Continued from last week
Importance of weight gain
Puppies should gain one to one and half grams of weight per day for each pound of anticipated adult weight and should double their birth weight in eight to the days. To estimate the adult weight of a puppy, weigh the dam. A steady gain in weight is the best indication that puppies are doing well. Similarly, when a puppy doesn’t gain weight, he should be singled out for special attention. For this reason, puppies should be weighed on a gram scale at birth, at 12 and 24 hours, daily for the first two weeks of life and every three days until a month old.
When several puppies in a litter are not gaining weight, you should think of a material factor (such as toxic milk, metritis, or inadequate milk supply). If the mother is not getting adequate calories in her diet, her milk supply will be inadequate to support a large litter. A nursing dam needs two or three times more food than a normal adult dog. The diet must be balanced to meet the needs of lactation. This subject has been discussed in previous TPCs.
Diarrhoea (‘loose bowels’) will result in a sudden drop in weight due to fluid losses. A balanced electrolyte solution is
