[babyxada]

I have a 9 day old puppy who is the same size as when it was first born. She has a slit on her mouth to about where her nose is. We're thinking that she can't suck on mothers nipples because of her slit. Since it seems that she can't get milk from the mother we hand feed her but she won't eat much. We're very worried that she might not survive. What can we do to help her or will she even survive? Please help!!

[froggy7]

If it's a cleft palate, the prognosis may be grim. The puppy can't suck, because the hole in the palate prevents suction from forming. A quick Google on dog cleft palate implies that the prognosis depends almost entirely on the severity of the split. Minor ones may heal up on their own, but large ones will need surgery to correct, and will take the most effort to nurse the puppy to a point where that can happen. It's time for a vet visit to see how bad this situation is, what kind of treatment is available, and potentially to euthanize the puppy if the other option is starving to death.

[labman]

The vet may or may not be able to save the puppy. How much care did you put into selecting the parents? It is just plain wrong to breed any old dogs and hope for the best.