How to care for a new 5wk old puppy?! Help pls!

[Bella dolce]

Hello,

We are new to the forum and very relieved to have found it. We thought we had purchased an 8week old yorkie. Turns out that the vet thinks she is likely only 5weeks. She weighed 1 pound 4 ounces yesterday, has about 2-3 tiny teeth emerging and cries thru the night. She hasn't been pooping a lot during the day, but pooped two times during the middle of the night. We have so many questions as this is our first Yorkie and first puppy in about 15 years. The breeder claims he gave her the first set of shots already, which may have been to soon according to the vet and my research. Questions: she cries whenever we unwrap hr from her blanket or put her downs, although she did have some pretty sweet play moments yesterday. How do we keep her warm? Why does she cry when unwrapped or put down. Sometimes she even cries as she is eating. Her poop is very soft- she did not have worms when tested yesterday at vet. However, her bottom is a little raw and there was a bit of blood in her stool on Monday. Could that be from annal tears since no worms were found in stool test or something more sinister? About the crying thru the night, she must be missing her mommy and siblings? How do we comfort her or is this time to let other cry it out? I worry so much when she cries. She is fine when we wrap her and hold her. I put her in the bathroom, where it is warm, left the radio on and night light, pee pads on the floor and put her wrapped in her blanket in her puppy bed. She slepti until about 2am and awoke crying off and on every hour or so. I checked on her and she had pooped, so I cleaned it up and wrapped her back up and left. This morning more poop. She sleeps the majority of the day- is that why she's awake most of the night- like real babies? During the day she goes hours without eating, even when we take her to her food and water, she refuses it. When she's ready, she eats well. During those long breaks, should we give her caro syrup to prevent hypoglycemia lot am I just a worried new mommy ? Should she sleep with a sweater on? How do we prevent the poop from sticking and drying to her bottom? Is it ok to wipe her bottom with baby wipes? Is she too young for a bath with puppy shampoo? We bought soft tour Science Diet puppy food and gave that to her yesterday. The first day we gave her ground dry food mushed with water. Which is best? Help us help our baby to thrive- any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated! Bless u and Happy New Year to everyone!

[Baby Teddy]

As you know, your baby was far too young to have been taken away from his mommy and litter mates. It's a shame your breeder let him go at (what your vet thinks is) 5 weeks. A lot of development happens between 6 - 12 weeks, and it is vital that the puppies stay with their mommies during that time. This is probably why your baby is crying.

Did you contact the breeder? What did she say? There are alot of wonderful knowledgeable people on this forum that will be able to help you...so you came to the right place!

I am very sorry you were mislead by the breeder

[Bella dolce]

Thank you baby teddy!

[DvlshAngel985]

As far as comfort and warmth, there is this thing called a snuggle puppy that has a little heater and heartbeat inside a stuffed animal. For her, it might be a great comfort since at 5 weeks she would be snuggling up to mom and litter for warmth and the comfort of their heartbeat.

[Breny]

My main concern with your baby is EATING. My puppies are FAR FAR FAR from being weaned at 5 weeks old. If indeed your baby is only 5 weeks old, I would be making a gruel and syringe feeding her 4-5 small amounts throughout the day. First thing in the AM...1 in the mid day, 1 in the after noon and 1 before bed. I would leave soft canned food with her 24.7 along with hard food as well. (and water)
It also would not hurt to give her a dab of nutrical 3 times a day.

You can take puppy kibble, canned food and water and put it in a blender and make a gruel that your able to syringe up. She may even like the mixture and eat it on her own.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Bitsy]

Oh, this is just heartbreaking. Where did you buy her?

If it were me, I would see if she could go back to the mom and litter mates for 7 more weeks. If that is not possible, then you need to treat and care for her as an orphaned pup, since that is what she is.

Maybe you can start a thread in the breeders section to get advice. She is still needing her mothers milk I think, so she might need a substitute.

