A newborn puppy can go downhill within hours. Daily weighing and quick action make the difference.
Fading puppy syndrome is the term for puppies that seem normal at birth but weaken during the first weeks. Causes include low birth weight, getting cold, infections, congenital defects and too little colostrum or milk.
Weight loss or no gain, a puppy that is pushed away from the teats or cannot suckle, constant crying or lying apart from the litter, feeling cold or limp, and pale gums. Newborn puppies cannot keep themselves warm, and a chilled puppy soon stops feeding.
Weigh every puppy at the same time each day and log it in the app; most should be back at their birth weight within a few days and keep gaining. Keep the whelping box warm and free of draughts, and call your vet straight away if a puppy fades. Warm a cold puppy slowly before you try to feed it.
Correct answer: Weighing every puppy at the same time each day
Daily weighing shows quickly whether a puppy is not gaining as it should.
Correct answer: Newborns cannot keep themselves warm and soon stop feeding
Newborns depend on outside warmth; a chilled puppy stops suckling.
Correct answer: Warm it up slowly
Warm a cold puppy slowly before trying to feed it, and call your vet.
Correct answer: Within a few days
Most puppies are back at their birth weight within a few days and then keep gaining.
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