Should I worry if my 2-week-old puppy is the smallest and skinny?

He actually doesn't appear to be underweight based on the pictures shown. I'd have to examine him to be sure, but the biggest indication that he is not underweight is the fact that he appears to have well-developed muscles. Dogs of this breed tend to be naturally lean and put more weight on their muscles rather than their ribs, or belly. If I was concerned that he was underweight, then I would first want to rule-out a disease, or parasite causing him to lose or not gain weight. It's best to have a veterinarian evaluate him, so you can ensure he's healthy and ensure that you are not going to feed him unnecessarily. Dog obesity is a big problem in the U.S., which means that the average person thinks a fat dog is at ideal weight; and a dog with an ideal body condition, or a lean body condition is thought to be starving. The truth is that the lean dogs are statistically healthier and live longer than overweight dogs. Some dogs (much like people) are able to naturally maintain a lean body condition. Leo is one of those dogs, but would urge you to have a veterinarian examine him to make that call. Below is a link to a body condition scoring guide. This is what veterinarians use when assessing whether a dog is overweight or underweight. We prefer them to be at a BCS of 4 or 5, but some are naturally at a 3. https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20dogs.pdf At this time, I recommend feeding him normally and would not recommend a diet change until he can be evaluated by a veterinarian. I hope that helps and all is well with Leo.

Pictures can be very deceiving and i recommend you use a body condition scoring chart (there are many versions online) to help assess and ask your vet nurse if you are unsure. Although he does not appear unhealthy, he is quite narrow across his back and core muscles. Be sure to maintain him on a good quality puppy food until 15mintgs and consider an assessment by a physiotherapist to ensure there are no underlying causes and to advise on suitable exercise. A chiropractic assessment may also be worthwhile to see if there are any issues preventing him from developing

When puppies have limb deformities or difficulties walking normally, I'm always concerned that there could be growth issues. These can be due to nutritional deficiencies, trauma, or hereditary bone or joint problems passed on by the parents. Since you've stated that he's very skinny, I'm especially concerned about his nutrition. King needs to see a vet, not just for this problem but because he needs to start getting routine vaccinations and anti-parasite medications. I would recommend he see one very soon, since it's critical to correct the problems now. PetCoach now offers veterinary housecall visits in the San Diego area. Read more at https://www.petcoach.co/house-call-veterinarians/ or email us at housecalls@petcoach.co.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Thank you for posting pictures, these are helpful! Rocky is very thin, and you are right to be concerned. He should not be this thin. I would be very worried about some underlying disease condition that is preventing him from either being able to eat the food, or from being able to absorb the food. Possible causes are GI parasites (worms, giardia, coccidia, etc.), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), other GI absorbtive disorders (IBD, GI lymphoma, etc.), partial obstruction or foreign object in the gut, persistent right aortic arch or hiatal hernia causing vomiting/regurgitation, food allergies, etc. I would try feeding him boiled rice with boiled/boneless/skinless chicken breasts, as well as a high quality canned puppy food. I would also strongly recommend getting him to a vet where I would discuss a fecal test, a deworming trial, x-rays or preferably ultrasound, testing for EPI depending on the quality of his feces, and x-rays of the chest to look for congenital malforations there. Best of luck with Rocky, I hope he feels better soon!

He looks pretty cute! It's hard to guess a puppy's breed from a couple pictures. It does look like he needs some care. His big belly may be caused by intestinal parasites, and he may have an infection or mange on his face (I can't see clearly). His coat is a little dull, but I am sure that would be a glossy brown after a few weeks of a good puppy food and a bath. I would recommend that you take him to the vet for a good checkup. They can test him for intestinal parasites and check for mange. They can also get him started on proper vaccinations to protect him against common puppy diseases.

If this pup is really two weeks old, and won't suck from the bottle or suck from mom, she may be very ill and needs to see a veterinarian right away. She may have some kind of infectious disease which requires testing and treatment for her to get better. She looks dehydrated in this picture, and that happens very quickly when puppies stop nursing. Please seek help as soon as possible.

This is hard to answer without photos of the puppy, but if you have concerns about the health of the puppy I would inquire if the breeder is willing to take this puppy to his local vet to have him examined and then request a copy of the medical records from that visit. That is unfortunately the only way you will be able to know that kitty is healthy enough for adoption. You can also ask that the vet test Naughty for intesitnal parasites. Intestinal parasites are the most common cause of low weight in puppies. There really is no other reason for an underweight puppy except for malnutrition (not feeding enough food), which the breeder should know not to do. If the puppy is just small (runt) but considered to be a normal body weight (Body condition score) by the vet, then there are no major concerns with adoption Naughty. Keeping all these things in mind you should be able to come to an informed decision on whether to adopt this puppy or not. A good breeder would know to feed the puppies enough food to encourage proper growth, and also to deworm the puppies routinely to prevent intestinal parasites from robbing them of their nutrition. I hope that you are able to come to a decision soon regarding Naughty! Best wishes and take care.