My dog has little milk and puppies won't bottle feed. Should I worry?

How lovely of you to take in this dog and her puppies! If they cry all the time, then they may not be getting the milk they need to survive and I would start caring for them yourself. You will need to get a puppy milk replacer such as KMR from a pet store or supermarket right away. I will put a link below on how to raise orphan puppies. I would also have the mother spayed so she cannot produce any more puppies. Good luck, I hope this helps! http://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm

These pups will need to be given supplemental heat through a heating pad. They will also need to be bottle fed with a milk replacement supplement. Everything you need should be able available to you through most pet stores or big-box stores. Newborn puppies will require bottle feeding up to every 2-3 hours for the first week or so of their life if they make it. Sometimes, the mother will reject the puppies if she senses they are sick in some way as well. Also, important to note that some puppies just fail to thrive and it isn't the fault of the mother or the person who is trying to care for them. Give it your best shot and best of luck!

You will need to bottle feed or tube feed the puppy if she is not nursing from the mom enough. You also want to weigh the puppy every day to make sure is getting enough milk to grow. She does not need medications, she needs milk. Puppy milk replacer (not just cow or goat milk) will have all of the necessary vitamins, protein, fat, and sugar that her body needs.

You will need to go out and get puppy formula now if you want this puppy to survive. I recommend the KMR brand, and get a bottle as well. You can get them at a grocery store or pet store. I will put a link below on how to care for newborn puppies, but please keep in mind they are very fragile and require around the clock care. As for Echo, I strongly recommend getting her spayed. Female dogs should not be bred over the age of 7, and 13 is way too old to be having puppies. Spaying her is the only way to prevent it from happening again. Call her vet to make an appointment to have her spayed. If she isn't nuring the puppy, then it can be done sooner rather than later. Best of luck. https://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm

You can bottle feed them yourself, the vet won't do it unless you surrender them to the vet or the SPCA. You should have Roxie spayed, she doesn't sound like a good mother if she won't take care of her puppies. She should not be bred again.

There are commercial puppy formulas that are the best option, but there are some homemade puppy formulas as well. I am attaching a handout below on caring for orphan puppies. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576 It recommends the following formula for puppies if a commercial formula is not available. "Makeshift Formula until Commercial Formula can be Obtained Puppies 1 cup whole milk 1 tsp. salad oil 1 drop multi-vitamins (if you have any) 2 egg yolks" Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some mom dogs are just not good mom dogs. In the circumstances where the mother dog won't feed the puppies you can either try to make Bella lie down and attach the puppies to her nipples (check first that she is producing milk), or if she is refusing the puppies all together you will need to feed and nurse them yourself with a bottle. This involves bottle feeding a puppy replacer (not just milk or 'puppy milk') as well as wiping their penis/vagina and anus so that they will pee and poop. I recommend a visit with the vet for both mom and babies to make sure Bella isn't sick, and to check on the puppies and be shown how to properly bottle feed. Best of luck with Bella and the puppies!