Hi everyone i'm after a bit of reassurance/advise please.

I have 3 day old pups (giants) They all seem well sleeping eating pooing (the poo is slightly runny but still has consistency) but i weighed them at birth and then yest and today. Yesterday i thought i'd just ready it wrong but again today its showing they have both lost weight again approx 20g aday. Should i be worried as they are ok in themselves???

I would be very concerned.  I have never noted a weight drop in my litters but would certainly have expected them to be above birth weight from 24 hours if they had lost any weight.  My current litter - large gundog breed gained 25-35g in the first day or two and at 5 days it's nearly 100g.

Personally, I weigh my pups twice a day until I know they are all gaining ok - usually only  a day or two.  Are you with them 24/7 to ensure mum is relaxed and allowing them to feed continiously and encourage use of rear nipples.

Is mum well in herself, eating and drinking ok? How was the delivery - are you sure all placentas and pups out?  If you're worried I would call the vet as there is a limit to how much weight they can drop at such a young age.

I hope they pick up soon.

Would 20 g loss really matter in a giant breed? In such a big breed it could surely mean the difference between recently having had a poo or not. But I don't know as I NEVER weigh my large breed pups, I see no reason to as they are large, I only weigh the toy pups and the kittens as in them 5 g either way could make a difference, and it's a difference you cannot feel just by touch. I do know however it is common to lose some weight the day after birth, second day it may stand still, by third day I'd expect a gain again.

Hi I am with them 24/7 even sleeping in same room on floor with them, mum is being brillant and seems fine in herself. she is being picky with her food but that is nothing new, She is eating whatever she wants she can have just to make sure she is eating.  The birth was nice and uncomplicated we had both after births and her scanned again afterwards to make sure she was empty.  She had a little bit of fluid left in her but not alot.  Her temperature is fine all nipples are fine. she is losing a little bit of discharge/blood but not as much as ive seen on other bitches and even her panting has calmed down almost immediately. The pups are feeding well using all nipples i think that is why their poo went a bit runny as they really do go for it and getting their fill being content and going back sleep.  They are at the vets tomorrow to have their dew claws removed i will mention it then and get the vet to check them over and weigh them.  It may be my scales seems stranghe that its about the same on both pups

I never experienced any weight loss with my recent litter,large breed - but I did watch them like a hawk as they were all on the small size imho.I weighed them after 24hrs then daily for 2 weeks and they gained on average 2 ounces - 50ish grams daily, well doubling the birth weight after a week. Within the first 24 hours I would have expected a little drop.Hard to believe that in 7 weeks they went from 9 ounces to over 10 lbs.As long as they are feeding well(check mum has plenty of milk)they look well hydrated(skin not wrinkly and puckered)and not overly crying then just carry on watching the weight.Ensure Mum is well hydrated.The vet is allways there if you have concerns.Good luck they grow sooooo quickly.

I do weight daily until weight gain well established, and then every other day or so, but noting the weights on a chart each week.

With my pups that are larger than average I do sometimes get a slight loss on first day, back to birth weight second day and off gaining from the third.  With pups closer to the average 10 - 12oz they seem to gain right away. 

My breed the bitches are around 20kg as adults.

Am I reading this right about "both afterbirths/placentas"as that there are only 2 pups in the litter?

I am also concerned that you are seeing the poo as Mum should be dealing with the toileting of the pups and therefore should be no visable poo.

If there are only 2 pups could they be getting too much milk, till the supply and demand kicks in, thus making them poo more than normal and leading to the weight loss? Are you checking they are not dehdrated if the poo is loose they may be losing more fluid than is normal.

My pups 7-8ozs at birth[4-5kgs as adults]lose a bit in the first 24hrs but are over birth weight at 3 days old, would be very worried if this was not the case.

Hopefully the vet will be able reassure you when he sees the pups.

Keep us posted

Hi Ive just weighed them now they are the same as yesterday. (which is good compared to losing) Mum is doing the toileting but you can smell it and see it as she is cleaning/stimulating them. If that makes sense.  They dont seem dehydrated checking the back of the neck.  I did wonder if they are having too much so last nite i let them suckle every 2 hours for 20 mins then took them off her, which they seemed content with as soon as i put them under the lamp off too sleep they went only to wake about 15mins before next feed was due. But poo is still the same? Off to vets shortly so i shall see what he says?  I will keep you all updated thanks for your comments and advise:)

Like Rodach - it is very unusual to actually see poo at such a young age. I've never smelt it at only a few days, give it a few weeks and you know all about it????

Are you actually taking pups away from mum?  I have always left mine together so they can suckle as and when they want to, sometimes purely for comfort.

Hope you get on at vets ok.

Hi I wasnt taking them away from mum i just tried it las night too see if they were over eating.  Vet checked them all over again says they seem perfectly healthy he has weighed them and i'll pop back tomorrow and get them weighed again, he was happy with their weights 65.0g and 59.8g so fingers crossed for tomorrow.  He isnt over concerned regarding the poo says his pups are usual like this in 1st week?. So i will keep an eye on them

Hi i have bred 3 large litters from 2 different lrge breeds,in the first few days the poo is very squidgy as there digestive system is getting used to the colostrum and then milk,after that as long as they havent got diarreah i wouldnt worry,also if they have a big feed and a sleep they might not feed as long next time as they might still be full, just let them judge how much they eat ,i wouldnt keep rushing them to the vet to weigh them as there are germs in the air ,just monitor them at home,if they start crying all the time or stop feeding then take them and check the mums teats regulary for soreness ,swelling etc,apart from that the mum will do all the work,so enjoy the rest of the weeks ahead and good luck :)