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How to check if newborn puppies are getting enough milk from mom?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 5 months old | 17 lbs

My 17 m.o. Shichon Juliet had her 2nd litter between 3 and 5 am on Wednesday... 4 pups. Juliet is eating, drinking, & using the bathroom well. She is panting, however, & trying to take her pups to her normal resting place under my bed. The pups are not sleeping as much as I’d thought they would. How often & for how long should they be nursing? I’m worried Juliet may not have an adequate milk supply. The pups are pretty strong, but they cry a lot between 12-4 am & they onlynurse for short periods

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By David Darvishian

Veterinarian

Published on November 24th, 2017

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Those puppies look very healthy. The only way to make sure they are getting enough milk is to weigh the puppies every day and make sure the puppies are gaining weight. Neonatal puppies should have a weight gain of 5-10% of birth weight daily --they may lose a little the first 24 hours, but after that we need to see this weight gain. If they are not gaining at that level, they need to be evaluated, and if otherwise normal, supplemented with formula and tube feeding to achieve this weight gain. Sounds like everything is going great with Juliet and the puppies. Remember to feed Juliet puppy food during this time because her nutritional requirements are very high during lactation. Good luck

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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