We all can agree that puppies are one of the most loveable creatures. Their sparkly round eyes and tiny noses can easily provoke the “cute response” in us.
Are you bringing home a week-old puppy for the first time? Or Your puppy is not eating anything for hours? If yes, then you must be concerned about how long can a puppy go without eating.
A puppy needs a balanced and adequate diet to grow into a happy and healthy dog. In this article, we will discuss all the essentials you need to know regarding your pup’s intake whether he is a newborn or an 8 months old big boy!
How Long Can A Newborn Puppy Go Without Eating?
Puppies and babies share similarities, but unlike human newborns, puppies in their initial life stages get most of the nutrients required in growth and development.
When puppies are born, they are blind and can’t even walk. They also lack hearing when they are born and these senses take up to two weeks to develop. So, they use their sense of smell along with other senses like touch to reach their mother’s nipples.
Puppies obtain nutrients from their mother’s uterus before birth, so surprisingly they can survive a few hours without food.
Puppies are delicate creatures so the starvation period must never be prolonged. If so, they become vulnerable to various dangers including malnourishment, dehydration, and the worst case is death.
It is important to know here that a newborn pup must be fed every couple of hours for the first 3 to 4 weeks.
How Long Can A Week-Old Puppy Go Without Eating?
No doubt after birth, a 1-week-old puppy is quite weak and unsafe. So, a week-old puppy has the capacity to go without food for a maximum of 2 hours only.
No ignorance must be shown regarding the eating schedules during these crucial stages of your pup’s life. It is to note that a 3 weeks old puppy may have a tolerance of staying hungry for a bit more than 2 hours.
How Long Can A 4 to 5 Weeks Old Puppy Go Without Eating?
Puppies, when turning 4 weeks of age, become stronger and their tolerance level of surviving without food gradually increases. It is ideally advised that puppies must feed their mother’s milk after every 4 to 5 hours.
A puppy at this age, in case of emergency, can survive without food for a maximum of 7 hours. You must be careful not to any further exceed this time limit.
1) What If the Mother Is Not Available to Feed the Puppies?
In this situation, you can introduce a small portion of solid food to your pups. Serve them “soft puppy food” with water so that it is easily chewable.
Here’s a quick tip, if there is dry kibble you can soften it up with slightly warm water.
Puppies should be fed after every 6 to 7 hours between 4 to 7 weeks of age.
How Long Can A 8 to 12 Weeks Old Puppy Go Without Eating?
From 4 weeks of age, puppies slowly become adaptable to solid food but they still are breastfeeding. It is observed that after every passing week, the solid food intake will increase and puppies will gradually start to wean.
1) Are You Wondering What Is Weaning?
Weaning is the transition process of a puppy’s food intake from mother’s milk to proper solid puppy food. It is considered ideal, that weaning should begin when your puppies are 4 to 5 weeks of age.
It is advised that until 8 weeks of age, puppies should feed their mother’s milk, if available.
By the time your little fur creature has reached 8 weeks of age, you can feed him/her three to four times a day. In fact, you can continue the same schedule until 12 weeks of age.
By this time, you would notice your fur babies sleeping less and wandering around. It is so fun to watch them playing and exploring new things!
How Long Can A 3 Months and Older Puppy Go Without Eating?
When your puppy reaches the age of 3 months, two to three meals in a day is enough for them. By the time when your pup becomes 6 months old, they can go without eating for up to 7 hours.
How Long Can A Puppy Go Without Eating at Night?
If your puppy is sleeping comfortably at nighttime without suffering from any anxiety then they can safely go without eating all night. Good and enough sleep at night is a sign of a physically and mentally strong puppy.
Here’s an important thing to keep in mind, as your pup had a nice sleep, he would wake up hungry so, be prepared! Make them a yummy breakfast.
How Long Can Healthy and Unhealthy Dogs Go Without Eating? A Comparison!
In general, a healthy and fit dog can survive for 2 days without eating. If your adult buddy is healthy, he can go without food for seven days, but it is not recommended.
Often, unhealthy dogs refuse to eat and they usually lose their appetite. If your dog continuously misses the meals, you must be concerned.
This is because they might be already sick and missing even three to four meals would make their illness worse.
8 Reasons Why Your Puppy May Not Be Eating?
If your puppy is missing 1 or 2 meals it’s nothing to worry about, but your young pup must never exceed the time of 12 hours without eating. It is because young puppies have insufficient body reserves than older ones.
Here are some reasons why your puppy may not be eating:
1) Disliking or Overfeeding:
Sometimes puppies become picky eaters. If you keep on feeding them the same dog food every day, they are more likely to get bored and thus start avoiding food. Try to buy a new food option or cook a mild meal at home.
Also, if you feed them in extremely short intervals, they might not feel hungry to eat again.
2) Illness:
Illness can be a reason why your puppy is not eating well. In this case, you must take your puppy to the Vet immediately.
3) Stress:
Anxiety can be a reason for loss of appetite. Your puppy might be battling with loneliness, separation anxiety or it’s a new place for him to adapt.
4) Pain:
If your puppy is suffering from pain anywhere in the body, he will refuse food due to discomfort.
5) Parasites:
Parasites can make your puppy feel nauseous. In this case, go for the deworming treatments to get rid of parasites.
6) Teething:
It can also be a reason for your puppy not eating well. Try to serve smaller portions of soft food.
7) Loneliness or Environmental Changes:
If you bring home a newborn puppy, he may look around for his mother and feel unsafe and lonely.
Similarly, if you take your pup somewhere else away from your home, he will take time to adjust to the new environment.
8) Hot Climate:
Climate can also be a contributing factor that puts your puppy off food. Hot days can bother our puppies too.
6 Things You Can Do to Make Your Puppy Eat:
Are you worried that your puppy is not eating well? No worries, all your questions concerning your puppy’s health will be answered here.
Many factors can cause the loss of appetite in puppies and the following things you can do to get your puppy back on eating:
- Dogs like warm meals. Dry kibbles must be softened up with warm water to make chewing easy.
- Sometimes they just don’t want to eat on their own, so to provoke the hunger, feed the food by hand.
- If your puppy is teething, give him canned food. Canned food has liquids and a strong aroma that puppies love.
- Praise your fur baby every time he eats, to motivate him.
- Offer him fresh meat with dog food in a small amount to increase his appetite.
- You must consult your Vet if your puppy doesn’t start eating again. A Vet can investigate the real cause behind lost hunger and can treat the issues well on time.
If you are still worried about the food options you can feed your dog as a treat, you can check our complete guides on feeding foods like Sauerkraut, Cabbage, Cheetos, Sour cream, Cream cheese, Olives, Pickles, Tea, Basil, Sesame seeds, and more with proper precautions!
Final Words:
In general, the frequency with which a dog eats is greater when they are puppies, it gradually decreases as they grow. Thus, you should take appropriate measures as your puppy grows, to make their digestive systems become accustomed accordingly.
The first few weeks of a puppy’s life are very crucial and the “building blocks”. They undergo various developmental stages. You must take care of them so that they get enough nutrients to be healthy and strong. The main things to focus on are keeping them warm, feeding them well, and enough sleep.
Your puppy will grow and become your buddy to play and run around with you very soon!