question about a runt of the litter

[leann2078]

I am concerned about my runt she is couple sizes smaller than the rest of her littermates, not quite as active, is she getting enough milk from mom? do i need to help out is there any thing else i can do to "catch" her up to her litter mates? She seems healthy enough she is just slower growing and progressing it seems any advice?

[britishbandit]

You could try rotating the pups when they are feeding. Sometimes certain teats don't produce as much milk as others. Since you have 9, you can also try letting them feed 4 or 5 at a time, and have the runt be in the first group.
Make sure mum is drinking plenty. You can maybe try feeding the runt a puppy replacement formula as well, or giving some to the mother. The puppy replacement milk (i've used Esbilac before) can be used on pregnant and/or lactating bitches, and puppies. So if the pup won't take it, the mother likely will. It will not only help to nourish the puppies, but help the mother not to be so "drained" from nursing 9 pups. Probably once or twice a day should be sufficient if giving just to the mother.
Also, what do you feed your dog? Feeding the mother puppy food is also a good idea while they are nursing. If you aren't, it's better to buy puppy food of the same brand, and just mix it in with what you are already feeding. Switching food suddenly isn't a great idea with any dog, never mind a nursing mother.
Anyway, hope this was somewhat useful to you...LOL.

[leann2078]

any advice is good at this point, i am posting pics of her it's hard time to tell she's little but she is

[Carrie]

That sounds like a great idea. I know my breeder fed the pups some kind of pablum or mush stuff when they were about 4 weeks old. There weren't any runts though. If the pup's frame is small, then maybe the lower amount of feeding is in proportion to it's body...just as long as it's getting enough and doesn't seem too skinny or weak. You can check with your vet too.

P.M. Crossfire too, if she doesn't see this. She's another good breeder on this forum. Good luck....adorable pictures.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

How old are your pups now? They look old enough to be moving away from mom and started on gruel if you haven't done so already that would be my suggestion.

If your not familiar with gruel or what some call mush I have a wonderful home recipe I use that I'd be happy to share with you. It always keeps my pups right on.

The pup in the picture looks fine from what I can see, she may be just that...the runt and will always be smaller than the others. Is it that she just isn't as active as the others or is it that she is a bit more reserved in nature or being pushed into being that way by her littermates?

[leann2078]

they were born on the 6 of this month making them right around 3 weeks old, good point about her being more reserved, is there a way to check to see which it is?

[leann2078]

British i am sorry i forgot to answer your question about momma's food, i can't remember what it's called we got it at the pet store, but i know it's adult dog food, so should i maybe go get puppy food and mix it in with her dog food?

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Originally Posted by leann2078

they were born on the 6 of this month making them right around 3 weeks old, good point about her being more reserved, is there a way to check to see which it is?

At three weeks yes, if you haven't already you might want to start them on gruel so they don't fall behind and I'm sure mom would love the break. lol

At her age probably one of the best ways I've found to check out if a pup like this one to see if she is more reserved or if there is an actual problem is to put her with one other pup to start off rather than the whole litter. Pick one of the puppies that seems to be a follower rather than a leader and see how the little girl acts with that pup for a few hours. Remember the different actions you see in her and then put her back with the entire litter and watch her actions again.

The following day, put her in with one of the pups that seems to be a leader rather than a follower and again watch her actions. You should see a marked difference between how she acts and reacts to the two different pups if in fact she is more reserved she should fair better with the other pup who follows rather than leads. This however isn't always the pup you would want to keep her with since it may ( depending on how reserved she is ) do nothing more than build her little comfort zone more and cause her to stay in her shell.

Finding a good match for her that brings her somewhat out of her shell but doesn't push her further in is the key to helping her become well rounded. Try different pups until you find a good match for her and then allow her to spend most of her time with just that pup. She may or may not be a puppy that can be slowly worked back into the entire group. jmo

[leann2078]

CROSS ok i started doing what you suggested today and the funny thing is this she'd much rather be held and pet than interact with anyone of her littermates! is this normal? course this is just the first day so maybe tomorrow....can you pm me with some gruel recipe and feeding schedules thanks she seems to enjoy my company more than the other pups, she is perfectly content to be held and not want down to run

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Even though their dogs, there are those that prefer humans over their own kind and she just may very well be one of them.

She sounds like a very quiet and shy little girl. Has she been to the vet at all yet? Without being there to see how she is from the very start it would be difficult at best to tell you if it's normal for her or not but a vet check sure wouldn't hurt. It may just be her nature.

I'll PM you with the gruel recipe now.