My dog rejects runt puppy. Why won't he eat or nurse? Will he survive?

Question

My dog had her puppies. She keeps pushing the runt away and he wont eat. He cant get to her to feed since she pushes him away, and he wont eat when we tried to bottle feed him puppy milk. What could be wrong? How could we solve this? Will he make it?

Rebeccah Wood · Accepted Answer

Hello there! I'm sorry to hear about your runty puppy. If the mother won't feed him and you can't get him to nurse, it's unlikely that he's going to survive for very long. Sometimes, small or runty puppies have internal abnormalities that prevent them from being able to nurse properly, and these pups generally don't make it without aggressive care. I highly recommend that you bring this pup in to the vet first thing in the morning for evaluation and treatment - even if that treatment may mean humane euthanasia. Keep him warm and try to feed him warmed milk replacer at least every few hours. If he appears to be very lethargic or is having breathing difficulty, you may need to bring him to an emergency vet tonight. There is a 24-hour hospital near you - here is their information: Animal Emergency

My dog rejects runt puppy. Why won't he eat or nurse? Will he survive?

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