Should I wake newborn bottle-fed puppies to ensure they eat enough?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that your puppy is not eating well and seems ill. Puppies need to feed approximately ever 2 hours when they are first born; if they don't, they can become dehydrated and also get dangerously low blood sugar levels. If the puppy is not feeding well and seems to not be thriving, I recommend bringing the puppy to your local veterinarian as soon as you can. Puppies can rapidly decompensate and even pass on their own when they aren't thriving. Bottle feeding is not the safest option for feeding puppies, as they can accidentally aspirate the milk into their lungs and develop fatal pneumonia. The safest way to feed newborn puppies is tube feeding, where you pass a feeding tube down into their stomach and directly deliver the food. This should be demonstrated by a veterinarian so you can do it safely. I hope this is helpful!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Puppies this young need their sleep, so I would not wake him up when he is sleeping! He will eventually get on more of a normal schedule, but this may take some time. When he is awake, you can absolutely play with him as much as possible during the day to tire him out, but he will still need frequent naps. This is necessary and healthy for growth! I hope this is helpful!

Thanks for using PetCoach. Your little guy needs very frequent feeding (every 2 hours) and is also likely looking for a warm body to snuggle up against. Also don't forget to stimulate him to defecate and urinate before and after every feeding. I've posted some great links to neonatal care below but if you have further questions or concerns, call or head to your vet. Best of luck to you and Travis! https://www.petcoach.co/article/orphaned-puppies-how-to-raise-them/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/newborn-puppy-care/

Puppies typically nurse every 2-4 hours until 3-4 weeks old then it can be every 4-6 hours. If he has a good suckle reflex that is a good sign and he is probably hungry. You will use puppy milk replacement until he is weaned which generally starts around 4-5 weeks of age the. Transition to soft puppy food and decrease milk feedings. They do have to stay warm. Their normal body temperature is 100 so that can be a sign if shaking. You have to gently wipe their behind and probates to stimulate them to go to the bathroom. This should be done after every meal. They generally sleep a lot and as they get older and more coordinated then they stay awake longer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! They really sleep for the vast majority of the day. It is not unusual for puppies to not eat great as they get used to eating solid food. I would recommend you try different kinds of both kibble and canned food. If there is no improvement and he continues to not eat, I would recommend you consider having him evaluated by a veterinarian for that purpose and also to possibly establish care with a veterinarian for recommendations on preventative and early life care. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend starting early weaning on bottle fed puppies as formula can cause GI problems (diarrhea and/or constipation). I would start with some canned puppy food mixed with formula and offer it three times per day and continue bottle feeding. If the puppy eats the mixture well at each meal then I would only bottle feed 3-4 times per day. If he is slow to eat the puppy food then I would continue bottle feeding every 3-4 HOURS. Decrease the bottle feedings each week as you increase the puppy food feedings. By 5 weeks I would start offering dry mixed with canned and stop all bottle feedings by 6 weeks. How much you feed of the formula at each feeding depends on the brand you are feeding. Usually the can/box tells you the volume. You can repost with the brand and I can try to helps you Good luck!

Hello. I would not recommend feeding Stella during the night. Just like us, we need to have a good nights rest for the following day. Waking her any time after 9pm will make it much harder to try & house train her to sleep all night. Definitely feed her in the morning & she should do great. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.