Weight is the earliest warning you get with newborn puppies. A puppy that fails to gain or loses weight is cause for alarm, and VCA warns that puppies that begin losing weight may die within 48 hours if the loss is not reversed.
Merck also lists a decrease in weight gain among the possible signs of infection in a newborn. This guide covers how often to weigh from birth to eight weeks, how to read the line those weights make, and which numbers mean you call the vet.
for a puppy that starts losing weight
VCA warns such puppies may die within 48 hours if the loss is not reversed — which is why the scale comes out every day
The short version
- How often: Twice a day for the first two weeks, once a day to four weeks, then twice a week to eight weeks. Merck's minimum is once a day for two weeks, then every three days to one month.
- What normal looks like: A dip of up to 10% on day one, then a gain of about 5–10% of body weight a day. Most puppies double their birth weight in about 7–10 days, and by day 14 at the latest.
- When to call the vet: Straight away for a puppy that is cold, limp, not suckling, crying constantly or struggling to breathe. The same day for a loss of more than 10% on day one, still under birth weight on day two, a confirmed loss or a full day without gain after that, or no doubling by day 14.
- Percentages, not grams: Compare each puppy's daily gain as a share of its own weight. A small puppy's few grams can be right on track while a big littermate's larger number is not.
How often to weigh: twice a day for two weeks, then less as the puppy grows
The first two weeks need the closest watch. Merck's minimum is a weight every day for two weeks, then every three days until one month old.
The routine below goes further than that minimum, because more readings show a problem sooner.
| Age | How often | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Once, within the first hour | Birth weight in grams: every later reading is judged against it |
| Days 1–14 | Twice a day, before the morning and evening feeds (Merck minimum: once a day) | Day one: a dip of up to 10%. From day two: at or above birth weight, then gaining every day |
| Days 15–28 | Once a day (Merck minimum: every 3 days) | Steady daily gain as weaning starts |
| Weeks 5–8 | Twice a week, same days (Merck gives no interval past one month) | Steady gain through weaning |
| At-risk puppies | Twice a day until your vet is happy with the trend | Small at birth, slow to start, supplemented, or had a dip |
Minimums: Merck Veterinary Manual. The routine above them is this guide's recommendation. What counts as a problem at each age is set out under “When the numbers mean call your vet” below.
Reading the growth curve: four patterns
Plot each puppy's weight in grams against its age. Judge the line by the daily gain as a share of the puppy's weight — about 5–10% a day in the first two weeks — not by how steep it looks.
In grams, a healthy line usually gets steeper week by week, because the same share of a bigger puppy is more grams. The share itself slowly falls: a model of maximum puppy growth, checked against 345 puppies, has it dropping from about 13% at birth to about 6% by day 21.
Compare readings taken at the same time each day, both before a feed. With twice-a-day weighing, an evening reading that is flat against that morning's is not a verdict on its own, because feeds fall at different times.
Healthy: rising every day
After day one, each same-time reading is higher than the day before, at roughly 5–10% a day for the first two weeks. Keep weighing.
Flat: no gain in 24 hours
After the first 24 hours, a puppy that has not gained over a full day may not be getting enough milk, or may be ill. Re-weigh once on the same scale to rule out a slip, then call your vet the same day. While you call, check that it is warm, can reach a teat and is suckling strongly.
Falling: a confirmed loss
After the first 24 hours, any confirmed loss — lower than the previous reading on a re-weigh — means calling your vet now, not at the next weigh-in. Our guide on when weight gain becomes a concern covers what happens next.
Falling behind its littermates
One puppy's line can keep rising while it drifts away from the rest. Compare daily gain as a share of each puppy's own weight, not in grams: a 70 g puppy gaining 4 g a day is gaining almost 6%, inside the normal range, while a 400 g littermate gaining 12 g is gaining 3%.
When the numbers mean call your vet
Call your vet straight away — whatever the scale says — for a puppy that is cold to the touch, limp, not suckling, crying constantly, or struggling to breathe. Warm a chilled puppy gradually while you call, and do not feed it until it is warm.
The weight rules below each mean a call to your vet the same day:
- Day one: a loss of more than 10% of birth weight. Up to 10% is normal in a puppy that is warm and nursing.
