Why is my dog pooping less after I mixed milk with his food?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At 6 weeks of age Mika can be completely weaned and be eating 100% puppy food. Milk replacers can be very constipating so I recommend bottle fed babies be weaned sooner then puppies that are nursing. I would start getting her on puppy food. As long as she poops tomorrow I think you she will be fine. I hope this helps and I wish Mika the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, that is seen sometimes and it has to do with the composition of the new diet which is essentially lower in fat. This is ok and if she is otherwise doing fine, there is no reason to be concerned about this. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I wouldn't worry about the decreased pooping. As long as she is eating, not vomiting and is active it could just be a fluke and she'll go just fine the following day. The weight and size of a dog depends on genetics and breed. Not all dogs weigh the same, so not all puppies weigh 16 kg at 4 months old. I hope this helps!

You can wipe her perianal area with hypoallergenic baby wipes every 2 hours to help stimulate her to poop. Mother dogs generally lick their puppies perianal regions throughout the day to simulate them to pee and poop. A 6 week old puppy generally should still be given puppy milk replacer via a bottle every few hours. Increasing drinking will improve hydration and help facilitate pooping as well. Cake is not recommended for puppies or dogs, and boiled rice and chicken is very easily absorbed compared to puppy chow. Many dogs on just boiled rice and chicken will not poop for 2 days at a time. I recommend adding puppy milk replacer (you can get this from most pet stores) to Gyspy’s daily diet and slowly adding a high quality puppy food (canned and dry) such as Royal Canin medium dog breed puppy chow. Good luck!

As Luscious is not yet 4 weeks old and puppies are generally still nursing their mothers until 8 weeks of age...he will ideally need to be fed puppy milk replacer form a bottle approximately every 2 hours (I know! Caring for young puppies is very labor intensive) and wiping his genitalia (including perianal area) with hypoallergenic baby wipes several times a day to stimulate pooping and peeing similar to how the mother dog licks their genitalia to stimulate bowel movements and to keep them clean. If after feeding more frequently and wiping his perianal area more frequently, he isn’t pooping more frequently or seems less active/cold, definitely bring him in to see your vet asap! Good luck and congratulations!

This seems to be pretty normal activity for a growing puppy. They tend to fluctuate with stools and also his food requirements are not going to be as much as they were when he was a younger pup (< 6 months of age). He should also only need to eat twice a day now and follow the guidelines on his food bag. Also, since he is eating less he will naturally produce fewer stools. Most pets by the time they are adults will produce 1-2 stools a day normally. I wouldn't change anything that you are currently doing, nor would I be concerned that anything is wrong with Ollie based on this description of events. Now if he develops any signs of illness which include vomiting, diarrhea, and complete disinterest in food, then I would recommend taking him in to your local vet for an exam and treatment. Otherwise, continue to enjoy your pup who is steadily maturing into an adult dog. Take care of that fur baby and remember to get him regular health check-ups twice a year to ensure he is in tip top shape. Best wishes!

It sounds like the smaller puppy may have ‘failure to thrive’. This is especially common with puppies from large litters and not surprising since the mother dog is refusing to feed them. It sounds like the bigger pup is doing great and you don’t need to worry about him at all. You should get a small scale (like a gram scale) so you can weigh the smaller pup everyday to ensure she is gaining weight. It is a little early but you could try to start introducing puppy food her as well. You can mix the canned food with milk replacer or moisten kibble with the milk replacer and see if she prefers this. If she is not eating much it makes sense that she is not pooping as frequently. Continue to stimulate her to defecate several times a day. You should also have the puppies dewormed at this age as well. If the puppy continues to refuse food after trying the above suggestions, you may need to take her to the vet to be examined. Your vet can also instruct you on how to safely syringe feed (or possibly tube feed) the puppy to ensure she is getting proper nutrition. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!