A Premature Puppy

Both are 4 day old puppies from the same litter. One is a preemie and one is not.

It is thought that one puppy can be conceived later in a litter. In a normal mating all eggs drop together and they all ripen at once. Eggs are hormone influenced to ovulate. Science tells us that once the hormone reaches a certain level the eggs are released and what ever sperm is swimming in the dam will fertilize the eggs. This is why if more than one male has bred the dog in the last few days there can be multiple fathers.

Some puppies just have a poor foundation and need to be able to be brought along until they get their footing. They are underdeveloped because of a poor implant site in the uterus. They could have been on an old placenta scar or on an area that just didn't have as rich a blood supply. The egg lands in a spot of tissue that is too thin, or doesn't have a strong vascular system under neath it to guarantee good blood supply to the fetus. Nothing his owner did wrong, and nothing could have done to prevent it. The better an implant site is the bigger the puppy will grow. A malnourished puppy, in the womb, will be premature in development when born.

In either case however the care is the same. They are under developed, and a fraction the size of their littermates. They are small because of their placement in the uterus, but still need ALL the steps that are mentioned below to help them catch up in strength because they have been poorly nourished in the womb. For this article I am going to refer to him as a preemie as his development is definitely premature.

Preemie babies often reach full size by adulthood, but SGA babies start off tiny and stay tiny. Time will tell what the case may be for this puppy.

Just like a preemie human baby they need extra warmth, and help feeding, Often tube feeding is necessary and sometimes SubQ hydrating. If you do not have a tube, or know how to feed, just try to use an eye dropper till you can get one.

HEAT is VERY important, as they are meant to still be inside the dam, which is 100 degrees F.

A puppy needs 1 cc for every ounce of body weight every 2.5 to 4 hours.

A preemie needs to eat every 2 hours. By a week old every 2.5 hours, and by 2 weeks old you can feed them every 3 hours.

Going an extra hour at nighttime, is usually okay.

A 50g puppy needs about 1cc every 2 hours.
A 100g pup needs about 2 cc every 2 hours.
And this amount increases by .5 to 1cc per day every 2 hours.

A preemie puppy rarely lives depending how early they are. You have to remember dogs are only pregnant for 59 to 63 days. Therefore every day counts.


Puppies are whelped 63 days after ovulation, not after breeding. A very large litter or a singleton pup can throw this off a day or two. Illness in the bitch can also result in premature birth.

If your puppies are born 59 days after a tie it just means she ovulated 4 days prior to your breeding her. Eggs generally take 3 to 4 days to ripen.

It is apparently proven by a vet that a canine can have twins, one placenta, 2 puppies, identical twins.

This little brown puppy's name is Bandit. The following is a day by day diary of trying to save this puppy.

Born at 88g,
Day 1 82g.
Day 2 82g.
Day 3 88g.
Day 4 92g.
Day 5 94g.
Day 6 102g. Doing GREAT
Day 7 118g. Was doing great, but in the afternoon, suddenly bloated up, and went very weak. Constant crying and gasping.
Day 8 126g. Seems stable, but week, and still bloated.

This syndrome is often seen in full term puppies and referred to as fading puppy syndrome by many.

Bandit is doing much better than last night, in that he is not suffering, he is comfy and content, but weak. His chances at survival are guessed at 50%. I have heard from many breeders, that say at a week or two they just loose a puppy, the tummy swells up, they get weak, and they fade away and they do not know why.

Firstly I had to get him warm, not just a little warm, but warm to the core and having him in my bra wasn't enough. I made an incubator with below heat and above heat and have rice pads in it and one warm water IV bottle for him to lie on in order to simulate a littermates.

He cannot digest food if he is cold and he was cooling down even though I had the whelp box quite warm as I normally would. That worked for a week, but he needed it even warmer, yet for some reason, maybe an internal infection, he wasn't holding body heat. And I wasn't able to get any food in him as the prior feeding was still sitting there after a couple hours, the heat was like magic to comfort him.

Then I gave his tummy a break by Sub Q feeding for 2 feedings putting 3cc of lactate ringer water in the skin of his neck.

I emptied his bowels and made sure all was working with a warm enema. Started him on Clavomox antibiotic giving .01cc every 4 hours.

Now an unknown sore has developed. I don't think it is a wound. It was spreading and it is thickening of the skin and oozing. Very strange. I am putting Polysporin on it and will have the vet look at it tomorrow.

He is being fed every 2 to 3 hours with a little less than I usually give and adding Nutrical dab to each feeding and .5cc water. His poop is green, but his plumbing is working.

I am trying to keep the wound dry. I put Polysporin on it, and he will lye on his back. I think the heat lamp will help it. He is holding up his head, he has the strength to lift his head off the blanket, which he has not been able to do for 24 hours.

Day 9 weight is 122g., and went up to 128 g.

Bandit the preemie puppy had a good day today. He went to the vet, but they couldn't tell me anything. He is still bloated, but not weak anymore. He is strong enough to try nursing. The last 2 tries he got 2cc. This time however he got 6 cc. I think he MAY be on the upward road.  He is crawling again too. I still have not found out what the bloating is and his belly is still very bloated. I have asked all over and many breeders have had this happen and lost a puppy at a week old,  but no one knows what it is.
The vet confirmed that his heart is good.

