Helping the Puppy Gain Weight
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A runt puppy usually needs a bit of extra attention, but if you keep it warm and help it gain weight, it can still thrive. Runt puppies are often rejected by their mothers, so watch to see if your runt puppy is able to nurse. If it isn’t, you’ll need to take care of it on your own. Place the puppy in a separate whelping box to keep it protected. Put down a towel with a heating pad to keep it warm, since runts are prone to hypothermia. Hand feed it puppy milk from a pet nurser bottle every 2 to 3 hours. You’ll also need to feed it puppy colostrum, which is a replacement for the antibodies found in its mothers milk, within the first 24 hours to keep its immune system strong. After feeding it, gently stroke the area around its anus with a warm, damp cotton ball until it goes to the bathroom since newborn puppies can’t go on their own. After 3 and a half weeks, start weaning the puppy by blending high-calorie puppy food with puppy milk. To learn how to tube feed a runt puppy, read more from our Veterinary co-author.
Step 5: Potty Time
Newborn puppies need stimulation to urinate and defecate appropriately. Usually, the mom licks their genital area to help them go potty, but you will need to do this for a neglected runt of the litter puppy.
After feeding the runt, simply use a lukewarm cotton ball or soft cloth and gently rub it on the runt’s genital area and anus. The runt will proceed to urinate or defecate following the stimulation. Clean up any mess and wash your hands afterward.
Tammy Dray has been writing since 1996. She specializes in health, wellness and travel topics and has credits in various publications including Womans Day, Marie Claire, Adirondack Life and Self. She is also a seasoned independent traveler and a certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant. Dray is pursuing a criminal justice degree at Penn Foster College.
If momma dog had lots of puppies, chances are she wont be able to feed all of them the same. Either she doesnt have enough nipples, or some puppies just dont have the energy to feed as often or as much as they need to stay healthy and grow. The result? Youll have a runt on your hands. When the moms unable or unwilling to feed all her puppies, you can fatten up the runts yourself.
Feed the runt separately from his siblings. Once hes old enough to start eating puppy food — 3 weeks old at least — separate him and feed him on his own. This will prevent the stronger puppies from trying to steal his food and causing him stress. Also, the runt might eat slower than the other puppies or might get fuller faster since hes smaller and his stomach cant hold as much food. If thats the case, feed him several times a day to ensure hes getting enough nutrients and calories.
Start feeding extra food to the runt while hes still nursing. If hes still too young for dog food or he wont nurse at all, you can buy special formula from a vet or pet store and bottle-feed him “on the side.” Dont prevent him from drinking moms milk — the formula should just be an extra.
Buy a high-calorie nutrition gel. These are special, calorie-dense vitamin gels. They are designed for animals recovering from illness or surgery but can also benefit pregnant animals and puppies. Ask your vet how much to give the runt, especially if hes very young — just a couple of weeks old or less — and his age is not mentioned on the product label.
How To Care For Runt Puppies
The runt of the litter doesn’t just mean the smallest puppy in your new pack. The smallest puppy in most litters is just as healthy as it’s siblings, and meets the average measures for height and weight for a newborn dog. The runt of the litter is a puppy that is far tinier than the average newborn dog of that breed. Today we’ll look at whether runt puppies need any special care to keep up with their litter mates. And we’ll examine what implications being the runt of the litter has on a dog’s development, personality and long term health.
Does your puppy seem a lot smaller than his litter mates? Are you worried that the tinest dog might have the biggest problems? Then check out our complete guide to the runt of the litter. We are going to explain what is meant by a puppy being the runt of the litter.