My 3-week-old bottle-fed puppy is weak with white poop. What's wrong?

In many cases those orphans unfortunately do not survive. You need to make sure to feed him puppy milk replacer only, anything else and he doesn't have a chance of survival. You also need to make sure he is pooping, if he isn't you need to stimulate his anal area with a warm wet cotton several times a day .

I would be concerned that there is a functional issue such as a cleft palate or other problem that is preventing him from being able to suckle, or that may be causing him discomfort. If he is losing weight, unable to suckle and has the symptoms of pneumonia, then it is best to seek out veterinary care immediately as dehydration and lack of nutrition can quickly kill a puppy. Once he has been checked out by a vet, you can return to trying to bottle feed him. Keeping him on his belly may help with aspiration if he has a hard time, however your vet can recommend additional options depending on their exam. Most puppy formulations will also have feeding instructions on the can so you know how much to give and how often (usually every few hours until they are older, and then decreasing as they transition to food around 4-6 weeks of age.)

This is likely just secondary to the milk replacement you are feeding him. Just keep a close eye on him and make sure he is eating well, continuing to have bowel movements and urinating. Also, make sure you are feeding him every 3 hours. I hope this helps and good luck!

It sounds like the smaller puppy may have ‘failure to thrive’. This is especially common with puppies from large litters and not surprising since the mother dog is refusing to feed them. It sounds like the bigger pup is doing great and you don’t need to worry about him at all. You should get a small scale (like a gram scale) so you can weigh the smaller pup everyday to ensure she is gaining weight. It is a little early but you could try to start introducing puppy food her as well. You can mix the canned food with milk replacer or moisten kibble with the milk replacer and see if she prefers this. If she is not eating much it makes sense that she is not pooping as frequently. Continue to stimulate her to defecate several times a day. You should also have the puppies dewormed at this age as well. If the puppy continues to refuse food after trying the above suggestions, you may need to take her to the vet to be examined. Your vet can also instruct you on how to safely syringe feed (or possibly tube feed) the puppy to ensure she is getting proper nutrition. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

I'm so sorry to hear about your pup. First step is to warm him up. A Heating pad set on low with the cloth cover on will work. Other types of warm packs are ok too as long as there is a towel/cloth between the heat source and the pup. Keep heating until a rectal temp of 99 is achieved. Meanwhile, rub a small amount of white karo syrup or honey on his gums to help with low blood sugar. Between these two things he will hopefully perk up within 10-20 minutes enough to take the bottle/teat. Then feed as often as he cries. DO NOT try to syringe or force food until you are sure he is swallowing well as this can cause pneumonia if he accidentally inhales a little. Side note: I know it's silly, but be sure that you have poked a hole in the nipple of the bottle (many come with no opening which is weird). Sometimes, despite these efforts, a puppy will not respond and you will need to see the emergency vet for IV bloodsugar and fluids, etc. Even then, we sometimes cannot save them and they do pass. Many times these are the runts of the liver or we suspect there is something else going on (born with a congenital organ problem). Hope this helps and best of luck to you and the baby!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Sherlock! I am so sorry for the loss of your dog. I am assuming little Sherlock is being bottle fed puppy formula. Puppy formula can be very hard on puppies either causing diarrhea or constipation. I would try a different brand or mix 2 different brands together to off set each other. The other possibility is that if his mother died of a virus he could also have it. If he stops nursing you should immediately take him to your Vet for them to continue supportive care and/or possibly teach you how to tube feed. You can also start deworming Sherlock at 2 weeks and repeat dewormings every 2 weeks. Parasites can cause loose stool. I recommend putting a call in your Vet since they evaluated his mother. I hope this helps and I wish little Sherlock the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Since you are bottle feeding I would start to wean sooner than if she was nursing from her mom. Milk replacers tend to either constipate or cause diarrhea. Since she is having loose stools I would have a fecal tested at the vet for parasites. Coccidia is common in puppies. By 2 weeks of age you can start dewormning with pyrantel pamoate every 2 weeks. Starting at 4-5 weeks offer canned puppy food and milk replacer twice daily. At 5-6 weeks mix canned with dry puppy food and bottle feed once daily and by 6-7 weeks just dry and off the bottle by then. Once stool a day is not enough. I would buy a different brand of milk replacer and mix with what you are using now to get a better consistency for the stool. 2.5 lbs=40 ounces, so you should be feeding 50 mls every 3-4 hours or 350 mls per day. I would divide that out every 4-6 hours and see how things go and start weaning in the next 1-2 weeks. I hope this helps!