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My newborn puppy won't eat. How to feed it and know if it's okay?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

How to feed a newborn puppy and how to tell if it’s full I got some beaphar puppy formula and beaphar bottle the puppy was just laying there wasn’t interested in the mother’s milk it caught a chill last night and I warmed it and put it back with mum but it just isn’t interested in milk it won’t even cry but I got it to Suckle on the bottle it’s belly looks round and it has the hiccups it’s sleeping right now is this ok?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Catherine Stecyk

Veterinarian

Published on March 19th, 2019

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that your puppy is not eating well and seems ill. Puppies need to feed approximately ever 2 hours when they are first born; if they don't, they can become dehydrated and also get dangerously low blood sugar levels. If the puppy is not feeding well and seems to not be thriving, I recommend bringing the puppy to your local veterinarian as soon as you can. Puppies can rapidly decompensate and even pass on their own when they aren't thriving. Bottle feeding is not the safest option for feeding puppies, as they can accidentally aspirate the milk into their lungs and develop fatal pneumonia. The safest way to feed newborn puppies is tube feeding, where you pass a feeding tube down into their stomach and directly deliver the food. This should be demonstrated by a veterinarian so you can do it safely. I hope this is helpful!

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    Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

    Published on January 8th, 2018

    Yes, I would certainly start bottle feeding puppy milk to a puppy that is not eating. I have attached a handout below that discusses caring for puppies that are not yet weaned including a description of bottle feeding. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576 If you have additional questions about feeding, I would certainly contact your veterinarian. Puppies can quickly get dehydrated if they are not eating normally, so I would start feeding Tiger puppy milk right away. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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