Hi everyone. I've only just joined and straight in with the questions I'm afraid! I really need some advice.

3 days ago we bought home an 8 week old cavalier king Charles spaniel who we adore. I'm just worried about his adjustment to our home.

The first day he came home and wolfed down a bowl of dried food (eucanuba small breed puppy) but then he didn't eat his dinner nor his breakfast the next day. Then for lunch he had mashed boiled egg but skipped dinner and breakfast the next day again. Then for lunch (this brings us to yesterday) he had chicken breast as I spoke to the breeder and she said try him with chicken if he's not eating and he ate it as if he was starving. Then last night he had a small amount of dried food but then today he hasn't eaten again! He had diarrhoea for the last 2 days but last night he had a normal poo which pleased me.

He is drinking fine and been playing and spent most of yesterday running around in the garden which he loved. He's had his first set of vaccinations and vet check. I'm sure all of this is because he is adjusting after leaving his litter mates and mummy but how can I make this transition easier on him? I'm worried(

Thanks in advance.

The Wet Dog Food Index

This is a guide to good, average and awful wet food. There's also the dry food guide underneath. I'd say Eukanuba is fairly low re quality. What was he on at the breeder's?

You need to stick with one thing and be consistent or his tummy will be upset. You don't need specific puppy food, that's a bit of a myth. He may well experience tummy upset so maybe stick with cooked chicken for a while and introduce whatever food you choose very slowly.

Did you know there's a picture rule if you have a new puppy?!

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Transplanted Geordie
RIP Jake, my best dog. 10.8.10
RIP Boomerang, beautiful horse. 27.5.08

Hi and thanks for The reply. I'll have a look at the list thank you. Eucanuba is te food the breeder was feeding him and she gave us some so we just carried on using it. She also fed boiled egg, chicken or plain rice once a day which i followed so the diet hasn't changed. I was thinking of trying wet food. I just want him to eat!

Once he's better I'll post a few pics on here for you all to see)

Pups can get upset tums from the stress of leaving mum and littermates, again the vet trip and jabs would have likely stressed him further too.
Sudden changes in diet can also upset their tums especially on top of everything else, so it could just be the re-location and stress.

Only worry if he wont eat at all, and more importantly wont drink. Drinking is crucial as pups can de-hydrate quickly and that can be serious.
As long as he is active, interested in his surrounds and wants to interact I wouldnt panic at the moment. Obviously if he developed very frequent diarrhoea, was sick too, or became lethargic and uninterested then I would worry and get him checked out, as with frequwnt bad diarrhoea/and especially vomitting too the can dehydrate quick even if drinking if they loose more then they take in fluid wise.

You could try with his dry food if you are feeding it dry, inbetween add a little warm water, sometimes they prefer that.

A good site I came across recently was Cavalier Matters for Pet folk
Simple advice for potential and existing owners, you might find some helpful things on there.

www.cavaliermatters.org.

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This is the diet my breeder told me to use when I brought my Beagle puppy home over a year ago now.

Breakfast: A scrambled egg on top of a small amount of moistened dry food
Lunch: A small amount of moistened dry food
Dinner: Moistened dry food plus his vitamin powder and a teaspoon of probiotic yogurt


Moistening the food will make it easier for a puppy to eat and digest

Also, be careful not to overfeed. It takes a while to get amounts right, but I ended up only giving Charlie his scrambled egg in a morning, and then he waited till dinner/evening meal to eat. Every dog is different - you just have to work out what suits you and your puppy best.

Its also important to put the food down for a set time then pick it up if it's not eaten. Puppy needs to learn that he can't graze all day, and must eat when you tell him. If he doesn't eat, don't fill him up on treats or chews (not that you said you were...).


His tummy might be upset because of the stress of a new household, but theres not a lot you can do. Try not to overfeed, make sure he gets plenty of nap times, and if you want to firm up his 'business' add a few tablespoons of boiled white rice to his food.

If he gets full blown diarrhoea ring your vet - but whilst waiting for the appointment you can feed your pup on plain boiled white rice and fish - it's a bland meal that will be easy on pup's tummy.

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Thanks for the replies, they're all very helpful. Pups still isn't eating but I don't get where his energy is coming from! If he isn't eating surely he'll be lethargic? I'm not complaining, just confused.

Also he's sniffing around as if he's hungry and hoovering up fluff from the floor yet won't touch his food. I just don't get it.

I'm in no way an expert.. merely thinking out loud really, but...

Could you not just give him the cooked chicken until you settle his tum and then slowly introduce another make of food. He maybe doesnt like eukanuba (sp?)

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