My healthy puppies show no milk. How to tell if they're nursing?

The length depends on how hungry they are and how much milk she has. If your puppies are not gaining weight and do not have round full bellies after nursing, she may not have enough milk for them and you may have to supplement them with puppy 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.

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

Hello. Just from your pictures, everyone looks happy & healthy. I have never seen a dog produce so much milk that it smeared all over the puppies face. Most of the time it looks exactly as you describe. You can buy a little gram scale & weigh each puppy once a day & as long as there is no weight loss, all is good. The signs to look for are crying, distressed puppies, crawling away from mom, cold & pale. Your picture shows a very contented mom, & round, pink puppies, so I think all is good right now. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Weigh the puppies daily. They should be gaining weigh every day, and if they are not, then they are not getting enough milk and Heaven's milk may be drying up. In that case, you will need to bottle feed the puppies with puppy formula.

These pups will need to be given supplemental heat through a heating pad. They will also need to be bottle fed with a milk replacement supplement. Everything you need should be able available to you through most pet stores or big-box stores. Newborn puppies will require bottle feeding up to every 2-3 hours for the first week or so of their life if they make it. Sometimes, the mother will reject the puppies if she senses they are sick in some way as well. Also, important to note that some puppies just fail to thrive and it isn't the fault of the mother or the person who is trying to care for them. Give it your best shot and best of luck!