- Day two onward: still under birth weight. In a study of 8,550 puppies, normal-birth-weight puppies still more than 8.7% under birth weight on day two had an observed mortality of 23% by two months of age, against 3.2% for the rest.
- After the first 24 hours: any confirmed loss, or no gain over a full day. Compare same-time readings, and re-weigh once on the same scale to rule out a slip.
- Not doubled birth weight by day 14. Most puppies double in about 7–10 days.
These rules apply at every age, weaning included. Where your vet advises extra feeding, the bottle, tube and stimulation steps are in our guide on bottle and tube feeding puppies. Never feed a cold puppy: warm it first. For a puppy that keeps declining, see our guide to fading puppy syndrome.
For expected gains by breed size, see puppy weight gain explained. For weight charts by breed size, see the newborn puppy weight chart, and for the milestones that go with these weights, puppy development week by week.
What to record at each weigh-in
Weight tells you what changed. A short note next to it often tells you why.
| Field | Record | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Date, AM or PM | Shows gaps; lets you compare same-time readings |
| Puppy ID | Collar color or number | Tells same-color puppies apart |
| Weight | Grams, straight from the scale | The number every rule here uses |
| Feeding | 'Nursed well', 'needed help latching', 'supplemented 3 mL' | Explains a slow day before it repeats |
| Stool | Normal, loose, absent, discolored | Diarrhea or no stool with a loss points to illness |
| Box temperature | Reading at the whelping box | Puppies can't hold their own heat until about 4 weeks |
| Concerns | 'Crying more than usual', 'away from the pile' | May explain a weight change |
Record at every weigh-in. The Weight Tracker date-stamps each entry and draws the chart for you.
Scale and technique in brief
Use a digital kitchen scale or small pet scale. What matters is the smallest step it shows, not the unit on the display: a day's gain smaller than that step can be hidden.
- Toy breeds (Chihuahua, Yorkie, Maltese, Pomeranian): 1 g steps. On a scale that moves in 10 g steps, a toy puppy gaining 8 g a day can show no change one day and +10 g the next.
- Small to medium breeds: 2–5 g steps are adequate.
- Large and giant breeds: 5 g steps. These puppies gain about 20–70 g a day in the first days, more as they grow.
- Whole-ounce scales are too coarse. They move in 28 g steps, more than three days of a toy puppy's gain. Record in grams.
Weigh on the same scale, on the same flat, hard surface, at the same times each day, before a feed. If you use a bowl or towel, tare (zero) the scale with it in place.
Handle each puppy briefly and gently, and return it to the dam and the warm whelping box straight away: newborns cannot regulate their own body temperature until about 4 weeks. Write each weight down the moment you read it.
For the full equipment list and a handling walk-through, see our guide on how to track puppy weights.
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Two scales, matched to puppy size
Toy and small breeds: the 0.1 g scale, while a puppy fits its 11 × 7 in tray and stays under 11 lb. Bigger puppies: the Greater Goods, in 5 g steps up to 44 lb.
MINDPET-MED Pet Scale (11 lb / 5 kg, 0.1 g)
0.1 g steps · toy & small breedsA pet scale sold for whelping that reads in 0.1 g steps up to 5 kg (11 lb), fine enough for a toy-breed newborn's daily gain to show. Use it while each puppy fits in its 11 × 7 in tray and weighs under 11 lb; after that, move to the larger scale.
Greater Goods Digital Pet Scale
5 g steps · larger puppiesA pet scale with a roomy platform that reads in 5 g steps up to 44 lb, so it keeps working as a larger-breed litter grows. Too coarse for toy-breed newborns. Its hold function keeps the reading on screen while a puppy squirms, and tare zeroes a bowl or towel.
Common tracking mistakes
- Switching scales — Different scales give different readings. Use one scale; if you must switch, note it in the record.
- Weighing at different times — A puppy weighed after a feed reads heavier. Weigh at the same times, before a feed, and compare same-time readings.
- Trusting the unit, not the step — A scale that moves in whole ounces or 10 g steps can hide a day's gain or loss. Check the smallest step it shows.
- Not recording straight away — When you're weighing a litter at 2 AM, memory fails. Write each weight down as you read it.
