Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

My 3-week-old puppy cries during bottle feeding. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | unneutered | 24 days old

why does my 3 week old puppy cry/whimper when i feed him a bottle? he’s visibly not hurt and the vet said he was also fine physically. i’m nervous i’m hurting him in some way while feeding him. is it because he’s away from his littermates or because he’s cold? is there anyway i can help him to eat and feel better rather than just whimper?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Maria DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 19th, 2018

At 3 weeks of age, you can actually start introducing wet puppy food. I would wet it down with some puppy milk and put it on a paper plate. This way he can explore the wet food and try some. If your veterinarian evaluated him and say he is physically ok then I would not worry too much that something is wrong. I would just continue with trying to feed him the bottle but also offer and wean him onto the wet food. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 6th, 2016

    So sorry about your dog. That is so sad! If the puppy is not drinking from a bottle than he may need to be tube fed. Call your vet and have him examined and your vet can teach you how to tube feed him.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
What’s good to feed a 3 week old puppy?
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! 3 weeks is young. I’d recommend a puppy milk replacer and bottle feeding for another week or 2. Then mix the puppy milk replacer in with canned puppy food and gradually add dry food over a couple of weeks. I like Purina proplan orhl’s puppy foods. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
my dog was hit by a train and left me with 10 3 week old puppies. one of them wont drink from the bottle. what can i do to get him to eat. please help
So sorry about your dog. That is so sad! If the puppy is not drinking from a bottle than he may need to be tube fed. Call your vet and have him examined and your vet can teach you how to tube feed him.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
How much formula are you supposed to feed a 3 week old puppy a day? Also how often do they need to be fed?
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! 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!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi I have a 4 week old American bully and he’s not eating hard food I’m trying to bottle feed but he doesn’t like it i don’t know what to do
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! At 4 weeks you can start to wean bottle feeding. I would start with soft canned puppy food for 1 week then mix in wet dry food over another week. By 6 weeks the puppy should be able to eat dry food or moistened dry food. I hope this helps and I wish you and Cujo the best!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
My 3 week old puppy isn’t suckling from it’s mother, he tries to suckle but gets very little milk and quickly gives up so I began to syringe feed him (he doesn’t suck on it) 6ml every 2/3 hrs, he’s very weak and underweight compared to his littermate
I would be concerned that there is a functional issue such as a cleft palate or other problem that is preventing him from being able to suckle, or that may be causing him discomfort. If he is losing weight, unable to suckle and has the symptoms of pneumonia, then it is best to seek out veterinary care immediately as dehydration and lack of nutrition can quickly kill a puppy. Once he has been checked out by a vet, you can return to trying to bottle feed him. Keeping him on his belly may help with aspiration if he has a hard time, however your vet can recommend additional options depending on their exam. Most puppy formulations will also have feeding instructions on the can so you know how much to give and how often (usually every few hours until they are older, and then decreasing as they transition to food around 4-6 weeks of age.)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My shihzue has had a litter of 3 and they are 3 weeks old yesterday it seems there mon keeps moving away but goes back now and then can I give them pedigree puppy food now? And if so how much ? How often ?
It's fine to start introducing puppy food at this age, but it will take 2-3 weeks before they will start to wean off of milk. It's best to feed wet food at this age. If you have the dry dog biscuits, then you can add water to them to make them soft. It's best to only give a little at a time, or they can get diarrhea. I would start by only offering a teaspoon to each pup twice a day. It can be gradually increased from there. Here is a link that gives additional information about weaning puppies: https://www.wikihow.com/Wean-Puppies I hope that helps and all is well with the pups.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
Is there anything else I have to do to properly care for my 3 week old puppy? She weighs 3 pounds now and I give her 2 oz of puppy formula every 4-6 hours. I keep her warm and she sleeps most of the day. She pees often and poops about 2-3 times a day
She is so cute! It sounds like you are doing a great job. It's ok to give her more, and I'd start weaning her onto puppy food. To help her wean and to get used to dry food, I would soak a high quality puppy formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with puppy formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry puppy food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until she is eating the dry puppy food only.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
I have a 5 week old pup. Mom stopped feeding pups. The pup is eating soft dog food but will not drink water from a bowl and acts like it still wants to nurse. Should I try bottle feeding?
At this point mom has generally begun to wean her puppies. Offer water, regular dry kibble, kibble soaked in warm water and canned food. This does need to be a large breed puppy formula for the food. There’s a brand that makes a food specific for weaning puppies called Royal Canin and I recommend to pick some up at the pet store or online. You may need to smear some of the food on the puppy’s mouth so that it gets the idea. Also allow him to see mom eating so that he has the desire to copy her. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Soska’s puppies are turning 21 daystomorrow what should i start feeding them and how i meed every detail please so they are healthy i have boughtdry food for bitches and new borns from 21 days how i can serve it to them and what are the quantities so
Good questions! You can start weaning Soska's puppies onto a puppy formulated food. It's important that their food is for puppies as they need higher amounts of calories, calcium, and protein to meet their growth needs. Feed them according to the package instructions on their bag of food. To help them wean and to get used to dry food, I would soak a high quality puppy formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with puppy formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next three weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry puppy food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until they are eating the dry puppy food only. You can leave water out for them, but they will still be nursing and getting both water and puppy formula from the puppy mush, so they likely won't drink it at first. As they start having more dry puppy food and less water and KMR added to the mush, encourage them to drink water. Fill a shallow pie pan with water,
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
How do I get my pup to start using his doggy pads? I’m trying to have him house broken. ALSO My pup was giving to me on Friday and he is only 5 weeks old this week. We bought wet food (he won’t eat only Iicks it) now today I went and got dry pup food
And in terms of the food -- he should be willing to eat wet food, if not dry food, at this age. So if he's not, I would highly recommend a check up with your vet to make sure everything looks ok. He may just need more time to adjust, but with such a young guy, he can get low blood sugar and dehydration very quickly, so it's important to act sooner rather than later.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored