Need advice! New Baby is depressed!

[Jennifer Sammartino]

Hi everyone !
New here. We just adopted our 5.5 month old boy 2 days ago from a private home unable to care for him due to a new family situation. Beau is definitely depressed about the Change. He does not want to move off the Couch. Wants to sleep all day. (Although when I can get him in the yard is he playful!)
He won't go for walks and is basically dead weight. My HUGE concern is that he is not eating or drinking! No matter what! (Except if we hand feed him one piece at a time)
Does anyone have any advice as to how to help my baby ??

 

[Iulicris88]

Poor baby, he must be very confused. It's only been two days, he just needs some time to adjust to his new home. Try to talk and interact with him as much as you can, even if he doesn't seem to acknowledge you.
If he won't drink, try giving him some soup or bone broth, or even some milk, if it doesn't bother his tummy. For his food, try making it more appetizing, by adding some wet food, ground meat, canned tuna... I would also recommend a visit to the vet, just to make sure everything is ok and that he's up to date with his shots and deworming.

 

[Jakesmum]

I agree with what lulicris88 said, he just needs time to adjust. Just have patience and work with him, take some high value treats with you when you take him for a walk, lots of praise and lots of treats should get him walking in no time. You could even try topping his food with plain yogurt, cooked veggies or oatmeal (these are things that my boy just loves). Just be careful not to give too much as it may make him gassy.

 

[Yamizuma]

Agree with the above. Poor fella is probably sad and confused and missing the family he knew and still probably loves.

I'd honestly try giving him bottled water...I know ours much prefer it to our craptastic tap water, at least right now. Maybe he'd even like to play with ice, as lots of dogs do. A bit of something tasty, liquid wise...what're gets him hydrating agin.

For food, I'm assuming you didn't try to change it from what he was on?

Just while he gets to know he's safe and sound with you, high value foods might help. All beef hot dog chopped up, some cheese, high protein, boiled beef and rice....

And if not, then it's always possible there's a fluke of timing going on and he's actually gotten into something or having a physical rather than emotional issue.

Part of what makes Mastiffs so very special is how deeply they love their humans, and many are slow to accept new ones. Time, patience, love, spoil now and fix later if needed...

I am not an expert, but I have had many rescues in my life, and some are slow to feel at ease - but all have been so worth the wait.




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[DragosMom]

I agree with all the above. Poor guy is just really homesick and confused. Try and give him a lot of attention and time to adjust. Giving him appetizing treats, maybe even some boiled chicken and milk. They usually respond to foods like that. You may try offering a toy or something to snuggle with. Once your precious guy knows how much he is loved by his new puppy parents he will come around. I'm sure a lot of it is just separation anxiety. Praise love praise that big guy and I promise you his depression won't last long. He's simply confused and needs to adjust to a new home, new environment and his new family. Sending prayers your way!!

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[Michele]

Two week shut down:

https://pethelpful.com/dogs/TwoWeekShutdown

 

[LucyFabloos]

Hi, new here, also. Have 9 month old Corso Bitch - Pheonix, aka - Fifi. Fifi is Awesome! Tends to be a little bit lethargic, takes some coaxing to go walkies, and likes to pick her own route (Tho, I do make her go my way, she seems v reluctant). I think she would rather me play football with her all day! She is well socialised and loves meeting others). Can`t help worrying, tho if there might be problem somewhere, i.e. joints? She is quite ungainly and seems to walk a little stiffly. Still trying to get diet sorted, though she has good quality kibble and human food, chicken, veggies, fruit. I add, now and again extra virgin olive oil. She doesn`t actually fit the go getting
lively description of her breed! Are they known for their stubborn and mardiness? do you know? Keep giving her boiled eggs, this seems to firm up her stools! Please note, I struggle with using laptop, as am not computer literate, photos to follow, hopefully!!