This just makes me so sad for her. How scared and lonely she must feel. I would keep her with me 24/7 as you are now her "mom", and she desperately needs you.

[Bitsy]

Originally Posted by Breny

My main concern with your baby is EATING. My puppies are FAR FAR FAR from being weaned at 5 weeks old. If indeed your baby is only 5 weeks old, I would be making a gruel and syringe feeding her 4-5 small amounts throughout the day. First thing in the AM...1 in the mid day, 1 in the after noon and 1 before bed. I would leave soft canned food with her 24.7 along with hard food as well. (and water)
It also would not hurt to give her a dab of nutrical 3 times a day.

You can take puppy kibble, canned food and water and put it in a blender and make a gruel that your able to syringe up. She may even like the mixture and eat it on her own.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Breny is a very experienced breeder. Please listen to her advice.

[Maximo]

Since Breny is experienced, maybe she will confirm this: don't over-handle your pup. Make sure she gets plenty of rest. There have been instances in the past where excited new puppy parents take their too young pups on lots of outings, they want to play, and it is all too much for the pup.

[Bitsy]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Since Breny is experienced, maybe she will confirm this: don't over-handle your pup. Make sure she gets plenty of rest. There have been instances in the past where excited new puppy parents take their too young pups on lots of outings, they want to play, and it is all too much for the pup.

That makes sense.

[poppys mummy]

we got poppy at 6 weeks old , i must admit i didnt know then 6 years ago what i know now otherwise this would not have happened , we had to treat her like a new baby , i crushed her food up , fed her small amounts several times a day but thankfully she was a real good eater , she was not very good at drinking so i spoon fed water to her , we just let her rest and sleep lots , kept everything quiet for her i realise now how lucky we were with poppy after the things i have read on here , she did not have 1 tooth when we got her now she has just turned 5 , and is the best little girl you could wish for , i know this is not always the case , good luck to you and your little one , love jill n poppy xx

[carmen in nj]

at 5 weeks I am starting the weaning process, but mama dog still feeds them thru the night and a few times a day, here's what I would do with a 5 week old baby, go to the store and buy "GOATS Milk" you can find the concentrated cans at walmart or the containers at the supermarket where the specialty milks are kept. buy pate puppy food a GOOD brand, make a soft paste and put it in a small dish, with your finger put it in his mouth, you have to teach him how to eat, scoop a bit with your finger and put it in his tongue and he will swallow it. you must do this , before bed, again about 3 am and again first thing in the morning follow by a mid morning snack , lunch, midday snack, dinner and again before bed, same with the water, this is the easiest way to feed a 5 week old, keeping him warm in his bed is a very important issue, I have an electric heating pad I keep in LOW in the crate that way the crate is warm, buy him a bed buddy to cuddle with, and very important, wear a soft piece of clothing and put it to bed with him that way he has the comfort of your scent . keep the crate close to your bed that way he can hear you and you can hear him. don't forget to have a pee pad next to the crate where he can go after meals..
Hope this helps,
Carmen in nj

[Bella dolce]

Thanks to everyone for all your advice. Well, we've had two great nights with baby Bella Dolce! She is actually playing throughout the day now and even barked for the first time today. She is on more of a schedule now, she cries when she's hungry. Still not taking lots of water, so we feed her water with a syringe. she is eating well- all on her own. We're using the puppy food which is already ground up. Today her poop has been like pudding almost? Is that signaling a problem that should be checked? Should we add something to firm up the poop? Just ordered a snuggle puppy yesterday for her. Until then we're using a hot water bottle under her bed when she sleeps. still keeping us up at night -she wants to play and eat at night. Is that ok?

[carmen in nj]

Good, so glad she is doing better, be careful by feeding her water with a syringe you don't want her to inhale water that can get to her lungs, also she should be getting some goats milk at this age mixed with her puppy food, and the answer to your last question is YES, mama dog feeds, cleans and plays with them at night when they get up to nurse. not for long but yes is completely normal.
hugs