puppy losing teeth --- won't/can't eat --- what to do?

my pup is about 5 months and he's just started losing some of his baby teeth. starting a few days ago, he wouldn't eat his food and i didn't understand why until today when i found 3 teeth lying around, so i assume it just hurts to chew. i always soak the food in warm water for a while before feeding it to soften it up, but he still doesn't seem to want it. if i sit on the floor with him long enough, he will eat, but i don't want that to be a habit he gets into. any advice?

also, anyone know how long this process usually takes? how many teeth do they lose?

 

My guy is 6 mos old but he never had a problem like this. He'll eat no matter what.

My only idea is to try canned food. No real chewing involved there. That way he could at least get some sort of nutrition.

Oh, and I wouldn't do the sitting on the floor thing. I've always been told to leave it there for 10 mins. If they don't eat it, take it away until next meal time. They'll learn to eat it when it's there.

I don't really know about teething so I can't tell you anything else.

 

My mother went through the same thing with her dog. She pre-soaked his kibble and he ate it pretty well that way. Maybe he will eat the canned food as Elizavixen suggested or you could even try mixing a small amount of canned food in with his soaked kibble. Best of luck.

 

Canned Food! Purina Puppy Chow is great!

 

Purina Puppy Chow comes in a canned formula?

 

I would feed the canned variety of whatever brand you are currently feeding. that way there would be less upset stomach.

Out of sheer curiosity on my part, have you been wetting his food forever or just since he has started having trouble with his teeth? Just wondering b/c I have not once wet my pup's food since I got him at 6 wks. If you have been doing it forever, why?

 

i've been doing it since i brought him home at the breeders recommendation. my vet said it's fine, but he actually encouraged that i stop b/c it encourages him to eat more and will make him pee more (more water), so i stopped, then re-started in light of this problem