# 10week old Maltese won't eat anything!



## Owensacki (Apr 23, 2012)

I just bought a 10week old Maltese on Sunday. After not eating Sunday ,we visited the vet. She kept her there for 2 days and tried to get her to eat. She has to be syringe fed.does anyone have any advise on what to do? I can't keep doing this every 4 hours with a job and a family. My vet says no human food, but my feeling is if that gets her to eat, isn't that better than what we are doing now? Also, I went and bought every can food I could find today , she wouldn't touch any of it. Please help!!!!


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Have you talked about this with the breeder? Do you know for sure she is 10 weeks old? My breeder advised me to get Gerber Baby food chicken sticks if my puppy didn't eat right away. I would say your vet is nuts to say "no human food". It may set a bad precedent, but that's better than a dead puppy. Also, how much does your puppy weigh?
These questions are intended to give us a better understanding, so that we can help.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

10 weeks is really young to be away from mama and littermates. Do you have any nutrical paste? Make sure you are finger feeding that to her to keep her blood sugar up. I agree with Sylie and the chicken sticks. I would even go so far as to try boiled skinless white meat chicken grind it up. The most important thing is to keep calories and fluids going in until she is a bigger. Definitely call you breeder if you can for assistance.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

I'm so sorry your puppy isn't eating  You must be distraught. I am wondering _why _she's not eating. Did your vet do blood work?


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## Bishop (Mar 10, 2012)

My breeder had me buy Nutri Cal, which is a high calorie paste, almost like molasses....just smooth it in her mouth to give her the nutrients she needs....10 weeks was too young to come home, in my opinion, but since you have her, make sure you feed her nutra cal and maybe some Gerber chicken sticks!!! Good luck and keep us informed of your progress!!


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I would feed her what she'll eat like boiled chicken or the Gerber chicken sticks. She is way too little to go without food. You can deal with her being a picky eater after she's older. For now it' all about getting her to eat. I'd call the breeder also!


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

Yes....I agree with everyone Nutrical or anything this poor baby will eat....important to get something in her.....feed her anything at this point.....she should not have been taken away from her mother at such a young age. Please feed her whatever she will eat.....keep us posted.


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

Welcome, and I am sorry this is happening. Is she eating every 4 hrs from the syringe or not eating_ anything_ as in your title? Sorry I'm little confused. How much does your puppy weigh? I know it's an issue for you working, but you prob don't have a choice here. I am wondering same thing, did the Vet do blood work or say what the issue was as to why no people food?


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## gidget'smom (Mar 11, 2012)

Gidget was this way when we got her. Scared us to death!! She was 9 weeks old and the breeder (I use the term loosely) was no help. She would not even eat boiled chicken regularly, but she did LOVE loosely scrambled eggs. I'm like everyone else, not sure why the vet says absolutely no people food, but we did find a kibble she liked and would eat-- Blue Buffalo. Since then we have switched to ZiwiPeak which I have not heard of any dog that doesn't love this food. It's pricey but VERY good. If you order it from wag.com--which I have to because no one sells it around where I live--if you buy $49. it is free 2 day shipping. Good luck!


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I get sort of upset when somebody comes on this forum asking for advice that can save the life of their puppy, but then doesn't bother to come back to check it. Owensaki, now that you have posed your question why are you not here to listen for help?


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## Owensacki (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks for all the advise. Sorry I was not here to reply but had an important meeting for my son. My puppy is 2.8 lbs. The vet does not want her to get used to human food. I agree with all of you and will try eggs, ground up chicken, or chicken sticks. No, the vet did no tests except blood sugar and temp. I have never heard of the paste and even asked the vet if there was some sort of supplement to give her and she said she did not want me to do it. She wants me to syringe feed her. To clarify, she will not eat anything on her own, but does keep down the syringe feedings, what doesn't get all over her beautiful skin. The breeder( also used very loosly)was no help. She swears she was a little pig and ate well, but had no real advise for me. I asked her if it was too eatly and she said no and even had a vet cerify that she was ready to go home. I believed them, big mistake i think. Can anyone tell me where to get the paste? I have decided to get a second opinion from another vet because of all of the advise of all of you wonderful people.I will keep you posted. Thanks so much.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I would get another vet who might be more familiar with very small breed dogs. You can get Nutrical at an type of pet store like Petsmart or Petco, etc. Can't imagine the vet didn't tell you to keep it on hand. Let us know how things go. We all care.


