Very concerned with puppy weights.

[nikodanes]

This is my first post on this forum. I can't tell you how many times I have been on here looking for answers to some of my questions. I didn't see anything on here that would answer my question.

Here it goes:

I have a small litter of English Mastiff puppies. I am getting quite concerned with how slowly they seem to gain weight. They will be 5 weeks old this coming Sunday. The largest puppy weighs 6.8 pounds, he is a male. The next, a female, weighs 5.7 pounds. Our runt is super tiny, only weighs 2.6 pounds. They are not skinny, all of them have rounded tummies and I am unable to feel their bones.

I am getting more concerned every day, as I have never seen a litter grow so slowly. They eat very well. They are still nursing 5-6 times daily and are eating a puppy food slurry with water two-three times a day. I do not know what to do. I am doing everything my vet recommends, but just not seeing the results I would hope for.

Their mom is quite large, she weighs 190 pounds. Their dad is 200. Both parents have been health tested and checked out good, before breeding.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Have you checked for worms? Any fatty supplements for mama (cottage cheese, raw eggs, etc)?

 

[nikodanes]

We have dewormed them, yes. We haven't offered the mother any fatty supplements, as she is already at her prime weight. She is almost a little too heavy. We feed her dry dog food 2x daily, along with a raw chicken once a week.

 

[WalnutCrest]

Did you breed the parents and grandparents? If not, check with the breeders who did to see if they had anything like this pop up in any of their litters.

Also, when you say your dogs were health tested before breeding, what did gou test for?

 

[nikodanes]

We did a basic well check, testing for parasites and general health. Also had OFA on hips, OFEL on elbows, CERF for their eyes, and had my vet look at their hearts, though we did not get them certified. We did not breed parents or grand parents, and this is the first litter that we have had with this female (she is 4 years old).

 

[ruthcatrin]

I've never bred, but Apollo's breeder highly recommended Puppy Gold to us when we had trouble with him eating (and thus loosing weight) his first week or two with us. Petco carries 1lb cans, but you can get 15lb bags online (for much less per pound) if you look.

 

[SavingGrace]

I'd watch the transition to regular food (no nursing) and see how that goes. If it doesn't go well, you might want to consider a quick blood test on one (or all) of the puppies to ensure all of the values are correct.

 

[alwcm4]

other than weight do they seem healthy, playful?

 

[Robtouw]

If the vet check finds them healthy, they may just be slow growers and will likely fill out as they mature. I can imagine it is frustrating!

 

[nikodanes]

They seem to be happy and playful. The smallest one is a little slower and more reserved. I will talk to my vet about a blood test tomorrow morning. Thank you for all of the replies.

 

[Sadies Mom]

I would like to say welcome!! And we LOVE puppy pictures. Feel free to share some How was the puppies weight gain up to this point? Could it be that the mothers milk is getting thin?

 

[nikodanes]

Thank you Sadies Mom. I will try to get some pictures on here, I'm not very computer savvy. They have always gained weight, but it seems slower than average. I have been trying to look up weight charts online to compare, but nobody seems to put newborn mastiff weight charts anywhere. We did a blood test yesterday. Everyone tested okay. The runt did have a slightly high white blood cell count, so the vet gave him a mild antibiotic. I have started the weaning process, and taking mom away from the puppies for about 5 hours a day. They all eat food and drink water. They have also each gained about 2-3 pounds since my first post, so maybe I'm just paranoid lol.

 

[ruthcatrin]

2-3 lbs gain in, what, about a week and a half?

I've never handled pups that young, but Apollo (a Tibetan Mastiff) was averaging 3lbs a week between 10weeks and 18 weeks or so. So that doesn't sound that far off to me

 

[northernmastiff]

Here are the weights that I have for Daisy. She started small but once they switched to food, she shot up in two weeks.

3 weeks - 4 pounds 2 ounces
5 weeks - 15 pounds 6 ounces
6 and a half weeks - 18 pounds 8 ounces
8 weeks - 21 pound 8 ounces

From the looks of it, they weren't getting enough from mom but once you get them on the solids, they will start gaining.

 

[TN Dogues]

I think they have a roundworm problem. Rounded bellies are a sign of worms. They may not be shedding them in their stool, but they have them - all pups do.

How many times have you de-wormed?

Has the mother dog been dewormed? She needs a deworming during nursing and at least once after they are weaned.

Roundworms are introduced through mother's milk. Or through licking dirt outside.

Puppies need a deworming starting at 2 weeks, and every week thereafter until they are 8 weeks old.

Roundworms have a life cycle where they migrate through the body (and the medication is unable to kill them while migrating). Which is why it is essential to keep up with the deworming schedule.

Worms are the #1 reason for pups being slow to gain weight. #2 reason is bad milk (due to infection in dam).

Our pups were 1 lb. at birth. And they were 2 lbs. at 2 weeks. They were 6 lbs. at 3 weeks - and we began weaning. At 4 weeks they were 8-9 lbs. And by 5 weeks they were 11-13 lbs. At 6 weeks the largest was 17 and the runt was 14-1/2 lbs.

We deworm with Pyrantel Palmoate. The stuff they sell in the stores is diluted and has to be given as 1/2 ml per 1lb. bodyweight. For a 6 lb. pup that would be 3mls. Our pups did not like the taste. We syringed it into their mouths, even while nursing!

Good luck. Hope this helps.