New GSP pup not eating much

[jahwarrior1423]

I am a new GSP owner and I have a few questions about my new 8wk old puppy that I picked up on Sunday (Jan 1st). But I may be a little paranoid with this whole situation. I am not a new dog owner...I have always had dogs growing up with my parents and have 1 male mutt that I have had for 3yrs now and my girlfriend recently got me a lab puppy (we had to put down after eating a stick and tearing up his inside.)

My question is about how eager are GSP puppies when eating? Do they devour their food? Or could it be that he is not interested in the food I am feeding him and should I change the food brand?

I know with my male mutt, he grew up eating his puppy food really fast and getting really excited about eating time. And the same goes with the lab puppy I had a little bit ago. The lab puppy would get so excited for eating time and would eat his food and try eating my other dogs food. But my new GSP does not seem to get excited at all about eating time and picks at his food little by little. I would put his food in front of him and he looks at it and does not seem at all interested. He does eat his food but it takes him about half the day to eat the recommended portion...then it takes him the rest of the day to eat the second portion I feed him.

I have been feeding my GSP puppy Diamond Large Puppy and feeding him when I wake up around 5:30am and also around 2-3:00pm. I had my lab puppy on the same puppy food as what my GSP is now eating and the lab loved it. I would like to stay with Diamond since they sell it at the feed store near my house but I do have a few free trial bags of Loyall Puppy food that I am thinking about trying tomorrow morning to see if he eats his food faster. And I know I could just leave the GSP food bowl out but my other dog would eat it but it would be easier to house break if I could get the GSP on a regular feeding schedule.

[brad27]

What food was the breeder feeding him?

[Cajun Casey]

Diamond LB Puppy is lamb based and is really not an appropriate food for that pup. It is targeted for really large dogs, say a Berner pup. Anyway, if the pup is not showing much appetite, when was the last time he was wormed?

[MikeB]

I would feed the Diamond Naturals Chicken/Rice formula. It is higher protein/fat than the Large Breed foods. It is a chicken based food so your pup should like it much better. Give it a try and see. Put the food down for 15 minutes. If he eats it all great, if not take away till the next feeding. Teaching him to eat when the food hits the floor.

[AHGSP]

What food was the breeder feeding him?

What he asked.
Any switch from what the Breeder was using without a gradual transition will not sit well with the pups stomach. Also, at 8 weeks, I'd be sticking to a puppy formula. As another consideration also, you've just picked this pup up and all that the pup has known for the last 8 weeks of it's life has been turned upside down, so they may be off their feed a little bit for the first couple days or so until they've settled in.

[Sharon]

How many treats is he getting during the day? A little bit here, a little bit there can add up to pup's not hungry.

[RoostersMom]

All good advice, I would add to that by saying to feed him in his crate in the morning, give him 10 minutes to eat, then the food goes away until dinner time. Do the same at dinner time. Letting him "take all day" to eat his meal will just make housetraining that much harder and will make for a picky eater.

[gsp3333]

My pup was not a big eater for the first couple of weeks either. The breeder sent her with her normal food, just too much of a change I believe. Be patient and the pup will settle in and start to eat.

[jahwarrior1423]

The GSP pup has not been wormed yet. I asked the breeder and he said that he has not yet. He gave me a bag of the 1st puppy shot that he gave to the puppy. Could that really be an issue with him not being wormed yet?

The breeder was feeding the puppies Ol' Roy puppy food from Walmart.

So I should not be feeding my GSP puppy large breed puppy food?

[Sharon]

Pup needs to be dewormed. Breeder should have done it. Worms can cause all kinds of eating problems.
I personally wouldn't feed Ol Roy.

Large breed pieces could definately turn an 8 week old pup off of eating. To much work for pup to chew up those big pieces.

[Cajun Casey]

Large breed food is better for pups twelve weeks and older. Most GSPs have a higher energy demand than a large breed formula will supply, especially one based on lamb, which is harder to digest.

Your puppy is full of roundworms is my guess, and possibly hookworms. Get a pyrantel wormer and dose him now and follow up in two weeks.