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

Ahh, hang in there. I also went this route buying my pups. I know better now. Gidget here stated this happened to her little pup too. praying she eats soon. makes me mad that the breeder, would not take her back till older. she is not a rep breeder.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Oh, honey you did find the right place for support. I am no genius in this regard, but I think that anything you offer your puppy that she will eat is a good start. Other members her may give you better suggestions, but for now the imperative is that she eats and gets nutrition. Whatever it takes. Keep us posted. We will talk about other stuff later...right now you just need to get some nourishment into your baby by whatever means.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

Yes, it's a bit tricky with the little ones sometimes. Not that I don't trust your vet, but she may not be overly familiar with toy breeds. You can get nutrical at petco. Just ask for it. It will be crucial for her. And I would probably try to feed her at least every 4-6 hours. Sometimes you just have to throw the rules out the window for these little ones, and she will thank you for it! Keep us posted, and I would love to see a picture!


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## Owensacki (Apr 23, 2012)

I will let you know what the other vet says. I will go get nutrical right away. Has anyone heard of feeding them boiled hamburger? Good, bad?


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

All I can say at this point is feed her whatever she will eat....it doesn't matter right now.....she needs something in her system.

Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Owensacki said:


> I will let you know what the other vet says. I will go get nutrical right away. Has anyone heard of feeding them boiled hamburger? Good, bad?


Typically it is boiled white meat chicken But I just think that any good protein food that she will eat is fine. For the moment your major concern is getting her to start eating food. I think that she may have been weaned too early and is not ready to start eating on her own. Get the nutrical and do the best you can. And absolutely try to find a better vet.


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## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

I got my malt extremely early....she was only 6 weeks. Breeder was leaving the country so I took her and literally hand fed her kibble food for the first week. It was that or she wouldn't eat. As the days went by she ate on her own and loved canned food and now my 2 pound 6 week old is a 10 pound 3 and a half year old !! 
Please make sure she/he eats ad the Nutrical is great to protect her from having low blood sugar which is dangerous.
Good Luck !


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

Be careful with the Nutrical though. It is not meant to replace food. It is supposed to help if she is in danger of going into a dangerous low blood sugar episode, but it can cause spikes and then dramatic drops in blood sugar. After the Nutrical is given, you want them to have real food (protein) so that they can stabilize. You do not want to keep her on Nutrical indefinitely.


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## Canada (Jun 4, 2009)

What about puppy formula mixed in with warmed dog food?


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## Canada (Jun 4, 2009)

Owensacki said:


> I just bought a 10week old Maltese on Sunday. After not eating Sunday ,we visited the vet. She kept her there for 2 days and tried to get her to eat. She has to be syringe fed.does anyone have any advise on what to do? *I can't keep doing this every 4 hours with a job and a family.* My vet says no human food, but my feeling is if that gets her to eat, isn't that better than what we are doing now? Also, I went and bought every can food I could find today , she wouldn't touch any of it. Please help!!!!


Your puppy will still need that much attention even after she starts eating better.  These little ones are very time consuming, but very worth it! :heart:


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

Canada said:


> Your puppy will still need that much attention even after she starts eating better.  These little ones are very time consuming, but very worth it! :heart:


:goodpost:


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

Owensacki said:


> I will let you know what the other vet says. I will go get nutrical right away. Has anyone heard of feeding them boiled hamburger? Good, bad?



I would ask new Vet about her age, I'm thinking she is younger.
Good luck!


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

We got our little Bella at 10 1/2 weeks and she wouldn't eat either. I cannot tell you how many tears of worry I shed about it. They are too young to be away from the litter, so ya have to work extra hard with keeping them safe. Our Vet's staff spent almost an 1 hr trying to coax Bella into eating and the only thing she nibbled at was cat treats (which are NOT good for them!). Here's what finally worked: Greek Yogurt (we used Chobani Vanilla) - put it on your finger and they'll try to eat it off.
Peanut Butter and a bit of cheese. Sounds crazy, but it does get them interested in eating, and in trusting you. Hope it helps.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

As has already been stated "one can't use nutrical as a food" -- it is meant to be used only in very small amount to raise the blood sugar if a puppy is experiencing hypoglycemia. If you can't find it, Karo syrup will also do the trick. As Pam said you need to follow up w/a protein meal. 
Please don't try lots of different kinds of dog food---this can cause tummy upset. Dog food needs to be gradually changed over by mixing old type w/new. 
Finger/hand feeding can induce trust, if that is an issue.
Keep us posted and wishing you all the very best!


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## LexiMom (Feb 7, 2012)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be very careful with the nutrical and just give a little - I had a puppy that was very young because the mothers milk dried up and the darn vet told me to feed the nutrical and told me too much and it ended up killing my pup due to it being too much -- just a little on the finger.

