How To Care For A One
Month Old Cocker Spaniel

by Divya
(India)

Three days back we got this 35 day-old English cocker spaniel puppy. First we thought she was very docile and calm but now I feel she is not well.

Can I get some guidance on this please?

She sleeps all day long, hardly eats, about twice a day, and is very lean and thin.

Do puppies of this age sleep so much and eat so little?

I am really worried about her. She simply refuses food most of the time. Do young puppies eat so little?

Please let me know what I should be feeding her.

Reply from Pauline (Web Owner)

Hello Divya, Your puppy is very, very young - too young to be away from it's mother. They're usually okay to leave their mother and litter mates at around 8 weeks, so as you can see, one month is a little too early.

Because of this you will need to take extra-special care of her during the next four weeks or so and if I were you, I'd take her to a vet and have her checked over just to make sure she's fine.

To answer your questions:

Puppies do sleep a lot when they're very young and they should be eating several small meals a day by about 8 weeks, after they've been weaned from their mother.

You need to ask the breeder if your puppy was being fed solids or still feeding on her mother's milk. Ask for specific feeding instructions.

You may not be offering her what she's been used to eating or if you're giving her kibble when she's not yet been weaned, that may be the reasons she's not eating.

If she's not eaten for a couple of days, I'd take her to see the vet for a general check up. In fact, if you're at all worried about your cocker spaniel puppy, don't delay - take her to see your vet now.

PS: She's such a cute puppy! I do hope she's alright.