Is it okay to bottle feed a small puppy while it's still nursing?

Mom should have enough milk for all five puppies and you should not need to hand feed them formula. If you think they are not getting enough milk, have it verified by your vet. In that case you can supplement with puppy formula while they are still feeding from mom.

Yes! You absolutely must booster the runt a bit as it is likely getting much less nutrition than the others in the litter. Mom will neither reject the pup nor will the pup reject mom if you add additional nutritional support. This is very commonly done by breeders with smaller pups.

This one likely has a medical condition that is keeping him from being as strong as the others. The best thing to do is have him evaluated by a vet. There may be something that can be corrected. It's very important for them to have the mother's milk, so the best thing you can do is remove the bigger ones every three hours (day and night) to allow the little one to suckle. You should also get some milk replacer for dogs at the pet store. There is feeding guidelines on the box. Sometimes mom may be dry, so if the pup is suckling for a long time (over 5 minutes), then he's likely not getting enough milk from mom and you should offer the milk replacer. Feeding can be reduced to every four hours when he is four weeks, and transitioning to puppy food can happen at six weeks. I hope that helps and the pup turns-out OK.

I think that the puppy would likely be best left with mom - unless she is actively rejecting him away from her, or showing any agression when he tries to nurse. Give him the best chance by helping him get attached to the nipple to nurse. You can supplement with a bottle, but he will grow best from his moms milk. Also make sure she has a calm quiet place to nurse and care for her pups - if she feels threatened or you are interferring too much she is more likely to reject the puppies. Using pheromones like ADAPTIL can help calm her and the pups and make nursing more successful. Very rarely and for reasons we dont always understand, some bitches will attack their pups. This can be hard to predict or prevent. Be guided by her interactions with the puppy and intervene if she seems cold or aggressive when the pup tries to nurse from her. Best of luck with your litter.

If you haven't yet, transition her to a quality puppy food. Feed her this diet until she weans the litter then transition slowly back to an adult maintenance diet. Provide plenty of fresh water as well. If necessary, you can supplement the pups with a puppy milk replacer such as Esbilac or Pet Lac. Either may be purchased from your veterinarian or the local Petco.

You can supplement them with puppy formula. I recommend KMR, which you can get from a pet store or your vet's clinic. Your dog can feed these puppies on her own, and I would only supplement them if they aren't thriving. Make sure your dog is feed a puppy formulated food, as she needs higher amounts of calories, protein, and calcium to support these puppies.

This is quite possible. At this stage all the nipples should be big and very full, especially if she only had one puppy. If you think she has not enough milk, you will need to supplement with puppy milk and bottle feed the puppy. Please do not use cow's milk. You can get puppy milk and a feeding bottle at a supermarket or pet store. Do not take him off his mommy, she will do most of the work for you, just add the bottle feeding to his care.