Why are my 4-week-old puppies throwing up after nursing? Mom won't feed.

At almost six weeks old, the puppies should start weaning and you can leave them out a puppy mush. I would soak a high quality puppy formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with puppy formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry puppy food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until they are eating the dry puppy food only. As for the mother, I would be concerned that she could be vomiting due to a postpartum complication such as eclampsia or mastitis. It would be best for her to see a vet immediately to be safe.

Poor Blue! Small breed young puppies are delicate and they are extremely prone to low blood sugar if they don’t eat well. This condition can be fatal. There are many causes for vomiting including worms, change in diet, bacteria over growth and Parvo. I recommend to have Blue seen today by his veterinarian. It’s very important to get these little puppies eating and not vomiting to avoid low blood sugar. The doctor will need to run some tests to determine the cause. Offer him boiled white meat chicken and boiled white rice. This is a bland diet which can help to settle his stomach. Smaller, more frequent meals are better than two large ones. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It's possible the change in food could be causing digestive upset. The best way to start transitioning to solids is to make a slurry of their regular milk replacer that they've already been on combined with a little bit of the puppy food. This helps make it easier to digest without being too big of a change and may help settle their stomachs. Checking for any parasites with a fecal exam and deworming may also help, however if the vomiting or diarrhea continues, a vet checkup to rule out anything more serious is best.

I would be concerned there is something else ongoing that is making the puppies ill than just transitioning to solid foods. A full checkup of the litter (and mom) at your vet is a good first step to try and figure out if there is an illness or congenital (from birth) issue that is causing the puppies to pass. Making sure they're still nursing in addition to being offered wet/moistened puppy food can also ensure they're still getting enough nutrition.

It is possible there is an issue that is causing your puppies to vomit up what they are eating. You may see other issues such as lethargy or failure to grow in addition. It is best to have them examined by your local vet to check for any illness or deformities that may be causing the puppies to become ill.

Puppies get weaned between 4 and 6 weeks, so it is probably just time! I recommend mixing water with canned puppy food (or dry puppy food) to make it really wet and mushy. The puppies will often play in it and then lick it off their paws. Here is a helpful article: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2108&aid=887

It sounds like the smaller puppy may have ‘failure to thrive’. This is especially common with puppies from large litters and not surprising since the mother dog is refusing to feed them. It sounds like the bigger pup is doing great and you don’t need to worry about him at all. You should get a small scale (like a gram scale) so you can weigh the smaller pup everyday to ensure she is gaining weight. It is a little early but you could try to start introducing puppy food her as well. You can mix the canned food with milk replacer or moisten kibble with the milk replacer and see if she prefers this. If she is not eating much it makes sense that she is not pooping as frequently. Continue to stimulate her to defecate several times a day. You should also have the puppies dewormed at this age as well. If the puppy continues to refuse food after trying the above suggestions, you may need to take her to the vet to be examined. Your vet can also instruct you on how to safely syringe feed (or possibly tube feed) the puppy to ensure she is getting proper nutrition. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!