Hi everyone need some advice on helping 3 day old puppy to poo. We are rearing 3 orphaned pups along with my own 3 small breed pups. who are nearly 3 weeks old and at least 4 times bigger than the little ones                  Foster mum is more than happy to nurse but will not attend to toileting. I have been managing to stimulate them all with  warm sponge to pass lots of urine but only managing to get one to poo. They all seem content, fairly active and only crying when hungry. I have tried massaging their tummies and on vets advice gently touching the anus with the thermometer probe.Any advice would be welcome. Thank you

I found a warm, wet cotton wool ball stroked across the anus as if it was a bitches tongue worked very well

Thanks have tried that and a little natural sponge. They were on formula before coming to me so wondering whether it will maybe just take a wee while for the bowel to adapt. Will visit the vet in the morning if nothing by then just wondered if there was anything i was missing

Have you tried putting some honey on their bottoms and offering them to foster mum?   You might find that stimulates her interest?

If the puppies are feeding solely from the foster mum, then don't worry too much.  I have watched bitches with litters and the pups generally start to poo on their own and the mums then just lick them to clean them up, and we really don't know how many times each puppy actually poos.  I think it is the same as breast fed babies, some poo for England and others go a day or more, either is correct.  I have had bulldog litters and no matter how long we massage the little bottoms with oily cotton wool some only poo every few days.  With my first bulldog litter I got so worried about it I kept a Poo Record!  Just keep stimulating them with cotton wool with a little olive oil, if they are going to poo it can take 5 minutes or more, and then you will feel you are doing everything you can.  They are more likely to poo after feeding.

What was the outcome with these little pups? Did they make it and if so have they found homes to go to?