 

[Iulicris88]

The only way to determine if there's any issues with her joints is to take her to the vet and have some x-rays done. It could be something as simple as growing pains or the more serious ed/hd.
Temperament wise, each dog is different, outside of their breed. My cc is very stubborn, once something gets into his head it is almost impossible to sway him. He's definitely more stubborn than any other dog I've ever had.
As for her food, usually a good quality kibble should result in firm stools, if the dog is healthy. If you have to add something to get to that point, maybe you should consider changing it. Mine doesn't tolerate very well certain foods and protein levels higher than ~35%.

 

[DennasMom]

I agree with Michele and the "two week shutdown".
The puppy is adjusting.

Give him space to figure out what a good place this is that he's landed. Don't over-stimulate, allow him time to grieve losing his old home and family, so he'll be ready to accept his new one and move on.

What was his favorite activity in his first home? You said he likes playing in the yard, so I'd do that a LOT.

On feeding - Offer food 3x a day for 20 minutes, and then pick it up. Offer kibble as "treats" when out in the yard playing - reward for 'fetch' or do some obedience work out in the yard as "play" with LOTS of rewards.
Stuff a kong with his dinner food, and then put him in a crate in a quiet room for 'down-time'... where his only entertainment is either the kong, or a nap.
I wouldn't worry about him not eating for a few days - keep offering. He'll eat when he's hungry.

He's young. He should come around pretty quick if you don't reward his melancholy. Ignore him when he's in the dumps - or entice him into an upbeat mood by being upbeat yourself (i.e. don't join his melancholy).
If you have fun in the house with your family (or just dance like nobody's watching)... at some point you will become irresistible and he'll start joining in the fun.

 

[Ronbow]

Yeah, our 15 week old CC has been with us for nearly 1 week and he is major depressed. We visited him twice at the home he was born in (before we took him) and he was just as happy and playful as all he litter mates. They would all play hard for 30 minutes or so and then sleep hard for 30 minutes. But now he just wants to sleep all day.

We show him love and he seeks out our company, but he doesn't show any of the energy he had in the litter. Walks are the worst. I am sure that there is too much stimulation out there in his new world because he puts his head low and all the loose skin makes for a terribly sad face. He tries everything he can to not leave the house. The first couple days he would come to us in the house, but now he seems more reluctant because coming to us is probably associated with the parade of horrors outside. We do live in a quiet area but there are still the occasional car or barking dog behind a fence.

I know that this should pass and that we should just try to minimize stimulation... but is there anything ELSE we should be doing? I didn't want to train him on pee-pee pads inside that house because that is not a long term solution. I figured the sooner he calms down and learns to walk the better. But right now it is quite the trauma.

Thanks.

 

[Boxergirl]

Yeah, our 15 week old CC has been with us for nearly 1 week and he is major depressed. We visited him twice at the home he was born in (before we took him) and he was just as happy and playful as all he litter mates. They would all play hard for 30 minutes or so and then sleep hard for 30 minutes. But now he just wants to sleep all day.

We show him love and he seeks out our company, but he doesn't show any of the energy he had in the litter. Walks are the worst. I am sure that there is too much stimulation out there in his new world because he puts his head low and all the loose skin makes for a terribly sad face. He tries everything he can to not leave the house. The first couple days he would come to us in the house, but now he seems more reluctant because coming to us is probably associated with the parade of horrors outside. We do live in a quiet area but there are still the occasional car or barking dog behind a fence.

I know that this should pass and that we should just try to minimize stimulation... but is there anything ELSE we should be doing? I didn't want to train him on pee-pee pads inside that house because that is not a long term solution. I figured the sooner he calms down and learns to walk the better. But right now it is quite the trauma.

Thanks.

Hi Ronbow, and welcome to the forum. This thread is almost a year old. Unless our members search for "new posts" your reply here might be missed. I would suggest starting your own new thread so everyone can see it.

 

[Gummerstail]

Ronbow how's your dog now? Some dogs may take a while to adjust.