Bandit the preemie puppy at 10 days old.

He has spent a lot of time with his mom and litter today. His mom Catreeya licked his scab off. I think this is good. Still not sure what the sore is from. Perhaps from being born early and having thin skin? Separating him from mom so I could keep ointment on it helped. I also put a paper absorbent between to help dry it. The heat lamp also helped dry it.

Day 10 - Weight - 130 g.

Day 11 - Weight - 136 g.

Day 12 - Weight - 146 g.

Interesting discovery

When I helped the breeder with the litter that produced a water baby or walrus baby, the vet had NO idea what it was, but I found
out by going to a pediatrician. I decided to do the same thing for this preemie puppy, to ask a human baby doctor for advice. I found out about necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which happens in premature babies typically within the first 2 weeks after they are born and milk feeding has begun. It basically means their stomachs, like Bandits tummy, was not developed enough to digest food yet.

Preemies have immature bowels. They are prone to infection and are sensitive to changes in blood flow. They often have problems with oxygen, blood circulation and with digestion. This often increases the chances of developing NEC.

Preemie babies are not offered food, but fed through IV for a while introducing food slowly. Too much food is too much load on them. Introducing food can cause a bacteria to enter the gut wall and it can even burst through. Preemies do not always show a temp drop, but still get a gut infection.

The exact cause of NEC is unknown. However it is possible that the intestinal tissues are too weak and with the lack of oxygen and or blood flow, they cannot handle the stress of food going into the stomach and intestines. Bacteria normally found in the intestine invades and damages the wall of the intestinal tissues.

The doctor suggested to cut back the food, and do not feed every 2 to 3 hours, but feed 1/2 as much and do sub Q fluids for the others, to take the load off the stomach.

I did not cut back much. I cut back from every 2 hours to every 2.5 to 3 hours and cut back the puppy formula, trying to feed as much dams milk as possible.

Day 13

Weight - 162 g.

Little Preemie, has taken a good turn for the better. The wound is drying up and he is very, very squirmy when I have to hold him for mom to potty him. His Strength is back. His tummy is still swollen, but a little less. The last 3 feedings have been 8cc, 8cc and 10cc, which is awesome. I can only tube 4 to 6cc into him if I feed him by hand.

Feeding Time

At feeding time the larger pups find the teats and drink three times faster than the preemie. When a pup drains one teat, they move to the other pushing the preemie away. If I want the preemie to get any natural breastmilk I have to intervene.

To insure the preemie gets some milk I have the mom crated in between feedings.

For example if I witness a feeding with let down at 9 a.m. and I see all puppies get a good feeding, I tube feed the premie and then at 10 a.m., I crate the dam, knowing that the next feeding is at 11 a.m.

I can then let the mom out of the crate, which I have placed in a spot where she can see her puppies. I supervise and use my hand as a baracade, so the preemie can have a teat and drain it, without getting pushed off.

I leave the dam with all the puppies to tend to them from 11:00 a.m. untill noon. At noon I crate her, to prepare for the 1 p.m. feeding.

If I do not do this, I may walk in at 12:50 p.m. and find that she has fed the puppies and the preemie hasn't eaten.

This method is time consuming, but when a puppy does not do well on formula, or goats milk, the dams milk is the best and should be used whenever possible.

Day 14

LIttle Chance (new name, changed from Bandit), or Lazarus (pending name), has healed well, very quickly. He has been Gaining steadily for the last couple days. The cut on his underside has mended quite nicely.

He is nursing from his mother at feeding time. At this stage I must still intervene. I am feeding every 4 hours at night. I usually have to tube feed him for the first morning feeding, because he hasn't eaten any milk during the night and is hungry. His littermates do not let him eat very much if at all when I am not there to help him.

I let him have the back 2 teats holding the 4 puppies on the front 4 teats. A minute after let down I have to put my hand in to create a barricade so he does not get pushed off.

Picture of him with his sister. Still very small compared to his litter mates. His bloat has gone down, but not completely. He still has a swollen belly and I will keep him on antibiotics for a while, but he is looking healthy.

Weight comparison for the two puppies pictured above.

Premie red boy = Born 88g., Day 1 - 82g., Day 2 - 82g., Day 5 - 94g. 1 week = 118/gain = 30 grams)
Day 8 -127g., Day 9 -122g., Day 10 -130g., Day 11 -136g., Day 12 -146g., Day 13 -162g., 2 week = 186g./ gain = 98 grams *GAINED 24g. yesterday, YIPEE* Day 15 -190g., Day 16 -202g., Day 17 - 234g., Day 18 -240g., Day 19 -254g., Day 20 -278g.

