my bitch wilma had a litter of 3 11 days ago.  everything seems to be going fine my only real problem is my worrying too much.  she had 2 bitches and 1 dog and the dog was much bigger than the other 2 at birth.  one of the bitches has almost caught up with him but the other one is still a lot smaller.  she is suckling fine and is full of energy on the rare occasions that they are awake. the dog pup has probably trebled in size and although i see wilma washing him and stimulating him to empty his bowels, i have never actually seen him empty his bowels. his stomach is extremely large but very soft and i was hoping somebody could tell me whether his stomach would be hard if he was constipated and what signs to look out for. also i am giving wilma a pint of lactol a day to keep her calcium levels up and also to keep her hydrated, does anybody have any opinions on this.  i worry about everything from pre-eclampsyia to the big pup having an imperorate anus and although everything seems well a few words of wisdom would be much appreciated to put my mind at rest.  as you will probably tell this is my first litter and most definitely my last, although i have enjoyed the experience i am too much of a worrier to go through it again, it is worse than when i had my own children!

Admin edit: terms of service

Until someone with more knowledge comes along, all I can say is that in my recent litter the pups all had little fat tummies and I rarely actually saw any of them empty their bowels, Mum cleaned it up so quickly. If you're feeding your girl a complete feed, one recommended for puppies and lactating bitches then I'm sure she's getting enough calcium but it won't be doing any harm to give her lactol. This is just my opinion, hope it helps to set your mind at ease :)

Well, if you didn't have anything to worry about, you'd worry about that wouldn't you? :D You are very unlikely to see the results of Mum stimulating the pups as it's just swallowed as soon as it's out. If your pup doesn't seem to be in any distress, I'm sure he's fine. If your pups didn't have large tummies, then you'd worry that they weren't getting enough to eat. Don't try giving your bitch too much calcium as it can be counter productive. Calcium o n it's own is no good, it needs to be given with, I think Vit D & Phosphorus (can't remember properly, I'm sure some one will be along to tell you.) There. I've given you something else to worry about now haven't I ? :D As for your smaller bitch, well my last litter was 2 x dogs, 1 x bitch. The bitch was far smaller than the other 2, now they've grown up the dogs are HUGE & the bitch is the correct size. As long as she's lively, she's fine, the little ones are often the most forward too, first to open their eyes, first on their feet etc.

thanks very much for both pieces of advice.  it really does calm me down for a few hours until i find something else to worry about!  i think my problem is i read too much and i am becoming a puppy hypochondriac

I think CalvitD ore Caliciboost has the right amounts in, though I only gave it too mum right after whelping.
Regarding the difference in sizes, my bitch had 6, 5 were between 9.6 and 10.8oz and the little one was only 7.7oz, she is still a fair bit smaller the the rest and quite petite. The others weigh aboout 51/2 pounds and she is only 4lbs @ 7 weeks and I've even been giving her extra;-)but she is a great wee eater and a wee star and just, if not more lively than the bigger pups so I wouldn't worry about your little one too much as long as she's gaining weight.