We just purchased a 5 wk old st.bernard puppy and have had him for 24hrs and he has not eaten only drank milk?

Question

We just purchased a 5 wk old st.bernard puppy and have had him for 24hrs and he has not eaten only drank milk?

Answer 1

he is definately too young to be away from his mother. he may still need his mother's milk, as he may not be fully weaned yet.

i brought my saint bernard home when she was 8 weeks, and she had started to be weaned off of her mother's milk at around 6/7 weeks. (i think...)

take your puppy back to the breeder or ask your vet for advice on what to do. and make sure you arent feeding him cow's milk (what we drink), he needs puppy formula milk.  

Answer 2

He is at least 3 weeks too young to be away from his mother.  If you cannot take him back to his mother for the next 3 weeks, call your vet in the morning and ask their advice on food replacement.  

Answer 3

Whoever sold you the puppy was an irresponsible breeder - they shouldn't bee taken away from their mothers until they're 8 weeks old - if I were you, I'd take him back to the mother for the next 3 weeks and then come back for him. He's not weened yet, and unless you want to wake up every 2 hours to bottlefeed him, it's not good for the poor puppy.

Answer 4

Even for a giant breed like Saints 5 weeks old is way to young to be sold and separated from the litter and mom.

You may have to teach him how to eat food and I hope your not giving him cow's milk.

You will have to get some good quality dog food that is 24% or lower for this pup.  Crush it up and mix in some puppy replacement formula.  Then make a soupy mush out of it.  I'd say 1/4 cup at a time 4 times a day.  Put some on your finger and then see if the pup will lap it up!  

You may try to gently dip the pups chin into the mush and have him realize that he can lap it up himself.  Don't make it too stiff for him ok it should be very soupy.

This breeder was very irresponsible and If I could I'd report her.    

Answer 5

WELL.... if he's 5 weeks, he is way too young to be away from mom.

If he's not weaned yet, that means he still drinks milk -- which would be the same as eating.

And what kind of milk are you giving him?  Puppies should NOT have cow's milk.  He needs puppy formula from the pet store.

What you really need to do ASAP is get him to the vet.  If this pup is really only 5 weeks old, he came from a bad breeder -- he might be sick with something.  And he definitely hasn't had his vaccinations yet.

Answer 6

You should take the p**p pup back to the breeder, get your money back and go find a responsible breeder. Don't get a puppy until it is at least 8 weeks old, preferably 9 weeks.  

Answer 7

He's probably hardly weaned, you should be questioning your breeder if they were willing to let you take a5wk old puppy, no dog should be separated from their mother before eight weeks at the earliest. I would get him into a vet asap to be sure he is healthy puppy.  good luck, he is going to be alot of work the next few weeks.  

Answer 8

he's just gettin used to his new home. he'll eat when he's hungry

Answer 9

I bet you've participated on this list prior to today.

So how come you haven't read all these posts about bringing home pups younger than 8 weeks?

Darn near everyone that answers says the same thing too.  Pups that are not yet 8 weeks old should still be with the dam and the rest of the litter.

Maybe you should start doing some dog, breed and care research on the internet now. You've got a lot to learn about a dog that will live with you for at least 9 -10 more years.

Now go get some goats milk, not any other kind of milk, and mix it with some kibble until soft.

Because I'm going to bet that you're not going to take the pup back to the breeder.

And if/when you do take him to the vet please do not have the pup vaccinated until you know he/she's healthy and at least 8 wks.

Answer 10

At five weeks, he may not be fully weaned yet. Puppies are supposed to be with their mothers until 8 weeks.