My 2-week-old puppies nurse briefly. Are they getting enough milk?

It can sometimes be hard to tell if puppies are getting enough milk! If you want to be sure, you can weigh the puppies each day. As long as they gain weight every day, this is a good sign that things are fine. If they aren't gaining weight, or if they look overly thin, you may need to bottle feed them with puppy milk replacer in addition to letting them nurse on their mother.

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.

If the puppies are latching and nursing then stop to sleep with firm tummies they are more than likely getting all the milk they need. If they seem distant or cold to the touch and not trying to Nurse you can always bottle feed one to measure the amount they are getting.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Those puppies look very healthy. The only way to make sure they are getting enough milk is to weigh the puppies every day and make sure the puppies are gaining weight. Neonatal puppies should have a weight gain of 5-10% of birth weight daily --they may lose a little the first 24 hours, but after that we need to see this weight gain. If they are not gaining at that level, they need to be evaluated, and if otherwise normal, supplemented with formula and tube feeding to achieve this weight gain. Sounds like everything is going great with Juliet and the puppies. Remember to feed Juliet puppy food during this time because her nutritional requirements are very high during lactation. Good luck

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

This is quite possible. At this stage all the nipples should be big and very full, especially if she only had one puppy. If you think she has not enough milk, you will need to supplement with puppy milk and bottle feed the puppy. Please do not use cow's milk. You can get puppy milk and a feeding bottle at a supermarket or pet store. Do not take him off his mommy, she will do most of the work for you, just add the bottle feeding to his care.

If this pup is really two weeks old, and won't suck from the bottle or suck from mom, she may be very ill and needs to see a veterinarian right away. She may have some kind of infectious disease which requires testing and treatment for her to get better. She looks dehydrated in this picture, and that happens very quickly when puppies stop nursing. Please seek help as soon as possible.