7 day old puppies

9 Newf/lab puppies born 7 days ago. Day 4 one of the smallest kept getting pushed aside. I separated her from mom and began tube feeding and kept her warm. She just was not putting on weight.

Last night she began the pathetic crying of being in pain, respiration sounds congested and she began throwing up blood, she has now lapsed into a coma and is obviously going to die.

This morning I have a second puppy starting the same symptoms. I called the vet and he said its probably congential and that a necropsy after the death of the puppy would be the only way of determining what is going on and of course this is an expense I cannot take on right now. He said he knew of no disease that would produce these symptoms in a puppy this young. Do you have any ideas what this could be?

The rest of the litter, except for this small boy that started the same symptoms this morning, so far seems to be gaining the weight they should.






Hi
I'm sorry to hear what's happening with your puppies, I know how difficult this can be.

The symptoms you describe in the little girl who is dying, sound as though she may have inhaled milk into her lungs. That results in pneumonia pretty quickly, especially in a weak puppy. There's really not anything that can be done for a pup at that point, and they do die.

Is the boy who is showing symptoms also being tube or bottle fed? If so, I think that may be where the problem lies. Tube feeding is quick and very effective as long as it's done correctly, but one mistake when the tube goes into the trachea instead of the esophagus and the pups lungs are full of milk. When puppies are already weak or small, either tube or bottle feeding can be problematic as they're more likely to inhale the milk.

If at all possible it's best to let the momma dog take care of the rest of them, 7 or 8 puppies isn't way too many for her to handle.

However, if the puppy who is now getting sick has only been fed by it's mom, then your veterinarian could be correct in saying that there may be a congenital problem of some sort. Infection is always a possibility, but if you've been careful to wash your hands before touching the puppies and to keep away from unvaccinated dogs etc., they should be protected.

All you can really do is to follow any advice or instruction your vet gives and do the best you can. Nature will take care of the rest.

I wish you the best of luck with your puppies.