My dog won’t feed her 4-week-old puppies
Although there are people who attempt to wean puppies when they are only a month old, this is not appropriate. Separating puppies from their mother so early not only interferes with breastfeeding – which provides them with key nutrients and antibodies – but also negatively affects their socialization process. This could cause numerous health and behavioral issues. It is very important to allow the puppies to nurse from their mother until they are naturally ready to be weaned.
Now, if the mother dog herself stops feeding her puppies when they are just four weeks old, this is not normal. In fact, it is a clear sign that she is suffering from a problem that prevents her from nursing them. The most likely reasons are the ones mentioned above such as such mastitis (which the pups can cause when push on her breasts with their claws), eclampsia or insufficient milk production. Milk fever or insufficiency, for example, often occur around 3 to 4 weeks after birthing, when the puppies milk intake is at its peak. If you suspect any of these conditions in your dog, you must take her to the vet.
Natural weaning usually occurs when the puppies are two months old, which is the right age to give the puppies up for adoption. In fact, around the two month mark, you may notice the mother dog starts the weaning process herself by nursing the pups for shorter periods of time, or getting up when they try to suckle. If the bitch stops feeding her pups and they are two months or older, this is normal and a sign that she has begun weaning them.
What to do when a mother dog rejects one puppy
In some cases, a mother dog may not feed only one puppy from the litter. This is usually because she notices that there is a problem with them. This may be because of a birth defect which reduces their chances of survival to no more thana few days. The mother dog can sense this and may therefore separate them from the litter or refuse to nurse them. This is because dogs still follow natural instincts which can lead them to sacrifice a weak pup to better the chances of survival for the rest.
For the same reasons, if one of the puppies becomes sick, the mother dog may stop feeding them and push them aside. In both cases we may notice the rejected puppy is smaller, whining or has a different appearance to that of its healthy siblings. While the mother dogs actions may seem cruel to us, we must understand that this is simply a sign of her survival instinct. Of course, we should try to save the sick puppy by taking it to the vet to get a diagnosis. In cases to where the pup can be cured, you will probably have feed it with artificial milk yourself.
Is it OK to touch newborn puppies?
Newborn puppies cannot regulate their own temperature and require the body heat provided by their mother and siblings to stay warm. If you remove them, they can very quickly catch cold, which could be fatal. You should also never touch a newborn puppy when it is nursing.
Mother dog won’t let puppies nurse; mother dog not producing milk for puppies
Illness or injury. If a dog is at all unwell and suffering from injury or illness after giving birth, this can lead to rejecting a litter. Sometimes, mothers can contract mastitis which causes inflammation, pain and discomfort in the teats which will cause her to avoid nursing her pups.