cannot digest the dog food easily, it is very hard on their intestines.   I try to explain it to people this way; would you feed a six month old baby steak?  Of course not, so why would you feed a puppy the equivalent of that?
  
Of course it is up to the individual dog owner what they feed their dog, but the reason that I use puppy chow is because it gives your puppies everything they need nutritionally, and it won't break the bank when you buy it.  Puppy Chow also has a milky coating that when mixed with hot water reminds the puppies of mothers milk and makes them more apt to eat it.  It is my personal preference to feed all of my dogs hard dog food because it helps keep their teeth healthier than soft dog food and it appears to cause less intestinal problems.