hi, i just wanted to share my experience with this topic. my little yorkie courtney had a litter of pups in 2004. she had 4 girls and 1 boy. one female puppy was very small at birth, weighing appox. 2.8 oz. her siblings were all at about 3.9 oz. i immediatly started taking extra measures with the really small one. well, low and behold courtney started taking her from the whelp area in my kitchen and hiding her on the carpet between my recliner and the wall. she did this for about 4 days straight. i finally had to in-close her in the whelp area with the pups in a play yard. i couldnt figure it out. it was so odd. the puppy was thriving, and sucking and was gaining a little weight, when all of the sudden at 16 days old, she passed away for no known reason to me or my vet. so, i guess that mother's instinct can be for real. i had no reason to think the puppy wasnt gonna make it after she began eating good and gaining. but courtney did for some reason. so i guess you just never know. good luck to your friend and i hope all goes well for those babies. |