Ask Dr Claire

I have a 5 and a half week old chihuahua puppy. She isn’t wanting to drink hardly at all and she seldom poops. Maybe once a day at most. Is that normal?

Puppies should be gaining weight every day and eating well. It’s important to weigh your puppy every day to ensure there’s weight gain––it’s the best way to assess healthy growth. She should also be pooping regularly.

When puppies get sick regardless of the cause, they can go downhill easily.

We call it fading puppy syndrome and they become progressively dehydrated, get low blood sugar and become cold. Your puppy is still young and needs supportive care and treatment.

A hands-on examination from your local vet as soon as possible would be a great place to start.

Better to be safe than sorry with pups.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire