Hi please bare with me its the first time i've used this site, I am hoping for a little help & advice i have a litter of 4 (toy breed) they are adorable but were born 5 days early, 2 are doing perfect put on weight ,feeding well look content & round, 1 is tiny but seems to be feeding ok but cries alot and ten finally a 2oz little boy who hasn't gained weight feels colder than he others and onlys feeds if i put him right onto the teat & hold him there,the babies are only 2 days old and would like any advice you can pass on please.
thanx

i dont breed toy breeds but im sure some1 will be along soon that does ....the only help i can give is ....is the whelping pen warm enough ?
for them ,i allways have a thermom in there with mum and pups the temp should be around 70/75...if thats the only way that pup will eat then you must keep putting him to the back nipples all the time ,maybe let 1 of the bigger ones stuckle for a short time to get the milk flow going,then take bigger pup away and put it on a different nipple, so smaller pup dont have to work so hard for mums milk he then can drink well on not tire so easy and he should get a better drink ,maybe rap him up and carry him around to warm him inbetween feeds to keep him warm ,good luck xx

Is the bitch attending to him or pushing him away?    I don't breed toys either but there are some things that are basic requirements for any newborn ;)   Warmth and food.

Keep putting the tiny one on the back teats and holding him to feed, he must be kept warm.  Personally I'd have him either cuddled up with the bitch (mine was like a hen on her eggs ;) ) or if not, I'd be keeping a covered hot water bottle in there for him - in this case a heated pad would be ideal.  If he isn't kept warm he won't be able to digest the milk and at this age they can't regulate their own temperature ;)

Is the whelping box covered? or open?   I always have a folded fleece blanket over the top and hanging down in the front almost to the edge of the front part.  This keeps the inside nice and warm without extra heating and gives the bitch some security.  I can peek in as often as I like but it's very much like an underground den.  If all this is in place and he's still colder than the others then he needs extra warmth.

Hope this helps

hi i breed toy breeds are the pups on a heat pad if not place them on a hot water bottle which is under the bedding of wrap the little one in a blanket to keep him warm, as for feeding offer the little one the back nipples before any of the other latch on so he keet first helpings

as the others have sald its very important to keep these warm, great advice given hope it all works out good welcome to the lack of sleep stage :)

Thanks for all your advice he was on a water bottle but wouldn't suckle even when i help him to the teats i even tried lactol & a tiny feeding bottle but no no avail,i satyd up all night with him cheacking and keeping him warm but he sadly died at 4am,im heartbroken cried & cried since,i have just weighed th gils who have all gained weight since yesterday which is good so fingers crossed they'll all be ok xx

im so sorry to read this ,its happened to most here that have breed :( run free little baby xxxx(hugs)xxxxx

I'm sorry you lost the pup. Others have given advice, I just wanted to add that 5 days early is perfectly normal and would not really be considered premature. I always count my bitches first possible due date as 58 days.

My heart goes out to you. I nursed a pup day and night until he was 2 weeks old only  for him to end up having to be PTS and it was truly devastating. I know all too well how you must be feeling. But ultimately you will focus on Mum and the remaining pups and that will help you to come to terms with your loss.

Hi Tilly I'm really sorry to read your news about your little boy, I can understand it must be very upsetting for you.
My first litter is just 9 days old and sadly 1 little girl came out stillborn.  We tried to get her going but I knew just by looking at her.  I said to my OH that I think that it was easier than what you went through having nursed him and then losing him.  I have 7 healthy pups left and although I found it hard to believe when breeders would say about survival of the fitess etc.  I now can see that sometimes things are just not meant to be. 
stay strong you still have babies there who need you.

mother is running around as though she is looking for her little man, shes is panting none stop,its heartbreaking i just want them al to be ok, i have got her in an the vets in an hour but i'm fretting does anyone know what this exessive panting could be a sign of x

im so sorry about your loss. was she seen but a vet after giving birth. it could be just her womb contracting back, let us know how it goes at the vets

hi been to the vets,they said she was fine & probably just panting cause shes hot with the puppies,he took her temp and said it was normal,said the puppies look healthy 1 is a little skinny but happy enough, so not sure, i'm not 100% convinced cause shes panting so much but will see how she goes x

panting can be very normal ,if she is also very stressed about her little 1 gone that can make her pant alot more , xx

My girl panted very heavily for first 4 days especially at night.  If I hadnt been warned in advance about this and told to expect it I'd have been worried. 

> shes is panting none stop

I breed toys, and to be honest, would have expected to lose a pup with a 2oz birth weight.  Funnily enough, the newborn weight isn't relevant to the adult weight.  I've had an enormous 7oz pup end up as a 4lbs adult, and a 4oz pup end up as a 9lbs adult!

My bitches - in particular maiden bitches, will often whelp 7 days early with no problems.  Only ever once had a bitch whelp 10 days early, and, however much I did, I was fighting a losing battle.   The lungs just aren't ready for it.

The panting is perfectly normal, her little body is working overtime.  Producing milk drains a bitches resources quickly.  I've had bitches pant heavily for over a week, and it had nothing to do with them being too hot.

It's the pups that need the warmth, as their little thermostats aren't working yet.  I use underbed heat, slipped under the vetbed.  And Mum can move away from the heat, while pups, when not nursing, will gravitate towards the warmth.

I also breed toy breeds and can assure everyone that a 2oz birth weight pup in my breed definitely does survive without any problems.  I would think that there was something going on and so sorry to hear that you lost the pup.  Hope the rest are OK.