April 21, 2011
My dog just had puppies, what should I do - if anything at this time?
Full Question:
Cindy,I have a german shepherd that gave birth to 3 pups 8 days ago. 1st born male weighed 366 grams and the girls were 508 and 520. The girls now weigh1040 grams and1056 grams. My concern is with the male. Yesterday he weighed 836 and this moring 846. The girls went from 960 to1040 and 968 to 1056 grams. What should I do- if anything at this time? Also, since the male was smaller at birth than the females, does that mean that the male will be a smaller dog when he gets older?
Thank you for your time,
Sonja
Cindy's Answer:
You can always give the small pup a supplemental bottle feeding if you are worried about his weight gain.
I'd refer you to our bottlefeeding page.
As long as he seems strong, and is gaining every day then I try not to interfere too much.
The size he is while nursing won’t have any bearing on his size as an adult dog, I’ve had many tiny puppies grow up to be totally normal or sometimes even large adults. Once they begin to eat solids, I think you’ll see him catch up quickly (as long as he doesn’t have any hidden health reasons for being smaller)
Cindy
I'd refer you to our bottlefeeding page.
As long as he seems strong, and is gaining every day then I try not to interfere too much.
The size he is while nursing won’t have any bearing on his size as an adult dog, I’ve had many tiny puppies grow up to be totally normal or sometimes even large adults. Once they begin to eat solids, I think you’ll see him catch up quickly (as long as he doesn’t have any hidden health reasons for being smaller)
Cindy
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