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My dog stopped producing milk. How do I feed her newborn puppy?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 2 months old

Hi, I have a small dog that gave birth a little over a week ago and she seems to have stopped lactating. At least on last, bigger, primary nipples. The other smaller ones are producing very little, but the puppy doesn't want to latch to those. My dog's always been a picky eater so I've never had to keep track of her portions. I refill it when it's empty, usually once every two days. I bring this up because I haven't seen her eat, but I can't be sure? Is there anything I can do for the puppy?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on June 24th, 2019

Weigh the puppy daily to make sure it's gaining weight. If it's not, start supplementing the puppy with puppy formula. I will put a link below on how to do this. Best of luck.

https://www.petcoach.co/article/orphaned-puppies-how-to-raise-them/

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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