My 4-week-old puppy won't eat milk replacer. Should I worry?

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!

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!

Hello. If he's bright and alert and feeling well drinking water no vomiting and no diarrhea I would not be too concerned at this time. But if he refuses to eat tomorrow or shows any signs of lethargy loss of activity vomiting diarrhea, he does need to be seen as soon as possible. Hopefully he'll feel better in a day or so. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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!

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Chuchi is acting normally and isn't vomiting for having diarrhea I would try to add warm water to her food or 1 tablespoon of canned food mixed with water on her food. Sometimes dogs hold out for something better or tastier to come along, but most healthy dogs won't choose starvation. Try a few things then set a schedule for eating. Feed her in a quiet room, give her an hour of quiet time to eat then remove the food until the next meal. You didn't indicate how long she hasn't been eating. If it has been more than 2 days I would have her seen by a Vet to be sure nothing medical is going on. I hope this helps and I wish you and Chuchi the best!

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is very cute! I think if she is sleepy a lot and that is abnormal and it has been 2 days that she should see a Veterinarian for a physical exam. Causes of not eating are:intestinal parasites, foreign body ingestion, viral infections, toxin ingestion or other more regional diseases. I wouldn't want her to go much longer without eating. I hope this helps and good luck!