How do I take care of my 3 week old puppy?

by Dezi
(Colorado)

I'm taking in a puppy from my mom's boyfriends roommate. He does not take care of the mom she never has food or water and lives in a filthy environment.

I tried taking care of her for the time i was there and she is only one so she doesn't like to take care of her puppies, they rarely eat. She only likes to play at her age.

So I'm going to be taking the skinniest puppy to see if i can take care of him more. But how? What should I feed him, and where should he be sleeping, etc?


Hi Dezi
Poor dog, and poor little puppies. Usually I wouldn't recommend taking a puppy from it's mom before 8 weeks of age, but in this situation it may be for the best.

At 3 weeks old, your puppy should be beginning to be weaned. You need to buy some special puppy replacement formula and bottles (available at most pet stores) and bottle feed this puppy. You can also offer it a little dry puppy food, soaked for at least 15 minutes in warm water. He can practice lapping water from a bowl too.

Be prepared for him to make lots of mess etc. as he adjusts to eating proper food and lapping. He will get better at it pretty quickly.

As the momma dog and puppies have been neglected and their health not considered a priority, I would definitely recommend that you have your veterinarian give him a thorough check up to rule out any health problems. He will most likely need to be wormed at the very least.

You might find my New Puppy Care page helpful.

Good luck to you and your puppy.