HELP!!!! please ASAP

Question:
well my chihuahua will not feed her puppies anymore she wont do it at all there 3 weeks old and she doesnt pay any attention to them we tryed the puppy food mush and they loved it so should i start to give it to them now? 4-5 times a day? and not give them any at night then the next day do the same? and keep water buy them? I NEED ADVICE ASAP!! should i also start giving them water in a little bowl?

Answer:
That is way too early for a mom to give up the pups !!! I don't know anything about Chi pups.....is the Mom O.K. ? Please talk to your vet...they're too young for mush..you may need to buy bottled milk/formula.....Is she still licking them to stimulate their digestive systems ??? Eating their poop ??? Please give more info !!!

Answer:
Wow... do they know how to eat out of the bowl? If so, I don't see why they can't be on the food diet and be able to drink water. I would introduce the water individually, though. In a very small vessel one by one to make sure they know what they're doing. They're awfully little to be starting on self feeding and especially self watering so soon.... :eek:

Answer:
well with the water thing i will give them a little then some formula... and 3 of the pups stimulate by themselfs not all the time but some times pequena will do that sometimes but not all the time and she is fine. chihuahuas first litter i guess they dont do so good. i read on a chihuahua forum ( cause im in some of them ) that its sometimes normal cause thats when chihuahua puppies start to teeth. i still put them together at night but today she would not feed them at all they do also know how to eat out of the bowl they were doing that this time we feed them mash

Answer:
what are you feeding them?

Answer:
You need to talk to your vet and get some dog milk formula in these puppies the mash i don't think is the way to go. You should stimulate after each feeding just in case. I don't know what else to say I havent had this problem but when i was a kid living with my parents we had bitches who refused pups and we did what I just said but these are your puppies. All I can say is good luck.

Answer:
have you looked at their nails? the little pups nails are needle sharp and they rake mom's breast until they are so sore..you have to check them regularly and keep them trimmed..that is almost always the first reason a dog will stop nursing...and that is a prime week for them to be too long..get formula..check with your vet..but look at those nails right now.

Answer:
I think three weeks is very much the norm for weaning. Some dogs go a little longer and some earlier. They can eat mushy puppy food. Call your vet and ask him if you are worried and have questions what to feed. Don't worry.
Here, a little info for ya. ;)
http://www.vca.org.au/dogworld/breeding/articles/breed_art011.html

Answer:
I really feel sorry for these pups at 3 wks. They need their mom for so much for 4 weeks more. Please check with the vet. Are they pooping well without her stimulation??? Is she still cleaning up after them ???? I wouldn't separate them... make her stay with them. They are way too young to be on their own !! Keep us posted !!!

Answer:
i have heard so many people say their dogs won't nurse at three weeks..and almost everytime the nails were too long..did you check????? you need to nip off the little white end. and keep them off until they are weaned many weeks later. Especially in the short coat breeds..

Answer:
Sorry, but most dams don't reject this young....nails could be a problem , I always trimmed at this age, but my mom's always forgave any scratches . Something's going on. Could her glands be infected ??? Does she still have milk ?? Are her tits sore ?? Is there heat???

Answer:
It isn't abnormal at all....those little teeth hurt! lol No reason why she can't start those pups of on a mush.
The dams can be pretty harsh about it at times and rather than wean them slowly just dump them because the nursing is too painful for her.
This is quoted from a reputable breeder friend. I asked if it was abnormal for the dam to reject her young at 3 weeks. If you want more satisfaction that nothing is wrong, I suggest calling your vet as well. He/she can give you recommendations as to what to feed. Or if you like, I'd be happy to ask this breeder what exactly she feeds. I remember my Doberman's breeder feeding some kind of mush, but don't know exactly what she put in it.
At any rate, most of what the pups learn at this age is from their litter mates, rather than their mother. Your pups should be just fine.

Answer:
Go to petco or petsmart and get Esbilac puppy formula. It comes in pre-mixed or powder that you mix yourself. It is the closest thing to their mom's milk. It can sustain puppies from birth until weaning. If you are going to feed mush, then you need to mix the formula in with it so they get enough liquid to hydrate their little bodies. :) You can add water to hard kibble, wait until spongy, and then mix it with the puppy formual until smooth. You can also bottle feed them straight formula. I would still stimulate them to go to the bathroom just to be sure. Good luck with these pups :)

Answer:
ok thanks everyone. we have esbilac puppy formula thats the powder and we have the purina puppy chow ( a chihuahua breeder told me to use this kind ) and we mix that and some powder formula and they love it! lol ill try to take pictures lol thanks everyone o and should i give them water?????????? ill try some but if not ill give them formula milk to drink but should i give them water??

Answer:
Yes, you can put a little bowl down for them and they'll learn how to drink that way. If they're getting enough liquid from the formula and mush mix, they may not need to drink much, but offer it to them. Can't wait for pictures!
P.S. Purina isn't the greatest food. There are better, premium puppy foods which contain more of what dogs need and less corn and stuff they don't need. And which contain no preservatives and animal products which contain euthanasia drugs. I'd stay clear of Purina. Also, ask your vet about vitamins. Some of the premium foods have vitamins and you want to be careful not to overdose on some of them. So, if you choose another food, show the ingredients to your vet and ask about vitamins. Some good foods are; Chicken Soup for the puppy lovers soul, Canidae, Innova, Natural Balance, California Natural, Wellness. There are others. These you can find at feed stores and pet stores. No food from the grocery store is premium. These premium foods appear to cost more, but there is not the waste as there is with the grocery store brands which are full of fillers, so they eat less. And they are so much more healthy. Good luck!

Answer:
I totally agree with Doberluv...stay away from Purina puppy chow. :( It doesn't matter if another chi breeder told you to feed purina puppy chow, it's not a good food, even for chi's!! These puppies need a better food, especially if they are going to be weaned so early. Doberluv gave some really good recommendations for food. I'd get a new food right away and feed it to the pups and mom...long term. :)

Answer:
I used to start my pups off with ground up puppy food mixed with water. Takes a while to put it through the blender....but that was for 8 to 12 growing golden pups not chi puppies !!

Answer:
I heard about royal canin milk formula being good too.
And by the way, I'm latina so if you want I can give you ideas for the pupies names. :D

Answer:
And by the way, I'm latina so if you want I can give you ideas for the pupies names. :D
Ooooh... great idea! How many boys and how many girls? This would be fun to hear latino names! We always had a theme with our litters. My Eli was born on Yom Kippur and all the pups got Jewish names. His litter name was Sheldon -- then I ended up naming him Eli (Elijah), anyway! :D

Answer:
Ooooh... great idea! How many boys and how many girls? This would be fun to hear latino names! We always had a theme with our litters. My Eli was born on Yom Kippur and all the pups got Jewish names. His litter name was Sheldon -- then I ended up naming him Eli (Elijah), anyway! :D
Examples:
Males:
Muņeco (boy doll)
Peluche (plush)
Tierno (cute)
Canelo (color of the cinnamon)
Females:
Muņeca (doll)
Chispita (little sparkle)
Dulce (sweet)
Burbuja (bubles)
And they are more.
And you can write the ņ by typing alt 164.

Answer:
Examples:
Males:
Muņeco (boy doll)
Peluche (plush)
Tierno (cute)
Canelo (color of the cinnamon)
Females:
Muņeca (doll)
Chispita (little sparkle)
Dulce (sweet)
Burbuja (bubles)
And they are more.
And you can write the ņ by typing alt 164.
That's sooo cool! I think it's important to give the pups litter names so they are individuals and talked to as such in their early development!