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If you will have recently noticed that your puppy has stopped eating their food, chances are you’ll be apprehensive, and with good reason!
There are a select few essential needs that your puppy requires to survive. This includes food, water, shelter, and affection.
When one in all these elements is missing, it may possibly result in serious health complications.
But how long can a puppy go without eating?
At what point do you have to seek veterinary attention?
The reply isn’t that cut and dry. The length of time your puppy can survive without food will depend upon several aspects, including age, breed, overall size, health, and lifestyle.
A healthy puppy can survive longer without food than a newborn puppy. Some breeds are at the next risk of complications akin to low blood sugar.
We have now put together this guide to aid you discover a major problem and know when to contact your veterinarian.
Let’s take a deep dive into the query, “how long can a puppy go without eating” and what you’ll be able to do to resolve the situation.
How Long Can a Puppy Go Without Food?
If you happen to recently brought a brand new puppy home, then you already know this generally is a high-stress time.
Puppies are high-risk for thus many illnesses and diseases that dog owners are concerned about even the smallest signs of trouble.
Refusing to eat, after all, is an enormous sign to acknowledge. This might signify minor gastrointestinal discomfort, high stress and anxiety, or a more serious health concern.
But how long can a puppy go without eating? At what point do you have to be calling your veterinarian for assistance?
As young puppies, many elements of their lives are changing, which could trigger stress or anxiety.
Your puppy has left the one home they’ve known so far.
They reside in a brand new home with latest surroundings, latest sounds, latest people or animals, latest smells, and potentially a brand new food regimen (or dietary schedule).
That’s lots for a young pup to regulate to!
Don’t stress out in case your puppy has just began turning their nose up at their food. The length of time your puppy can survive without eating relies on age.
The typical, healthy 8-week-old puppy can handle not eating for 8 hours before you’ll want to step in.
Try enticing your puppy with food that gives a tempting smell. Dogs have much fewer tastebuds than humans, meaning their joy with food isn’t tied to the taste.
But their strong sense of smell plays an integral part in deciding that a meal is enticing.
If you will have taken steps to make your puppy’s meal more compelling and so they are still uninterested after two days, it is best to contact your veterinarian.
They’ll run tests to discover the issue.
How Long Can a Newborn Puppy Go Without Eating?
The situation is rather more serious when a newborn puppy shouldn’t be eating. At this young age, newborn puppies are incredibly fragile.
Puppies under two weeks old should be fed every 3-4 hours. Barely older puppies, aged two to 4 weeks, must be fed every 6-8 hours.
In case your puppy fails to maintain up with this feeding schedule, that may be a sign that something is flawed.
Puppies can quickly go from healthy to on death’s door at this young age.
A puppy that isn’t getting the nutrition vital to support their needs would require veterinary support as soon as possible.
Once we were raising newborn Golden Retriever puppies we kept a newborn puppy weight chart to trace and be certain that they were gaining weight daily.
If one in all our puppies didn’t gain weight sooner or later it was a cause for major concern because it often meant that something was flawed.
Luckily we only needed to make one trip to the vet with our newborn puppiess but we had several other stressful moments when raising newborn pups.
How Long Can a Puppy Go Without Water?
While an 8-week-old puppy can survive for 2 days without food before a veterinarian is required, the identical can’t be said for water.
Puppies are at high risk for dehydration, and any time spent without water must be taken seriously.
Many trainers recommend taking away your puppy’s water roughly 2-3 hours before bedtime.
PRO TIP: The guide dog school we work with doesn’t recommend ever taking water away out of your puppy even before bedtime. Why? Because they noticed that puppies that were deprived water tended to “load up” by drinking lots after they had the possibility. This result in more potty accidents.
These can go as much as 12 hours safely without water before try to be concerned.
After being weaned, a puppy should drink roughly 1/2 – 1 ounce of water for every pound of body weight.
In case your puppy falls wanting this, your veterinarian may recommend ways to extend your puppy’s water intake.
What to Do When a Puppy Won’t Eat?
If you will have noticed that your puppy isn’t eating, there are steps you can take to assist encourage them to dig in. This includes:
Final Thoughts
Don’t hesitate to contact your veterinarian in case your puppy refuses to eat their food.
While it’s normal for a dog to lose their appetite occasionally, it could possibly be an indication of a serious underlying health concern like parvo.
In case your puppy is sick, the earlier they receive medical care, the higher their probabilities of survival.
Within the meantime, adding something to their meal with an attractive scent or taste could help to encourage your puppy to eat.
This might include a little bit of canned puppy food, a bit of brother, or creating gravy with hot water.
