Mother dog won't nurse 4-week-old pups, teats full. Is this normal?

At 3.5weeks pups would be expected to suckle less frequently but in larger volumes. If she appears unwell or feverish or the pups are crying and hungry you should have her checked by your vet to rule out infections such as mastitis. I would recommend gradually weaning pups onto semi solid food immediately in order to reduce the demand on stella

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At almost 5 weeks old they can be totally weaned in the next week or two. Karma will dry up. Start offering the puppies canned puppy food the wet dry kibble mixed with canned. I would only let them nurse twice a day for the next week and only once a day the next. Then keep them off her. I hope this helps?

That is a lot of puppies to feed and it may be that now that they are getting teeth, they are sometimes hurting her when suckling. Let her do what she has to do, and do not force her to feed them. She will feed them as best and as much as she can. You may want to give the puppies some canned puppy food as well as the dry food, as they will be able to eat more and bother her less. Make sure there always is water available for both the mother and the puppies.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. if the puppies are gaining weight, not crying for food and are passing urine and stools regularly, it means that they are getting enough milk. In some bitches it takes a while to produce milk once the puppies latch on the nipples. When the puppies are about 3 weeks of age, you can start feeding them small amounts of wet food mixed with warm water.

Yes that’s normal. They are old enough to be weaned and that is what she’s doing. Her milk should dry up and she will start to ignore the puppies all the time. Once they are eight weeks old it’s time to find them new homes. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Coco.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If they are 4 weeks old now you can mix the milk replacer with canned puppy food and put it on a plate (not a bowl) for all of them to eat. Hopefully she will be interested in this food and can get her nutrients that way. Good luck and kisses to the pups!