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Why is my newborn puppy dehydrated and her eyes not open?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua (Smooth Coat) | Female | unspayed | 11 days old

I have a 11 day old chihuaha weighing 3ozs. She was only pup. She is female. Mamas milk has dried up I'm am suplimenting formula but she is bad dehydrated and eyes are not open

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lotus Altholtz

Veterinarian, Board-Certified Lab Animal Medicine Specialist

Published on January 30th, 2019

Puppies’ eyes usually do not open until about 14 days of age. At 11 days of age, Baby girl would need to be bottle fed Puppy Milk Replacer at least every 2 hours until about 6 weeks of age, and stimulated to urinate/defecated several times a day with a hypoallergenic baby wipe in the genital area (mother dogs usually stimulate their pups to urinate, defecate by licking them down there). I recommend bringing the puppy to your veterinarian for an evaluation as young puppies are extremely susceptible to hypothermia and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), in addition to dehydration if not fed every 2 hours. They may recommend subcutaneous fluids and possibly offer medical day boarding where their techs can feed Baby girl for you while you are at work (likely pricey though for several weeks). Good luck!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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