first day at home and not eating

momo · #1 20th February 2007, 08:21 PM

so today was our first day back to work and we left laila at home alone. we live in texas so she was able to be outside all day so we didn't have to worry about accidents, and my boyfriend came home at lunch to give her some attention and feed her.

she ate most of her breakfast, but she didn't eat any of her lunch by the time i got home after work, and she hasn't eaten dinner either. she was a bit playful when i got home, peed and pooped (very loose stool!) and then took a nap. she woke up, peed again and went back to sleep. still no eating even when i tried to feed her out of my hand.

now it's her bedtime, she's in her crate and she's very sleepy. she won't come out even when i open her door.

i'm really concerned about her not eating. i'm sure that she is just unsure of this new schedule, but any advice would be appreciated.

joncads · #2 21st February 2007, 03:50 AM

Take her to the vet! So much can go wrong with little puppies better to be safe than sorry!

FlimFlam · #3 21st February 2007, 04:15 AM

We brought Mason home just last week so I know how you feel... He is my first puppy and an absolute gem, I have been running around like he is made of glass! Loose stools is something he suffered from too, and is apparently normal during the settling in period, though the food the breeder started him on isn't the greatest. He wasn't too keen, so we have slowly changed his diet to another brand. I'm not sure if he is feeling more settled, or whether the change worked, but he is now pooping normally. Never though I would be so relieved to see a solid poo

As for eating, he can be a bit funny. He was fickle when we got him home, but we fed him from our hands and he soon started eating. How many times a day are you feeding her? Mason gets 4 or 5 meals a day at the moment (he is slightly younger than Laila, he is 7 1/2 weeks).
He also sleeps a lot. In fact my cuddles seem to knock him out cold every time! He must have a very boring Dad! But seriously, he runs around like the devil is chasing him for 20-30 minutes, then will crash out. In the evenings he sleeps for hours! We had our first non-whining night last night, very proud of him.
Hope this helps. Try not to panic, Laila has just been taken away from Mum, and has been left alone by her new Mum and Dad. She will get used to it (Mason is already starting to understand that being left is ok, we do come back and he gets a tasty treat when we aren't there).
Good luck!

**GoCougs** · #4 21st February 2007, 04:47 AM

Young pups have a bit of an adjustment period when they go to new homes. Consider that they just been torn away from their mother and playmates, and taken by strangers to a new strange place with different sights and smells. It can be a bit of a stressful situation. So missing a meal, or having an upset tummy should be expected for the first 7-10 days.

Do I understand that you are leaving an 8 week old puppy outside, unsupervised, all day?

ELubas · #5 21st February 2007, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoCougs

Do I understand that you are leaving an 8 week old puppy outside, unsupervised, all day?

My question as well... I would be concerned he could get into stuff out there and then you will not know if this is normal puppy adjustment or something more.

momo · #6 21st February 2007, 08:04 AM

thanks for all the advice! she actually ate all of her breakfast and was her normal self again this morning.

we are changing up our routine a bit so that she's not at home alone for the whole day since we both worried about her so much last night.

and she has a vet appointment on monday, so if this keeps up, i'm sure our vet will have some advice.

thanks again!

kpowell · #7 21st February 2007, 08:51 AM

Please don't leave her outside by herself! So many horrible things could happen to her!