The gerber chicken sticks work great


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## Owensacki (Apr 23, 2012)

We went to a new vet today and as we all expected he said she was too little to be away from mom. He said she was not weened correctly. He did an initial blood test to look for signs of a liver shunt( pray its not) and he also thinks she might have a gastro-intestinal issue, which if she has has to operated on. First, we re looking at the liver. He said to feed her boiled chicken and rice, chicken sticks, basically what all of you wonderful people said. He did give her Nutracal and said to give just a bit. Also to give her green beans, a great source of starch and good for blood sugar. so basically she has 2-3 issues. He did try grandmas pot pie dog food by merrick and she loved it! Right now she is eating just 1 piece of dry food, but it's a start. Boy what a difference the right vet can make. It is going to be along road, but she is worth it. We get the initial results tomorrow so pray its good. By the way, she lost weight, so now it's even more important for her to eat! I want to thank all of you for your great advice and support. I think I will continue to need it in the coming weeks.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

So glad that you went to a new vet. So glad that she's beginning to eat!! Hopefully the test won 't show any liver issues. .... Now let's get that little girl well !!!!!!


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## revakb2 (Sep 8, 2006)

It sound like the new vet is on the right track. So many vets just don't get it when it comes to toy breeds. Good luck, and it sounds like things are looking up.


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

So happy you went for a 2nd opinion. At least they will do the proper tests to determine if she has other issues. Hope she continues to do well and please keep us posted!


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

I was also going to recommend a very tiny bit of peanut butter - good protein, lots of vitamins and oil, but do not give too much. Most dogs love it - a few can be allergic, but it is rare. You can then rub a bit of the peanut butter on kibble to introduce kibble. No sugar, natural pb is best and will cause a slow raise in blood sugar and not a spike.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Renee, I am so glad that we were able to put you on the right track. You are good mommy to your dear little puppy.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Good news! Baby steps are what we are thinking! So happy your new vet seems to know how to help. I will pray for good test results and wisdom for your vet in knowing what to do for your baby. 
As Sylie said "you are a good mommy!" We are here for you. Keep us in the loop.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

Sounds like you are on the right track. Thank goodness for finding the right vet. It makes all the difference! Hope all the lab tests come out for the best. Keep us posted.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Renee - I'm so glad you got to another vet. Sounds like she's finally getting the medical attention she needs. I have to say that SM helped me so much when I was unsure of things about Tyler before, during and after I got him. Lots of very smart loving Maltese owners here. Glad their advice is being born out by the doc. Praying it isn't a liver shunt. Please stay with us and let us know how she's doing. :grouphug:


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## Patsy Heck (Jun 10, 2011)

I'm glad things are going better. You will get lots of good advice which you've already used. Please let us know about the lab work.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

I was so happy to see that you went to another Vet for a second opinion and as others have already said, apparently the new Vet is right in tune with what should be done for the new Puppy. As far as the test results, we all will be waiting to hear the outcome and hope that is will a positive result. The best thing of course, is that she is eating and that will surely help her.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Will keep this lil' baby in my prayers! Glad the new vet seems to be much more on the ball.


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## fredasher (Dec 8, 2007)

Carina is right. When we brought Sophie home, almost 5 years ago, she wouldn't eat, acting lethargic, etc. She was 11½ weeks old, so not as young as some leaving their mothers. Breeder suggested Nutrical and before we could buy it to do honey or Karo syrup. Got the Nutrical at the vet and was directed to give her 1" from the tube and I think it was 3-4x day. The time was limited on this, as Carina said. We were also to give her boiled chicken which we cut up very small. She loved it and was very quickly eating and back to normal. I sure hope your little baby starts eating soon.


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## kimyvonne (Jun 15, 2012)

I feel your pain. I have a 15mo old maltese and we have had this battle since day one. First he was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, so we did anything and everything to get him to eat whatever we could, even people food which is better than nothing or we had to give him karo syrup from a syringe to get his blood sugar up. I think he's the only anorexic pup I've ever heard of. I will continue to read this forum for any answers, we have literally spend $100's on dog food and it's a battle everyday. good luck.


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## Carol J Phoebes mom (Jan 2, 2022)

Oh my. This is me!!! We brought 10 wk Phoebe home. No eat. Threw up. Spit out what we put in her mouth. Does drink water. Took to animal hospital. She is refusing all food. They are about to put a feeding tube in. She is 1.5 pounds. But she is alert and wags tail. Walks like a drunk. They said blood sugar very low. No viruses. Reading your advice is giving me comfort.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

You will have to be very vigilant but this CAN be fixed! Hang in there. Stay alert!


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## starry (Sep 4, 2006)

DO NOT FEED HER RAW MEAT! My 1st little small Maltese died from eating it. I forget the name of the bacteria but she was just too small to eat raw meat. 
maybe a large dog can but these delicate dogs shouldn’t.


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