[birddogger]

Yep, if pup has not been wormed, he is full of worms. I don't know if that is causing the picky eating or not but he does need to be kept free of worms and needs to be on a heart worm preventative.

Charlie

[rinker]

Are you saying that the pup is 8 weeks old and never been wormed? You can get a small bottle of Nemex II at most any pet or farm store. Follow the dosing instructions on the bottle. An oral syringe will make dosing easier. You are going to be shocked and disgusted at what you see a couple of hours after his first dose.

[mountaindogs]

He gave me a bag of the 1st puppy shot that he gave to the puppy

I am not sure what this means. I am guessing it means the breeder gave the vaccines - perhaps a 7-in-1 and gave you the empty bag???
BUT if the breeder didn't deworm, I would not trust them to have kept the vaccines chilled correctly, and I would ASAP get to the vet to get verified correct vaccines. Deworm for sure. You don't want to be looking at PARVO, it's terrible and very worth the extra $40 to be sure you don't have that risk!!

[Sharon]

Well said Mountain.

[jahwarrior1423]

Ok, I will get him de-wormed ASAP. Dont want any issues...Is there a type of brand you guys recommend for de-worming that you have found to work best?

So which product of Diamond should I be feeding him?

[RoostersMom]

+1 for Mountain....and I wouldn't trust a thing this "breeder" says... no worming by 8 weeks old...what a disaster. Pups should have been wormed at least twice by this age. And IMO, shots (at least parvo) at least twice by now as well. Get to your vet and get the pup on a regular schedule. Old Roy is a crappy food, sorry, but that's the honest truth. I fed it when I was a starving college student, and my dog didn't die, but that's the best I can say about it.

[ezzy333]

It would be wise to worm the pup but don't be surprised if it is clean. If the breeder is giving his own shots he is also very likely using Ivomec for heartworm and if he is giving the higher dose the dam was very possibly clear of any worms and the pups could be too if she was. As for feed, the Diamond Premium would be a good one to use. I have raised several litters on it with good results.

I question the whole premis of this topic being a problem. You have to have paitence in most everything you do with your pup and that includes feeding, The only way to tell if the pup is eating OK is to monitor it's condition and it takes days to see a change normally and not just how much it eats at every meal. You have moved the pup to a new environment and a whole different world and it may take a while for the pup to get comfortable. Just remember a pup has never starved to death if it is fed everyday regardless of how much it eats.

Ezzy

[Cajun Casey]

Ok, I will get him de-wormed ASAP. Dont want any issues...Is there a type of brand you guys recommend for de-worming that you have found to work best?

So which product of Diamond should I be feeding him?

The most common puppy wormer is pyrantel, sold under several brand names. Nemex II is one brand. Lable recommends worming at 2, 3, 4, 6 and eight weeks of age. Just because a dam is on a preventative does not mean the pups will be clear of roundworms.

http://www.petsandparasites.org/dog-own ... worms.html

[jahwarrior1423]

Thanks for all the replies...

I went to Petco yesterday since I was in the city and I picked up this...

http://www.petco.com/product/113801/D-W ... mer-113801


I am going into town today to another feed store to see what he has for a de-wormer since the feed store by my house does not carry anything. Or am I ok with the de-wormer that I got?

I am just concerned about his eating...he is not like the other puppies I have owned. My mutt was excited to eat and was always a issue for him to eat to fast...same goes to the Lab pup I had, he ate his food then moved to my other dogs food.

Now since my dog should have been wormed at a earlier age...how should I go about treating him since he is at the 8wk mark now?

[Cajun Casey]

Guesstimate his weight and dose him with what you have. If he has a heavy load of roundworms, he will not want to eat because his intestines are stuffed full of the worms. It doesn't matter that he hasn't been treated in the past at this point, just treat him now.

[jahwarrior1423]

So I should just treat him every couple weeks? Just wondering how I should go about treating him?

[Cajun Casey]

Two week follow up and monthly thereafter. If you use a heartworm preventative, it will cover roundworms and hookworms.

