two week old jackrat puppy cries constantly like its in pain.

by sarah
(arkansas)

We hav a newborn litter of puppies that are Jack Russel and rat terrier mix. This is our 6th or 7th litter and none have cried this much before. It's just the one puppy and she cries randomly like she's in pain. She wakes us up at night.

We thought maybe her teeth were coming in and so she was hurting cause she was teething the other day but it seems like that would have stopped by now. this is our first time docking their tails though.

Is there a possibility that we pinched a nerve in the process. Or is it anything to worry about at all?





Hi Sarah
New born puppies who are healthy and thriving shouldn't cry much at all. Usually they're either eating or sleeping!

If this little one is crying randomly, chances are something isn't quite right, and I can only suggest that you have her examined by your own veterinarian to make sure that she's okay.

Did you dock the tails yourselves, or have a veterinarian do it? Usually it's done by a vet but I do know some breeders still do this themselves. Either way, it's perfectly possible that the pain is coming from that procedure, perhaps an infection or it's possible that there's some nerve injury. Occasionally a puppy will suffer from this. Again your vet should be able to give you a better judgement on this as he can actually examine your pup.

I'd definitely recommend getting her an appointment as soon as you can so that you can get to the bottom of her crying. Best of luck, hope she's feeling much better soon.