My young puppy isn't pooping or eating much. Should I go to the ER?

How horrible for you on your first night with your new puppy that Buddy is ill! Yes, definitely take him into an ER vet now. I'm very concerned that with his age and the dark color of his diarrhea that he could have parvovirus. He won't be fully vaccinated, and parvo is very contagious. It's best to have him seen now to be safe. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

And in terms of the food -- he should be willing to eat wet food, if not dry food, at this age. So if he's not, I would highly recommend a check up with your vet to make sure everything looks ok. He may just need more time to adjust, but with such a young guy, he can get low blood sugar and dehydration very quickly, so it's important to act sooner rather than later.

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!

Some dogs are not vocal due to their personalities. Others will take time to adjust and get comfortable in their new environment. It can be very stressful and scary for little ones to go to a new home, so it takes some time for their personality to shine. At 3 pounds, his stomach is not big enough to hold a lot of food. He should be feed 3-4 times a day to maintain the blood sugar. Once he is bigger you can decrease it back to twice a day. Stress and anxiety can also affect the appetite. Not every dog goes to the bathroom on that schedule. Take him out after he eats, then every 30 minutes to an hour until he gets good control and the concept of house training. If he is playing and stops to sniff and circle, then he needs to go. If you notice any bloody diarrhea or vomiting or he does not eat at all and seems weak, then i would get him checked right away

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!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I wouldn’t worry yet at just 36 hours. Some dogs are particular about their pooping habits. As long as she is eating, playful and not straining give her more time. If she can urinate in her own she can poop on her own. You can also call the person you got her from to double check what she did with them. Since you are seeing your vet tomorrow she should be fine. Have a good day!

Poor guy. He may be stressed out from being in a new environment. Offer him som boiled plain chicken and rice to see if you can entice him to eat. Also adding in 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in his food can help firm his stool if it is stress related. Continue to monitor him for the next 24 hrs for any change. It may take him a day or two to get acclimated to you. However, if he goes beyond 24 hrs without eating and seems lethargic or sick, its best to take him to your vet for a wellness check. I hope that Dodger gets acclimated to his new home soon. Best wishes and take care.