I have a newborn litter 24 hours old.  There is one puppy who was very strong initially, would bulldoze all the other puppies out of the way at the milkbar. He now seems to be lethargic and I haven't seen him feed for quite a few hours.  All the other pups are twitching and wriggling around, he doesn't look quite right.  He is with mum on his own at them moment and has made a few halfhearted attempts at feeding but nothing much. Having read other posts on here I suspect the outcome will not be positive but wondered if there is anything I can try in the meantime?

I'd give him some Puppy Stim, I've known it give failing pups a boost.

Thanks Dolph.  Have ordered some nutri drops.  Have got puppy stim here but it was opened for my litter 2 years ago, can't see a best before date on it but not sure it is a good idea to give it?  He has suckled now for a couple of minutes from one teat and I'm dropping some lactol/glucose liquid into his mouth also.  I think he seems a little better but it could be wishful thinking.

Just a little update and hoping for more help/advice/reassurance.  Nutridrops will be here tomorrow before 1pm.  In the meantime I am continuing with the glucose every time I am about to put him on mum or give his some lactol.  I think it may be helping a little.  He is keen to try to find a teat, rushes about but struggles to actually get on it and keep hold. If he does manage to latch on then he doesn't stay on for very long, maybe a couple of minutes at most and I'm not sure how effective his suckling is.  If he is on there for a couple of minutes every few hours, will this be enough to sustain him, along with the glucose and lactol (1ml about every couple of hours)?  His skin is slow to return when I pinch it at the neck but it does go back after about 10 seconds or so but he still looks a little more wrinkly than the others.  I weighed him twice yesterday and once so far today and he has maintained same weight.  Mum had a c section almost 48 hours ago so I know her milk was a little slow to come in. Oh and I turned off my heating and took out the heat pads this morning as I was wondering if it was too hot in the room. He seems a little more physically active now that overnight and sounds content in his noises. Any comments much appreciated.

Put the heating back on - doubt he'll be too hot and Puppy Fading Syndrome thrives on cooler puppies I'm lead to believe

> Put the heating back on -

Definitely!   The heat at the base of the whelping box should be around 80F.   Once a puppy becomes morbidly chilled it will stop feeding, and die.   I think, given this could be Fading Puppy Syndrome, I'd certainly be asking my vet for help.   Hope not but it has to be considered.

You checked for cleft palates?

Thank you for your replies. heating is back on n cleft palate check done after c section. He was a fab feeder first 24 hours, strongest one in fact. he has fed a few times this afternoon n skin goes back a little quicker now. he seems to feed better if he has glucose water drops before. I spoke with vet first thing n he said they could give fluids if really worried but to keep dropping the fluids in with a syringe anyhow

Is he toileting Ok?

Yes toileting ok, as far as I can tell as mum is very thorough. Hes just fed for 20 minutes, straight on no messing, god what a difference from this morning. Also he has put on 3oz today! Thank you everyone for your help, I will keep a very close eye on him and keep you updated

> If he is on there for a couple of minutes every few hours,

I'd be putting him on every hour at least

Pleased to report that everything seems normal today.  Looks like he did in the first 24 hours, how weird.  Thought it good to update in case of anyone comes across this thread in future. I search absolutely loads and it can be frustrating when the poster doesn't come back to update.

This is good news. Fingers crossed for things to continue to improve.

It just goes to show how important it is to closely monitor pups as they can deteriorate and thankfully recover quickly with quick action

Spotted it early yes and also getting advice really helps, that's why I love this forum.  The nutridrops have arrived this morning, would you still give them?  He seems ok but I don't want to take anything for granted.