Can I take a 13-day-old puppy home to hand-rear if the mother is sick?

Hello. I do not know if it is illegal to take a puppy away from its mother at 6 weeks of age, but it is a very common practice. By 6 weeks, the puppies are large enough to eat on their own, & may actually be tearing up the mother's breasts as they aggressively nurse. Now, puppies do seem to develop better social skills if they are left with their siblings until they are 8-12 weeks, but this does not mean your pup will have any problems. Do not feel bad. I am sure she will develop into a great dog, especially since you are already so concerned about her welfare. Do not listen to people on social media. Only the loudest & nastiest comments will come through. Care for her as any puppy, have your vet check her out as soon as possible to make sure she is healthy & parasite free, & obtain vaccinations as your veterinarian recommends. You will do great. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If he is no longer nursing, then he isn’t getting antibodies from Mom anymore so he will need to start his vaccine series earlier than usual. Also, he may not learn the social cues that Mom teaches during this time. He can, however, learn those by participating in a puppy play group . I would schedule an appointment with your veterinarian soon to start the vaccinations and to ask for a recommendation for a puppy play group. Best of luck and enjoy your cute new puppy!! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 5 weeks is a bit young to leave her mother but if she is fully weaned it should be ok. We usually do not start vaccines until they are 7 weeks of age. Some breeders will give them a parvo vaccine at under 7 weeks. You should be fine until she gets her first vaccine but people with sick dogs or unvaccinated dogs shouldn't handle her and she needs to be kept away from all dogs. I hope this helps and good luck!

Slowly transition the puppy to the puppy food, replacing the mil and biscuits with the puppy food over several days. It is hard to help with social skills if you do not have other puppies, Socialisation period is until about 12 weeks, So have the puppy vaccinated at 6/9/12 weeks and you can then have it meet other vaccinated puppies and dogs. Worm the puppy now as well.

Expose her as much as possible to the different sights and sounds of the home and yard. This will help acclimate her to different environments. You can "puppy proof" and area, but try not to make it too sterile for her. When feeding her, take the bottle away early every now and then and hold her in an uncomfortable position for brief periods of time. This will impart various coping skills and teach her how to deal with frustrations. Ideally, she should be enrolled in puppy socialization classes very soon. The best way for her to learn how to be a dog is to play and tumble around with other dogs. A vaccinated and healthy adult female dog can also be used to teach manners

This one likely has a medical condition that is keeping him from being as strong as the others. The best thing to do is have him evaluated by a vet. There may be something that can be corrected. It's very important for them to have the mother's milk, so the best thing you can do is remove the bigger ones every three hours (day and night) to allow the little one to suckle. You should also get some milk replacer for dogs at the pet store. There is feeding guidelines on the box. Sometimes mom may be dry, so if the pup is suckling for a long time (over 5 minutes), then he's likely not getting enough milk from mom and you should offer the milk replacer. Feeding can be reduced to every four hours when he is four weeks, and transitioning to puppy food can happen at six weeks. I hope that helps and the pup turns-out OK.

Taking them outside would not be recommended. At their age, their immune systems are not strong enough to resist potential infection. They should remain indoors for now. If they are able to wander away from mom, watch them to prevent mischief or injury. They will return when they are hungry. They will likely need to nurse every 6-8 hours.