vegas is not eating much

he got his last jag on monday and sinse then he has not been eating much i feed him natures best science plan for puppies 1- 12 months. On monday when he came home from the vet i gave him a small tin of tuna which he loves. i am giving him fish on a monday once a week for a treat as i was told this is good for their coat etc. I know that if i was to put this down to him just know he would probabley eat it but am strict with his diet and dont give him anything else but what do you think as i just want him to eat he is already underweight as the vet told me and i would love for him to have put on a little for next weeks check is their any other foods i could give him i was thinking of trying the natures best tins as when he eats the dry food he just eats one bit at a time and seems to take a while crunching it i have tried adding a little water to it to soften it but doesn't make much difference also what is the best treats to give him

where do you live? what brands do you have available to you?

I wouldn't feed tins of tuna as a general rule. Tuna retains a lot of mercury and this is in turn retained by pets. A small amount as an occasional treat is fine but a whole tin for a small animal is not the best.

Don't worry about trying to have your puppy gain weight by next week -- it isn't healthy for a dog to gain a lot of weight in that short a period. Just get him onto a quality food. If he is underweight you might want to use a puppy food though generally most good breeders I've come across do not recommend using them as they feel they are higher in nutrients than most puppies actually need.

I would really recommend getting a good basic puppycare manual such as this:

http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204744372&sr=1-5

You can get the same book in the UK from amazon.co.uk if you are based there.

It isn't a good idea to randomly feed different foods as some human foods are not good for dogs and can even be deadly to them. Be sure to read up on puppy and dog care (in a book like Dr Dunbar's) so that you know how to make the best choices.

Nature's Best tins are fine. Kibble (dry) is better as a basic food though as the hard food helps keep teeth clean. It doesn't matter if he only eats one piece at a time; that is better than gulping anyway.

i wont give him fish again, certainly not in the way i gave him it perhaps a smaller amount as a special treat very occasionaly but i'll lay off it for now was'nt eating again today (i hope i dont get a row for this) but my husband was watching him today and when i came home he said that he still had not eaten anything so when i made the tea tonight i mixed a little mince in with his dog food and he ate the lot hardly coming up for air it just makes me feel better a night knowing he has eaten enough throughout the day. what do you think? i have a feeling i am going to get a telling off for this

Well I for one start my babies off on fresh steak mince anyway, then gradually add the dry kibble and slowly reduce the mince, if he wants a little mince with his kibble and he eats it then that's fine, also he is coming to the age when they are starting to change teeth and his mouth be sore which may make dry kibble a bit difficult for him to chew on, you can also try softening the kibble with some warm water and see if that makes a difference?? HTH??

If you have a puppy who consistently has little appetite (and isn't holding out on behavioural grounds), then you do need to talk to your vet. Healthy puppies have good appetites and you want to make sure there isn't a problem. If he is selectively eating (eg holding out for you to pay him lots of attention and changing around his food all the time to coax him) then you should not allow this behaviour: give him a limited time to eat and don't make meals an interaction time with him, and again I urge you to get the Ian Dunbar book as it will answer a lot of questions on all sorts of issues including problem eaters.

is chicken okay to give him shredded up with his food

thanks for advice i'm going out today i will try and get the book