Why won't my 2-week-old puppy eat, is skinny, and keeps crying?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding JOJO. She will need to see a veterinarian if she is not eating. She is so young that it is easy for her to become dehydrated. Even though she is drinking, it is not likely enough. The stress of coming to new home can affect a puppy's appetite, but you need to ensure she is not sick. She will likely need fecal testing and deworming to start. Her veterinarian will make recommendations based on these and her exam results. In the meantime, continue encouraging her to eat. I hope this information helps!

At 3 weeks of age, you can actually start introducing wet puppy food. I would wet it down with some puppy milk and put it on a paper plate. This way he can explore the wet food and try some. If your veterinarian evaluated him and say he is physically ok then I would not worry too much that something is wrong. I would just continue with trying to feed him the bottle but also offer and wean him onto the wet food. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Bean likely isn't getting enough to eat. Puppies will cry a lot when they don't have enough milk, and it would cause him to be lethargic and not gain weight. Newborn puppies are extremely fragile, so any problem with them should be considered an emergency. You need to take him into a vet now. Best of luck.

Considering the puppy is losing weight and failing to thrive, I would bring him into your local vet for an exam to check for any physical deformities that may be affecting his ability to nurse properly and eat, and for any potential illnesses or issues that could be causing him to not do as well. If he is able to eat with a bottle, I'd also recommend increasing his feedings if he still seems hungry, to try and keep weight on him and get him back up to speed.

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.

Unfortunately puppies are very fragile, and some out of a litter may not survive. It is very important for the mother to eat so she can provide enough milk for the puppies, and it's possible that if she is a bad eater, she does not have enough energy to produce enough milk for the puppies leading those two to die. She needs to be on a high quality puppy formulated food to meet her nutritional needs when nursing puppies, and I would put her on a puppy food right away. You will slowly have to mix it in with her regular diet over a couple of days so she does not get sick from the sudden change in food. Weigh the puppy daily, and if it's not gaining weight each day, you will need to supplement it with puppy formula. You can get that from a pet store or grocery store, and I recommend KMR. You would know if the puppy was hungry if it was crying all the time, not just whimpering in its sleep. Puppies and dogs dream, and they can make nosies in response to their dreams, so that may be why he's whimpering. A vet visit for both would also be a good idea just to make sure everything is ok. I hope this helps!

Vocalizing at this age can be a sign of serious illness and I would recommend taking him to an emergency veterinarian as soon as possible. He may have an infection or he may be in pain. Any other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, nasal discharge, coughing or trouble breathing could be significant and if present could help determine what might be wrong. If he is not eating or drinking he could also be significantly dehydrated - young puppies can become dehydrated quickly. Good luck!