Newborn puppy weight: how much should they gain a day?

How to weigh a newborn puppy

Use a digital kitchen scale that reads in grams. VCA says a digital food scale with a capacity up to 5 pounds works best, and that weighing before and after a feed can show how much a nursing puppy took in. Our suggestions: weigh at the same time of day, put a warm container or towel on the scale so the puppy does not chill, and zero the scale with the container on it so the reading is the puppy alone. Handle puppies briefly; the care guide covers keeping them warm.

Record the birth weight of each puppy and give every one an identity. VCA says markings work, or colored collars or a dot of nail polish on a few front toenails when puppies look alike. Record weight in grams, since a day's gain is tens of grams.

Expected daily gain: what the sources say

The sources agree on the direction and differ on the number, as the table shows. Merck's owner pages say newborn puppies should gain 10% of their body weight each day. Its professional manual says the normal gain is 5 to 10% of body weight a day, and gives a second rule: 1 to 3 grams a day for each kilogram of expected adult weight. VCA says on average puppies double their birth weight by day 10.

A worked example, using Merck's percentages: a 400 g puppy gains about 20 to 40 g in a day. By the adult weight rule, a puppy that will reach 10 kg as an adult gains about 10 to 30 g a day, and one that will reach 30 kg gains 30 to 90 g. Both are our arithmetic. Doubling in 10 days works out to roughly 7% a day compounded, which sits inside Merck's range.

The first 24 hours are the exception

Merck's professional manual says neonates should gain weight steadily from the first day after birth, and that a transient mild loss of at most 10% of birth weight is acceptable on day 1. After that, Merck's owner pages say any weight loss after the first 24 hours indicates a potential problem that should get immediate attention, such as extra feeding, assisted nursing or an examination by a veterinarian.

How to chart it

A paper chart works: one row per puppy per weigh-in, with the date, time, weight in grams, the change since last time and the percent change. Add a note when a puppy was weighed before or after a feed, and when the dam was away. Our suggestion is to flag any row with no gain; a single flat reading deserves a re-weigh and a look at that puppy's nursing.

A worked example, our arithmetic from the Merck figures: a puppy born at 400 g that reads 380 g the next morning has lost 5%, inside the day-one allowance of up to 10%. If that puppy reads 380 g on day 3, it has lost weight after the first 24 hours, and Merck says to treat that as a potential problem and call your vet. A puppy that reads 400 g on day 3 has not gained either; by the 5 to 10% range it should be around 440 g or more, so ask your vet whether it needs help nursing.

How long to keep weighing differs by source. Merck's professional manual suggests daily for 2 weeks, then every 3 days until one month; VCA says daily for 4 weeks and weekly from the fifth week. Pick a schedule with your vet, and keep it the same for every puppy in the litter. A runt or low-weight puppy may need more attention: Merck lists low birth weight, under 350 g in a medium-size breed, as a risk factor for neonatal sepsis.

When to call the vet

Call your vet the same day for any puppy that loses weight after the first 24 hours or fails to gain, as Merck's owner pages advise. Merck's professional manual lists decreased weight gain among the signs of neonatal sepsis and says sepsis can cause rapid deterioration if not treated promptly; our guide to the first two weeks lists the other signs. If your vet is closed, go to an emergency veterinary hospital.

For the rest of newborn care, including warmth and hygiene, see our guide to the first two weeks. For orphaned puppies, a vet should guide feeding from the start.