- Waiting for a second bad reading — After the first 24 hours, re-weigh once to rule out a slip, then call. Don't wait for the next weigh-in to see if it repeats.
- Comparing grams across littermates — Compare each puppy's gain as a share of its own weight. A small puppy's few grams can be on track while a big puppy's larger number is not.
Growth tracking FAQs
1How often should I weigh newborn puppies?
Twice daily for the first 2 weeks (before morning and evening feedings), then once daily through week 4, twice weekly through week 8. For at-risk puppies — the smallest in the litter, any that struggled at birth, or those showing early signs of slow gain — weigh twice daily regardless of age until their weight trend stabilizes.
2What kind of scale do I need?
A digital kitchen scale or small pet scale. What matters is the smallest step it shows, not the unit on the display: toy breed puppies need 1-gram steps to show a day's gain, and 5-gram steps are adequate for large and giant breed puppies. A scale that only moves in whole ounces (about 28 grams a step) is too coarse for newborns. Keep your records in grams so every reading compares directly with the last.
3Should I weigh before or after feeding?
Always weigh before feeding, at the same time each day. Weighing after feeding adds the variable of how much milk the puppy just consumed, which varies from session to session. Consistency is what produces reliable trend data — same time, same scale, before feeding.
4What should I do if I missed a day of weighing?
Weigh at the next opportunity and note the gap in your records. In the first two weeks, do not skip a day: a puppy that starts losing weight can decline within 48 hours, so a missed day can hide the start of a problem. If you will be away, have someone else weigh with the same scale and write the numbers down.
5How do I know if my scale is accurate?
Check it against a known weight close to what your puppies weigh. Kitchen-scale calibration weights (100 g, 200 g or 500 g) are made for this; follow the scale's own calibration steps if the reading is off. A US nickel, minted at 5 grams, is a quick sanity check that the scale reads at all, not proof it is accurate at puppy weights. Re-check whenever you move the scale, and always weigh on a flat, hard surface (not carpet or a towel).
6Should I record anything besides weight?
Yes. The most useful records include: date and time, weight in grams, which puppy (ID collar color or number), and brief notes about feeding behavior, stool observations, and any concerns. Notes like 'nursed vigorously' or 'needed help latching' add context that makes the weight data much more meaningful when you review it later.
Related Tools
References & sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual. Management of the Neonate in Dogs and Cats. — Weigh daily for 2 weeks, then every 3 days to 1 month; normal gain 5–10% of body weight per day; a transient loss of at most 10% of birth weight is acceptable on day 1; a decrease in weight gain, failure to suckle, unusual vocalization, hypothermia and difficult breathing are among the signs of neonatal sepsis; no thermoregulation until 4 weeks; rewarm chilled neonates slowly (30–60 minutes) and delay tube feeding until warm.
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Breeding for Dog Owners — Caring from Birth to Weaning. — Most puppies double their birth weight in the first seven to eight days; a puppy that fails to gain or loses weight is cause for alarm (contact your veterinarian), and puppies that begin losing weight may die within 48 hours if it is not reversed.
- Schrank M, et al. Bodyweight at Birth and Growth Rate during the Neonatal Period in Three Canine Breeds. Animals 2020;10(1):8. — Bernese Mountain Dogs doubled birth weight at 10.0 days, Tibetan Terriers at 8.7 days.
- Alves I. A model of puppy growth during the first three weeks. Vet Med Sci 2020;6(4). — A model of maximum growth, validated on 345 puppies of 19 breeds; its relative daily gain falls from about 13% at birth to about 6% at day 21.
- Mugnier A, Gaillard V, Chastant S. Relative Impact of Birth Weight and Early Growth on Neonatal Mortality in Puppies. Animals 2023;13(12):1928. — 8,550 puppies followed to two months of age; normal-birth-weight puppies more than 8.7% under birth weight on day 2 had 23% observed mortality by two months, against 3.2% for the rest.
- United States Mint. Coin Specifications. — The 5-cent coin (nickel) is specified at 5.00 g.
Further reading: Hand MS, Thatcher CD, Remillard RL, Roudebush P. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (5th ed). This article is for educational purposes and does not replace professional veterinary care. If a puppy isn't gaining weight as expected, contact your veterinarian.