My bitch gave birth to two puppies last friday, one was stillborn and one was fine.

The surviving one has been feeding ok and everything and has seemed totally healthy and everything.

Yesterday however it seemed very weak and hardly feed off the female, also it was a bit floppy and his head was a bit floppy and i started worrying as i read up about fading puppy syndrome, it was strange because he was fine yesterday morning but started being like this last night, i had to hand feed it a couple of times last night.

However today it is active and not floppy at all and also has been suckling and feeding off the bitch with no problems whatsoever, i am still a little worried but maybe it was just having an off day? does this sound like fading puppy syndrome?

Sometimes the mother doesn't keep it as warm as she should and yesterday she was rejecting it because it was weak but today she is not rejecting the puppy at all, it just seems weird to me that's all and i was very worried.

It has to be kept on it's own at night as we have noticed that the bitch is fine with it in the daytime but tries to crush it at night.

It's kept in a box with bedding and is kept near the radiator and this morning fearing how it was going to be after last night it was very warm and started feeding straight away, i was thinking if it was something like fading puppy syndrome wouldn't it continue getting weaker and continue not to feed off the bitch?

As i say it was only like it for half a day yesterday but it's head being floppy and it being quite weak concerned me but it's the total opposite today, it's crawling and stretching and feeding well.

I hope someone can give me some advice on this.

I think one of the issues is that the puppy is not warm enough at times and is not getting food at frequent enough intervals. Even though the pup is near the radiator at night, I would have a heating pad for it - you need one that the pup can move off if it starts to get too warm though. Are you getting up in the night and putting it with the bitch for a feed a couple of times? I think this might help.
It sounds as if your bitch is a bit clumsy perhaps but keep the pup with her as much as possible. Good luck with the little one.

Sgurr

Thank you for your reply, I agree, it is not always that warm, we try everything we can to make it as warm as possible and it is only seperated for around 5 hours at night but we do try to keep it with the bitch as much as possible, the bitch is certainly very clumsy and not so good with it but this is her first puppy so it is understandable.

But it is feed regularly and only had a few problems feeding last night but i hand fed it twice and today it is back feeding normally from the bitch.
So do you think it will be ok? do you think it has anything serious wrong with it? The floppy head and weakness had me very worried and i feared the worst, the floppy head thing concerned me the most.

If you haven't got a heat pad, fill a big pop bottle with hottish [not too hot!] water and wrap it in a towel and put it with the pup so it has something to snuggle against. You will have to get up and check it at intervals though, as it is very cold at night now, and as the water cools it will chill the pup, so will need refilling.
The floppy head could have been because it was weak from lack of food, it's still very young and needs to feed frequently so if the bitch is not feeding over night you will need to keep hand feeding during the night.

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Also my bitch's milk keeps drying up which isn't helping matters.

The puppy needs to be fed at least every 2 hours both day and night. To go any longer will cause the puppy to be malnourished, and the chance of him not making it will be far greater. The floppy head and lethargic behaviour would indicate that it was both too cold and had not been fed enough. What makes you think your bitches milk is drying up? If the puppy is allowed to suckle off her as and when he wants then there shouldn't be a problem. Is the bitch eating well and drinking enough?

Fading puppies will not generally turn around without medical help, so I wouldn't say this pup had it. Also it usually happens at around 2 weeks of age. I would keep a very close eye on this pup. Weigh him daily and if he isn't putting on weight seek professional help asap. Good luck with him x

this puppy isnt getting enough milk from mum! you need to leave her in there with the puppy through the night and let him feed whenever he wants, you will probably have to sit up with her at night for a week or so until he is a bit stronger, but definately a little pup this young cannot go without mums milk for 5 hours a night!

The puppy is getting weaker as the bitch's milk has totally dried up, she is just not producing anymore milk.

There is only one pup to suckle her, and as you are seperating them as well, she may not be getting enough stimulation to keep the milk flowing. As already said the pup needs feeding every 1-2 hrs, day and night. Weighing him regularly will show if he is gaining any milk from the mum, if not, hand feeding is essential if he is to stand a chance.

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Whereabouts are you? I can either handrear the puppy for you (over 20 years experience) or can help and advise you on how to do it. This needs to be sorted immediately or the puppy will die.