[Cajun Casey]

Finally got your link to open. Yes, that's perfect. Poke one if those down him and make sure he doesn't ralf it back up. It should do the job in a couple of hours. Give the second tablet in two weeks.

[Sharon]

Thanks for all the replies...

I went to Petco yesterday since I was in the city and I picked up this...

http://www.petco.com/product/113801/D-W ... mer-113801


I am going into town today to another feed store to see what he has for a de-wormer since the feed store by my house does not carry anything. Or am I ok with the de-wormer that I got?

I am just concerned about his eating...he is not like the other puppies I have owned. My mutt was excited to eat and was always a issue for him to eat to fast...same goes to the Lab pup I had, he ate his food then moved to my other dogs food.

Now since my dog should have been wormed at a earlier age...how should I go about treating him since he is at the 8wk mark now?

Until you get a fecal flotation/check at the vet , you have no idea if pup has worms nor what kind of worms they are.

[Cajun Casey]

Thanks for all the replies...

I went to Petco yesterday since I was in the city and I picked up this...

http://www.petco.com/product/113801/D-W ... mer-113801


I am going into town today to another feed store to see what he has for a de-wormer since the feed store by my house does not carry anything. Or am I ok with the de-wormer that I got?

I am just concerned about his eating...he is not like the other puppies I have owned. My mutt was excited to eat and was always a issue for him to eat to fast...same goes to the Lab pup I had, he ate his food then moved to my other dogs food.

Now since my dog should have been wormed at a earlier age...how should I go about treating him since he is at the 8wk mark now?

Until you get a fecal flotation/check at the vet , you have no idea if pup has worms nor what kind of worms they are.

At nearly nine weeks old and having no history of being treated, it's a high probability the puppy has at least roundworms. The product shown covers the common puppy worms, plus tapeworms. It certainly won't hurt to treat him. Why even question it? I've seem pups come in at seven weeks that were anaemic from hookworms and not eating because of roundworms. Why risk it? Protocol is to deworm at biweekly intervals beginning at two weeks of age.

[jahwarrior1423]

I opened the box and read the instructions and warnings...it states that it is safe for dogs 12wks and older. Would I still be alright if I use the recommended dosage for his weight even though he is only 8wks?

[Cajun Casey]

I opened the box and read the instructions and warnings...it states that it is safe for dogs 12wks and older. Would I still be alright if I use the recommended dosage for his weight even though he is only 8wks?

The component of that wormer that is labled for use in puppies over 12 weeks of age is praziquantel. It has never been tested to be labled for use in younger animals. You can, however, give it to a six week old kitten. The other active ingredient is safe for dogs two weeks old and up. I think you'd be fine to give him the correct weight dosage.

[ezzy333]

I opened the box and read the instructions and warnings...it states that it is safe for dogs 12wks and older. Would I still be alright if I use the recommended dosage for his weight even though he is only 8wks?

The component of that wormer that is labeled for use in puppies over 12 weeks of age is praziquantel. It has never been tested to be labled for use in younger animals. You can, however, give it to a six week old kitten. The other active ingredient is safe for dogs two weeks old and up. I think you'd be fine to give him the correct weight dosage.

Casey, you are putting out a lot of medical advice that is only your opinion and not what any vet would recommend. There is absolutely no need to worm any dog every month as you should know and in all honesty it should not be done since worming is not easy on the dogs digestive track. Plus a whole lot of other terminology that isn't appropriate for someone new that has no idea WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS NOT and no knowledge on how to administer the product either. That is the type of answers that get people in trouble that is looking for a reasonable answer to their problem and not some banter that is put out by someone trying to show how much we know. That's not the purpose of the forum.

Ezzy

[birddogger]

Take the pup and a stool sample to a vet. I do vaccinations, worming and preventitave medication myself, but I always start by taking a new puppy to the vet for a check up.

Charlie

[mountaindogs]

Take the pup and a stool sample to a vet. I do vaccinations, worming and preventitave medication myself, but I always start by taking a new puppy to the vet for a check up.

Charlie

+1