Will an un-nursed puppy have a healthy life?

We just got our new boxer puppy and I've been looking at pictures of other pups her age. Ours looks very fragile and underdeveloped because the mom didn't nurse her at all. The original owners would feed her puppy milk and ground up puppy food. Will she still have a healthy life?She is 6 weeks old. We are feeding her powdered puppy milk now with about 1/4 cup ground up IAMS puppy food.

Not if you feed her ground up puppy food.Go to the store and buy Puppy Milk Replacement in either pre-made or powder. Pre-made is more convienant but powder will last longer and is less expensive.Feed her according to the chart on the can and feed her OFTEN. She isn't getting the nutrients she needs because her body doesn't have the ability to absorb and digest those types of nutrients yet.

Depends. Some people do a better job of hand raising than others. It can be difficult to drop your entire life to feed puppies every 2-3 hours for weeks and weeks. Hopefully she will catch up. Most do, but some just don't.**If she is at least 6 weeks, you do not have to give puppy formula anymore!!!!!! She SHOULD be on puppy food at this point!!! You really should invest in a good quality dry, and you can soak it in warm water first to make it easier for her. If she were to keep getting formula at this point, you will stunt her development!!!!!!!! Good vet care will be key also. Get her in for a first visit ASAP!!!!!

If she was fed the right way, then she should be perfectly healthy. If the mother didn't nurse, the owners should have given her a good puppy milk and the right amount. There are other reasons she may look more frail. How old is she? Was she treated right in the past? Has the vet taken a look at her? Maybe she is just the runt of the litter. Does she act like a normal puppy, with lots of energy?

Impossible to say really. It sounds like this pup is what you'd call 'the runt of the litter' i.e. the smallest and least healthy. Runts do tend to have the worst luck health wise, although plenty do fine.If she didn't get at least hr first milk from her mother when she was newborn, then this certainly isn't the healthiest way to start out life. Just as with humans, mother's milk is best. Still if the b i tch wouldn't nurse her, she probably would've died if she'd been in the wild, b i tches often don't bother with the weakest of the litter.No point worrying about it now really - best you can do is keep her up to date on flea, worming and vaccinations and feed her premium food, keep her at ideal weight and take her for yearly vet checks just as you would for any dog. Deal with any problems as they arise, with a vet's help, and you will be giving her the best chance at a long healthy life as any dog could have.ChaliceEDIT: Iams is decent enough puppy food. Keep her on the milk replacer for at least another two weeks, then wean her off it onto puppy food only. She'll need to be on puppy food until she's at least a year old, maybe 18 months if she's still kind of stunted. Talk to your vet about the best diet for her and get her her vaccinations as soon as appropriate. Also get her spayed before her first season; a dog with delicate health does not need the added danger of pyometra and mammary cancer!!