hi my 2 year old st has jus had her first litter of puppies, 11 in total. we weighed them all at birth and the weights were between 500-650 grams, they're now 4 days old and the smallest puppy now weighs 420grams. ive been trying to hand feed the 3 smallest ones but they're not taking that much. I've also been putting them on her more often to feed. The larger ones are weighing 750 gramms. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
It is always a good idea to arrange to have a mentor if you don't have a great deal of experience of rearing puppies. Could your bitch's breeder, or the stud dog owner have a look over these puppies and give you some advice? Are the smaller puppies still suckling strongly? If so, I would try and make sure that they get a decent turn at the best teats, and are able to take in as much of their mother's milk as possible. You can always top up some of the the sturdier puppies with formula. They will not be able to regulate their own body temperature yet, so make sure that these little ones do not get chilled, or pushed away from their mother's body warmth.
