7 month old Basset puppy having a hard time getting her food down?

We just picked up a basset hound puppy yesterday and she is having some difficulties eating. She seems hungry, and is trying to eat her food, which is a dry small bites brand for puppies. This is the same food the breeder was feeding the puppies. She seems to be licking at it, and putting it in her mouth, but most of it ends up back on the floor. It's hard to tell how much, if any of it she is getting down. We know she finished up a small amount very early this morning. The puppy has coccidia, which the breeder made us aware of and we are giving her medicine for it. She does have diarrhea but our vet told us this is normal, and as she grows the parasite will die. But I want to make sure she's getting enough food to keep her strength up. So I guess me question is, does anybody know of any tips of what we can do to her food to make it more manageable for her, or a temporary diet that is safe for a young puppy? We tried mixing it with small amounts of hot water, but no luck.