2 week = 186g. gain = 98 grams *GAINED 24g.
3 week = 300g. gain = 212 grams
4 week = 43g. 8 gain = 350 grams
5 week = 686g. gain = 598 grams
6 week = 702g. gain = 614 grams
7 week = 810g. gain = 722 grams
8 week = 950g. gain = 862 grams} estimate adult 7.5 lbs
9 week = 1130g. (he is at about 6 week size)

Black and white parti female = Born 154g., Day 1 - 158g., Day 2 - 168g., Day 5 - 236g. 1 week = 300/gain = 146 grams

2 week =58g. gain = 364 grams
3 week = 724g. gain = 570 grams
4 week = 870g. gain = 716 grams
5 week = 980g. gain = 826 grams
6 week = 1074g. gain = 920 grams
7 week = 1280g. gain = 1126grams
8 week = 1460g. gain = 1306grams} estimate adult 11 lbs
9 week = 1730g.

Preemie puppy at 2 weeks old and his littermate brother.

Preemie and his sisters at 2 weeks old.

Preemie puppy at 2 weeks old.

Preemie puppy 2.5 weeks old. Little preemie eyes are starting to open. He is about 4 days behind the others. He is sucking well, but if I don't get up to feed him, or I go out, he gets nothing. He is taking a bottle good.

Preemie puppy 2.5 weeks old with his mother and littermates.

Preemie puppy and littermate at 3 weeks old.

Preemie puppy and littermate at 3 weeks old.

Preemie puppy and littermates at 3 weeks old nursing.

At 3.5 weeks the preemie pup is doing very well.

Preemie puppy at 6 weeks old.

Preemie puppy at 7 weeks old.

Preemie puppy and his littermates at 7 weeks old.

Preemie puppy and his littermate at 12 weeks old. The vet has given him a 100% healthly check twice.

Preemie puppy and his littermate at 12 weeks old.

Preemie puppy and his littermate at 6 months. These two are absolutely wonderful together. The black and white guy is a normal size and preemie is the smaller one. He is thriving.

Courtesy of MistyTrails Havanese

So you want to breed Pros and Cons of Inbreeding To Breed or Not To Breed? Whelping puppies - Breeding age Reproduction: (The Heat Cycle) - Signs of Heat Breeding - Tie Dog Pregnancy Calendar Pregnancy Guide Prenatal Care Pregnant Dams Full Term Mucus Plug Whelping Whelping Kit First and Second Stage of Labor Third Stage of Labor Sometimes things do not go as planned Dam Almost Dies on Day 6 Whelping Unfortunate Troubles Water (Walrus) Puppies C-Sections C-Section due to large dead puppy Whelping Puppies - C-section Pictures Dam Day 62 PostPartum Birth to 3 weeks Pups 3 Weeks - time to start potty training Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 6 to 7.5 Weeks 8 Weeks 8 to 12 Weeks Whelping Large Breed Dogs Mastitis in Dogs Mastitis In Dogs - A Toy Breed Case Why are Toy breeds are harder to train? Crate Training Showing, Genetics and Breeding Saving a Puppy Whelping Stories - Three Puppies Born Whelping - All puppies do not always survive Whelping Puppies - A Midwoof Call Whelping a Full Term Preemie Whelping small for gestational age puppy C-Section due to Uterine Inertia SubQ hydrating a puppy Whelping a Singleton Premature Litter A Premature Puppy Another Premature Puppy Pregnant Dam Absorbing Fetus Whelping Puppies Congenital Defects Puppy with Umbilical Cord Attached to Foot Puppy Born with Intestines on the Outside Dewclaw Removal Done Wrong Whelping and Working Whelping a messy litter of pups Whelping Puppies Picture Pages

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Although this section is based on a whelping of an English Mastiff, it also contains good general whelping information in large breed dogs. You can find more whelping information in the links above. The links below tell a story about Sassy, an English Mastiff. Sassy has a wonderful temperament. She loves humans and Adores human children. An all around mild mannered, wonderful Mastiff. Sassy however is not the best mother towards her puppies, she is not rejecting them, she will nurse them when a human places them on her to feed, however she will not clean the pups or pay any attention to them. It is as if, they are not her puppies. This litter is getting moms milk, with major human interaction, manually giving each and every pup what they need. In return, the pups will be super socialized and will make remarkable pets, however the work involved is astounding. It takes one dedicated breeder to keep this situation healthy. Thankfully this litter has just that, a dedicated breeder. Read the links below to get the full story. There is a wealth of info that everyone can appreciate and benefit from. C-Section in a Large Breed Dog Newborn Puppies... What you need Whelping Mastiff Puppies One to Three Days Old Things do not always go as planned (imperforate anus) Orphaned Litter (not the plan) 10 Days Old Plus ++ 3 Week Old Puppies Puppies 3 Weeks - time to start potty training Puppies 4 weeks old Puppies 5 weeks old Puppies 6 weeks old Puppies 7 weeks old Socializing the Puppies Mastitis in Dogs Whelping Large Breed Dogs Main Whelping, a new found respect

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Whelping, Close to text book case Puppies Progress Chart Cuban Mysti Puppies - Full Term Mucus Plug - 1 Cuban Mysti Puppies - Labor Story - 2 Cuban Mysti Puppies - Labor Story 3 Cuban Mysti Puppies - One Day Old Pups - 4

 

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