# Average wieght of newborn puppies



## DDRetrievers (Jun 20, 2006)

Hey all,

I did a search and only found one post stating what the wieght of newborn pups average so I thought I would ask.

My black lab Mercedes whelped her litter yesterday, by the end of it her and I were so exhausted from 30 hours of no sleep that I did not wieght them last night. Well I did it today and out of a litter of 12 the largest was 12.9oz ( a boy) and the smallest is 8.8 oz (a girl)

Since this is such a large litter would this be considered normal weights for them 24 hours after delivery? It's my first litter so I am just a little cautious....

Thanks'

Drew


----------



## Eric Johnson (Dec 23, 2004)

The puppies will usually lose a bit the first 24 hours. It takes a bit for the bitch to shift into milk production. The first thing they get is colostrum.

The weights seem fine to me ... especially with such a large litter. 

Eric


----------



## cgoeson (Jan 22, 2008)

Hey Drew,

My girl whelped a litter of 5 two weeks ago. The smallest was 7.5 oz, and the largest was 14.5. Sounds like you're right in the middle of normal.


----------



## Guest (Oct 28, 2008)

normally 8oz to 24 oz. I typically have one (labs) or two at the smallest end and the first two pups are usually well over a pound. The rest about one pound.

I have kept weight charts on all of my puppies. I don't have them here with me, but I think we look for a 1-3 oz gain each day if my memory serves me. We do want to see a gain every day in each pup. If they aren't gaining at a rate equal to their siblings, we will make sure they are the first to nurse (we'll put them on the fullest nipple and keep them on it alone and then let mom in with other pups). It's not that they should all weigh the same, but they should gain weight at the same rate (% per day). And then we want to make sure that everyone is able to get what they need -- even some bigger ones may be a little weak initially esp if they were late out. but hopefully they all eat well, thrive and take care of themselves, which is often the case.

I think this is why smaller dogs tend to be a lot feistier -- because they have to fight for it from the start and be really tough!

-K


----------



## DDRetrievers (Jun 20, 2006)

Thanks all,

I kinda figured it might just be "first litter jitters" but i thought it was better to ask now than be sorry later. I actually just got done doing what you said Kristie, I put " blue girl" ( 8.8oz) on the biggest nipple and let her eat alone till she stopped. She was the only one under 10oz so I was just a little worried.

Here's a quick picture I snapped of them last night.

Drew


----------



## windycanyon (Dec 21, 2007)

I had a litter of 12 w/ a very small (60# short coupled) bitch 1.5 yrs ago. Pups ranged from 13 to 16.5 oz and median was still 14.5 oz. Poor Jazz looked like an angus from the 6th wk on but was a real trooper thru the whole thing and fortunately for me, was a great mom.


----------



## TXduckdog (Oct 17, 2007)

Weight is secondary.....are they feeding? is primary.

Keep putting the little one on mama's best udder. They'll do fine.


----------



## Guest (Oct 29, 2008)

TXduckdog said:


> Weight is secondary.....are they feeding? is primary.
> 
> Keep putting the little one on mama's best udder. They'll do fine.


Weight in puppies is critically important. They can eat all day and if they aren't gaining weight, you have a problem. Or they can APPEAR to be eating and may not actually be eating. They could have diarrhea and you'd never know it bc mom is eating it up as fast as they make it. If a pup doesn't gain weight daily early on, you need to monitor it closely and make sure it gets fed.

I highly recommend that breeders keep a weight chart 2x a day for the first week or two, then a few times a week for another week or two, then once a week after that.


----------



## YardleyLabs (Dec 22, 2006)

I second Kristie's comment. I weigh my pups every day for the first 3-4 weeks. Sometimes a pup will go a day without gaining weight but if it goes two days without gaining, I assume there is a problem. I make the weighing in process part of my daily routine of early neurological stimulation and general physical examination. While I handle all pups frequently, the routine of these structured activities along with writing notes in my litter journal makes me better able to identify problems and also to get a better sense of each pup's personality.


----------



## cgoeson (Jan 22, 2008)

I agree... I've been weighing mine every day. I'll be stopping in a couple days because they're getting too big to stay on the scale. I'll probably still weight the smallest one every day. She gains an oz or two every day, but is still way behind the others. I take her out of the group every day to eat by herself, but she is still about half the size of the biggest. I', looking forward to getting her on puppy food so I can feed her more.


----------



## TXduckdog (Oct 17, 2007)

Kristie Wilder said:


> Weight in puppies is critically important. They can eat all day and if they aren't gaining weight, you have a problem. Or they can APPEAR to be eating and may not actually be eating. They could have diarrhea and you'd never know it bc mom is eating it up as fast as they make it. If a pup doesn't gain weight daily early on, you need to monitor it closely and make sure it gets fed.
> 
> 
> 
> I see your point...but it doesn't take much to see a pup NOT gaining weight....keeping up with the others. No?


----------

