Are only a few of the pups in the litter small or the WHOLE litter?
Mary
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Sometimes 1 or 2 will be small in a large litter, these are called
runts. They are weaker and have trouble completing for food among their
siblings. As a result they become developmentally delayed. Many runts
have been able to catch up to their siblings and they have also been
known to have long lifespans.
I also think runts can occur within an entire litter due to mothers
inability to produce enough or quality milk. It can also be due to
congenital reasons.
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