A litter of one! Could he become obese?

[Goochina & Goochissimo]

I posted before about my dalmatian and my neighbor's black lab doing the deed and conceiving a pup... just one pup. It was an amazingly small litter, that's for sure. We never even knew the mom was pregnant!!!

Anyway, I just wanted to post about the pup. It is HUGE! Thriving!!! It's eyes opened within 3 days, and it was walking on its own by 7 days. Can you believe it??? I took some pics, I'll post them eventually but my computer at home isn't working right (I'm at work... shhhh).

Does anyone know if the puppy's overeating (no competition!) will be good or bad for him in the long run? Could he become too obese or suffer any problems? Thanks!

[ramanth]

I've never raised a puppy so I cannot answer your question. I did want to say CONGRATS! on the new bundle of pup joy.

[Fuzzy317]

We have a lone puppy too. She was only one in litter to make it. Ginger is 16 weeks old and over 20 pounds. We try and feed her 3 times a day, while she is growing. Her mother is full beagle, we have no idea what was the breed of the father. Her paws suggest she will get to about 60 pounds.

This was Ginger at 6 weeks. I will try and get a more recent picture online soon.

[Dixieland Dancer]

Are you weighing the pup daily? How much is he gaining? How old is he and how much does he weigh now?

It is not good to grow large breed puppies too fast since the bones are still soft and forming and extra weight can cause stress on the hip joints, causing hip dysplasia. This is especially true if dysplasia runs in either parents line.

While rolly polly puppies are very adorable, it is best to not let them become too obese.

Opening his eyes at 3 days is amazing. Usually it doesn't happen until around 12 to 13 days. Are the ears still closed?

Can't wait to see the pictures!

[manda99]

16 weeks and 20 pounds... hee hee.
That's so funny cuz I always think my puppy is just a wee lil' guy... but then I think about it - he's 13 weeks and 25 pounds!

Is it something like at 16 weeks that's 1/2 of their adult weight?

[Goochina & Goochissimo]

Ginger is soooo cute!!!!

Well, my dog isn't the momma so I don't have all the details, but she is just next door. I do have a pic on the digital camera to upload when I get a chance. I just wanted to warn her about overfeeding the pup, if that was an issue.

He was born May 3 and as of last weekend, his ears weren't open yet (at 2 weeks). I think part of the reason his eyes opened so fast is because it was a longer gestation period with him being the only pup in there. Is that a possibility? We don't know exactly, but it was somewhere around 3 months.

I'm not sure about weight gain, since he is with the mom. I'll talk to the neighbor though.

Incidentally, Odie just LOVES the pup. He is SO interested in it, and licks it so gently. It is so cute. Do you think he knows he's the daddy???

[Rottie]

Single puppy litters need almost more work than a big litter of puppies. Because there is only 1 puppy, he won't learn the kinds of things from his littermates that normal puppies would. You also have to be careful not to baby him too much, otherwise he'll expect that all his life. He will need LOTS of extra socialization with other dogs that a normal puppy wouldn't. Be sure to get him in a puppy kindergarden type class as soon as he's old enough.