Why is my dog mom pushing her smallest puppy away from the litter?

Question

Looking for possible explanation. My toy poodle gave birth to 4 pups last June 6, she keeps on separating the smallest pup from the litter for 3 days now, but she is still nursing and cleaning the pup. The vet will go to my house tomorrow but I want some explanation now for peace of mind. The pup seems healthy even though she's the smallest, she crawls fast, cries and drinks milk from mom just like the other 3 pups. What could be the reason for this? Thanks for helping me in advance. Pet's info: Dog | Toy Poodle | Female | unspayed | 4 years and 2 months old | 11.02 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

It can be hard to read their minds sometimes! Mom may feel like that individual pup is defective or not hers, hence the reason she keeps pushing it away. However, if the pup seems to be growing adequately, this isn't a concern. You may want to start weighing the puppy daily on a small kitchen scale to monitor its growth to make sure it is getting enough milk. Talk to your vet about how much it should gain per week. Smaller puppies (or "runts") can still grow into heathy adult dogs.

Why is my dog mom pushing her smallest puppy away from the litter?

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