My new puppy is tiny and growing slowly. Is this normal for a runt?

Runts of the litter are definitely common and often have a hereditary problem, or illness causing them to not grow as well as the others. However, they can simply be outcompeted by the others, so making sure it gets mom's milk (the best option), or formula may be helpful. It's also good to have a vet check her to see if anything is causing her to remain smaller than the other pups. I hope that helps and all is well with the pups.

If she drinks her milk properly and is otherwise in good shape i would say it may be normal, keep on feeding her (or is she fed by her mom?) and see how she goes, she will have a full vet exam when she is 6-8 months before her first vaccination.

Kameo is adorable! She may not get much bigger if she has not grown much in the past 6 months. This is not normal per se for cats, but may be common for runts of the litter. Nutrition may help with this as well as ruling out any underlying medical conditions heart, liver, kidney issues through a throrough physical examination by a veterinarian + screening bloodwork. A top rated food that I recommend for a cat of this age is Royal Canin Kitten dry and wet food. It is highly palatable (most cats love the taste) and provides better nutrition than many other commercially available brands of cat food. I recommend transitioning gradually over the course of a week into the Royal Canin Kitten diet (1st 2 days 75% old food 25% new, 2nd 2 days 50%/50% old/new and last 2-3 days 25% old/75% new). You will likely notice an improvement in Kameo's coat and skin health on the Royal canin diet. If she does not grow significantly by the time she is a year of age....continue her on the Royal canin adult cat food, maintain her at a good body condition score (not too far or too thin), and give her lots of love! Kittens like people come in all shapes and sizes!

You can try supplemental feeding with dog milk replacer and keep him warm and next to the mother and others if possible. Sometimes there is an underlying medical problem with the runt and in spite of your best efforts they do not survive. Dogs and other animals have litters with several pups because there is often one or two that don’t live. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Lucky.

It can be hard to read their minds sometimes! Mom may feel like that individual pup is defective or not hers, hence the reason she keeps pushing it away. However, if the pup seems to be growing adequately, this isn't a concern. You may want to start weighing the puppy daily on a small kitchen scale to monitor its growth to make sure it is getting enough milk. Talk to your vet about how much it should gain per week. Smaller puppies (or "runts") can still grow into heathy adult dogs.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding the puppy. Puppies from the same litter can vary in size. Be sure the puppy is nursing well. Keep it clean, dry and warm. Hopefully it will do well. After mom has finished delivering the remaining pups, it is a good idea to have her and the litter examined by a veterinarian. You will also want to weigh the puppy daily with a small gram scale. This way you can ensure that it is gaining weight daily. I hope this information helps!

I would recommend to continue to supplemental feeding. Its possible that there is a congenital problem that is causing her to be so small compared to her littermates. I would recommend a vet visit to see if anything can be determined on physical exam. I would also recommend deworming the whole litter and mom to make sure parasites aren't a problem. The doctor may recommend bloodwork to check for any signs of liver problems. I hope this helps!