Why won't my 3-week-old puppy drink formula but drinks water?

At 4 weeks of age it is normal for a puppy to only be drinking milk. Ideally your puppy should still be nursing from his mother at this age. If he is already away from his mother then you will need to continue feeding him puppy milk replacer until about 6 weeks of age. You can try to leave some moistened kibble with him to get him interested in it but at this age he should be still getting most of his nutrition from milk. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

At this point mom has generally begun to wean her puppies. Offer water, regular dry kibble, kibble soaked in warm water and canned food. This does need to be a large breed puppy formula for the food. There’s a brand that makes a food specific for weaning puppies called Royal Canin and I recommend to pick some up at the pet store or online. You may need to smear some of the food on the puppy’s mouth so that it gets the idea. Also allow him to see mom eating so that he has the desire to copy her. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Onyx is adorable! At 6 weeks old he can eat puppy food. I know you want to wait but it sounds as though he might not be getting enough nutrition and doesn’t want a bottle which indicates he is weaned. I would get canned puppy food and mix the puppy formula in to it. Feed small frequent meals, 3-4 times per day. I like Purina Proplan, Royal Canin, Iams, and Hill’s Science diet. Good luck

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.

I would be concerned that there is a functional issue such as a cleft palate or other problem that is preventing him from being able to suckle, or that may be causing him discomfort. If he is losing weight, unable to suckle and has the symptoms of pneumonia, then it is best to seek out veterinary care immediately as dehydration and lack of nutrition can quickly kill a puppy. Once he has been checked out by a vet, you can return to trying to bottle feed him. Keeping him on his belly may help with aspiration if he has a hard time, however your vet can recommend additional options depending on their exam. Most puppy formulations will also have feeding instructions on the can so you know how much to give and how often (usually every few hours until they are older, and then decreasing as they transition to food around 4-6 weeks of age.)

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.

At three tyo four weeks of age your puppy is way too young for vaccinations. He also needs to be with his mommy at that age and still drink milk, Please put him back with his mother or at least raise him properly with puppy milk. If he does not take any food he needs to be seen by a veterinarian, preferably today..