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Runt of the litter

1601 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  LoveMyFosters
Hi there. Our American Bulldog Male and American Bulldog Lab mix Female just had their first litter of 10 pups 9 days ago. They are all feeding and doing really great. I am a bit concerned with the runt of the litter. She feeds well and fights hard for a spot to feed off mama every time, but she is pretty much the same size as she she was born where the other 9!are definitely getting bigger. Any advice on how to make sure she continues to grow strong and bigger please! This is our first time raising pups so all advice is greatly appreciated!
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Sounds like you need to start doing some extra feeding. If the pup isn't growing much at all it's vital you act fast or you may loose the pup. Have you checked to make sure the pup doesn't have a cleft palate?

Also, a photo of the pups together will give me a better idea of how much of a size difference there is. Sometimes the runts are just naturally smaller than the rest. If you are able to get a photo that would be great.
She is the white one with the black patch on her eye. The 9 other are stocky, and she is more on the slender side. She definitely eats a lot, and we are making sure she gets on before or after the bunch of them do a group feed. How do I check if she has a cleft palate? Thanks for all of your advice.

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Also, I tried to attach a photo, and it says permission denied.
@BiertzerPups: Was she extra small at birth compared to the others, or about the same size?

The photo worked. :) Cute puppies! I do see what you mean, she is smaller and looks a lot less developed than the others. Good on making sure she gets her fill when group nursing. Have you been bottle feeding at all? Checking for a cleft is easy, just turn the pup on it's back and look at the roof of her mouth. A cleft often looks like this:
http://www.dogforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
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