Puppy Not Eating

[dc221]

I just brought my new puppy home last night. He is a 7 week old black lab.
He hasn't eaten a bite since he got home. He is drinking & is playful. Should I be worried? I'm using the same food he was eating prior. I've also tried mixing soft food & soft food by itself. I've also tried different food. It has only been one day but is this normal for a new pup?

[Whizzy]

It's pretty normal for puppies to go off their food for a day when they move to a new environment. He should start eating soon. One trick that works well is to put his food down at the same time each day, leave it for 10 minutes, and if he doesn't eat it, pick it up and put it away. Offer it again at his next meal time. If it's not sitting there, he'll get the idea that if he doesn't eat when it's time to eat, there won't be any food sitting around until the next time it's time to eat.

A word of caution, though. Young puppies don't have a lot of fat reserves, and their livers are immature. They can develop hypoglycemia if they don't eat. If you notice he seems unusually lethargic, not interested in playing, and is more sleepy than a puppy his age should be, he could be developing hypoglycemia. Smear some honey or corn syrup in his mouth, wait 10 minutes, and offer some canned food or a jar of baby food. Warm the food if he's disinterested. It's important to get him to eat.

And, as always, call your Veterinarian if you think there's any possibility that something is wrong.