My dog isn't caring for her 1-week-old puppies. What should I do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’ve seen it take up to a week for a new Mom to accept the puppies. Just calmly encourage her to lay with them. You can take a warm soft cloth after the feedings and stimulate them to urinate and defecate. And gently wipe them down two times per day until she starts doing it. If she never accepts the puppies I wouldn’t breed her again. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Loki! I would have Loki seen on emergency or right at 8 am. I would want to be sure that there is no uterine or mammary gland infection, no retained puppies and that her calcium is normal. Low calcium is serious. If you have the ability to bottle feed the puppies until you can get Loki to the Vet then do that , if you don't then let them nurse. I hope this helps and I wish Loki a speedy recovery!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! How old are her puppies? If they are under 4 weeks then you will need to bottle feed the puppies. If they 3-4 weeks start offering canned puppy food along with bottle feeding and have them fully weaned by 5-6 weeks. Without forcing Cali to nurse them there aren't any other options. I would suggest not breeding her again and have her spayed since she is unwilling to continue to raise the puppies and this likely will be a repetitive behavior. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Hello. Yes, this is fine. Unfortunately, not all dogs make good mothers, so if splitting up the litter makes it easier on the people that have to care for the puppies, then I think this is a good plan. When the puppies are a little older & getting close to weaning age around 3-4 weeks old, you can put them together, if you want. Otherwise, there will be no problems keeping them separated. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly 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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sometimes the behavior of the mother is hard to understand and honestly, I can’t explain what Soska is doing. But what’s important is that she will still feed and care for this pup. I would advise you continue to keep putting her back in the box with Soska as much as you can. Hang in there and in about a week, it will be time to start offering canned puppy food anyways and they will be better able to regulate their own temperature. Best of luck to you, Soska, and the pups!

I would allow some freedom to Charlotte outside of her whelping box. She may be feeling anxious and need to move around or use the bathroom. It is ok for her to be away from the puppies for short periods of time. Watch the the pups closely and make sure she is still allowing them to nurse. If she is not, she may be painful from a mammary gland infection or she may just be a disinterested mother. If you find that she is not allowing the pups to nurse at all then you will need to bottle feed them every 2-3 hours with puppy milk replacer. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck with your new litter!