My eight day old puppy won't poop?

by PrairiePrincess
(Canada)

hi there, we have an eight day old puppy who is ignored by its' mum except to nurse. it is the only survivor of a litter of five but it seems healthy, he is plump and fiesty and is gaining weight, he sleeps when he is finished nursing. when we try to make him eliminate he has no problem peeing, and for the first two days he was pooping a bit. but it has been nearly three days since his last bowel movement!

when we try to make him poop he either falls asleep or stays awake but nothing is coming out..not sure if he is eating enough or what? really worried, would love your input b/c we cannot afford a vet for another week. thank you for any insight you may have.



Hi Prairie Princess
This is a tricky one, if he's nursing from his momma it could be that he IS actually pooping, it's just that she's cleaning it up so quickly (as she licks him) that you haven't noticed it.

If he eats and sleeps and is growing and contented I doubt there's too much to worry about right now. However, I'd recommend you read my New Born Puppies page for tips on how to encourage such a little puppy to pee/poop.

If you're absolutely sure that he isn't pooping, you really need to have him looked at by your vet as he may need an enema or something else, it's not something you want to do yourself with such a young puppy. Meantime you could try giving him some cooled boiled water from a bottle as the extra liquid may help.

Sorry I can't help more, but if he's constipated he needs to be seen by a vet. I wish you the best of luck and hope he keeps doing well.