mother won't let puppy nurse

My friend's dog just had puppies today and she keeps pushing one of the puppies away and licking it.

She allows people to touch the other puppies but not that one. We want to save the puppy and hand raise it but we don't know why she is doing this. What should we do?



Hi
Sometimes a mother dog will do this if the pup is sick in some way, or is the 'runt'. She seems to sense that something is wrong with the pup and is trying to follow the 'survival of the fittest' instinct.

If she refuses to let this little one nurse, and won't take care of it you are going to need to take it away from her and try to bottle feed.

This can be tricky, but if you're patient and are able to spend time with this pup it's perfectly possible to hand rear it - providing there are no serious health issues.

I'd recommend that you visit my New Born Puppies page as it has tons of tips and advice on rearing orphaned or rejected pups.

You may also want to check with your vet for advice and if you are concerned that this little pup may not be healthy, have it examined so that you know what is going on.

Best of luck, I hope you are successful.