extremely tiny puppy needs help....
 

I have a 4 week old puppy weighing 5.5 oz. She was born weighing about 1.5 oz. I fed her by hand and kept her in a little incubator until a few days ago. She's now back with her litter, all at least twice her size. She's active, walking, trying to run, eating off a plate, very responsive to human voices, and generally acting like her bigger siblings. Since I've never had anything this tiny before, I'm hoping someone can fill me in on what to expect and how to care for her going forward. She's smaller than most hamsters right now and it's downright scary....Thanks.

This pup will need constant monitoring in the litter environment to ensure it is getting enough food. It is too small to 'fight' for a nipple and puppies can be notoriously aggressive when it comes to feeding. Sounds like you've done very well so far but constant monitoring is essential. I have a litter now that has one pup much smaller than the others and I pull him for separate feedings with no competition. This seems to work well but, except for feedings, I leave him in with the other pups. To me it is important they live with the litter at this stage but some intervention is necessary to make sure the small one has a chance to thrive. Good luck to you with your little one; they're a real challenge. :aimeeyork :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :)

Wow! I'm sorry I really can't help but it sounds like you are doing an awsome job so far. Keep up the good work!

Kim

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with your tiny baby. I think the main thing I would worry about is hypoglycemia. I have a 2 lb 6 month old male that is the smallest I have ever had and he scares me to death. He did great until after his 1st vaccinations at 10 weeks then he started have hypoglycemia attacks. We nearly lost him a couple of times. I started giving him karo syrup and water a couple times a day and Nutri-drops and he started doing much better. He is a very active puppy and just burns up calories too fast. He was also having problems with constipation so now twice a day I take a little canned pumpkin mixed with sweet potatoes and turkey baby food and a tiny bit of karo syrup and I let him lick that off my finger. He loves it and he is having regular bowel movements now. He also eats Canidae All Life Stages dog food.
I would be very scared with one as tiny as yours. I just can't picture one that little. I would love to see pictures of her. You are just going to be so careful with her around her litter mates and even her momma if they get too rowdy they could really hurt her. I would not give her any vaccinations until she is much bigger. I also recommend that when she is 12 weeks old that you do a blood panel on her just to be safe. Have you checked her head for a open fontanel? I hope all goes well with her.

Sounds like you are doing fantastic!!!! I know being a human and pup is so different but my son was born 3 lbs. 5 oz...and it is kinda similar because they just need so much extra care! Keep up the good work!!! I can't give you much infor but just wanted to say Good Job!

Wow, congratulations on what you have done so far! That pup is so tiny....@ 4 weeks, still the size of a newborn! I'm no expert, but I would have to agree with what's been said so far. Might add though, that in keeping her with the other bigger pups, great idea for socialization, but I wouldn't take my eye off of her when they are together. I'd be afraid that one of the bigger ones might injure her in rough play or even stepping on/running over her or knock her down. Yep, constant monitoring needed.
Good luck and keep us posted on how she does.
BTW...any pictures you can share?

Thank you so much bhj
 

Thanks for the info on feeding. She was the last one of a surprising litter of 7(6 survivors) and came out such a mess with cord and membrane wrapped tight around her. I frantically unwrapped her and she immediately started breathing strong and has just kept going and going against all odds. She was the size of my thumb at birth. It's been a lot of work with feedings every three hours. I tried everything at first and couldn't come up with anything that worked better than a Gerber human preemie bottle. That nipple was the size of her whole head at the time. She does have an open fontenelle, as does her larger sister. I hope they close up properly. Your boy is pretty tiny too. What did he weigh at 4-5 weeks? I know a lot can go wrong...just hoping for the best. Thanks again.

I really can't remember what he weighed at that age but I know it was not as small as your little girl. At 14 weeks I think he was at 1 lb 7 oz. With you little girl having a open fontanel you will really have to watch for hydrocephalitis. I would think that by this age you would be able to tell if she had that problem. I sure wish you luck with her.

Sounds like you are doing great with her...I would hesitate to put her back in with her littermates...Because they are so much larger she is going to be fighting for food and the larger ones will start to pick on her and cause stress...That is when you are going to see hypoglycemia problems...When I had a small baby like this I used a 20 inch wire shelf as a divider in my expen so my small baby could be right next to the rest of the litter...She would run back and forth and play with them from the other side of the pen...It was too cute!

~Laura

Wow she's really small but sounds like a fighter and you are doing a great job! The only thing i would say is keep the nutrical around cause she will always need that. I have a tiny adult, 2.5 lbs and her fontanel is still open but it hasn't caused any problems.