If you have newborn puppies on the way, you are probably getting ready to welcome these tiny fluff balls. There is nothing quite as delightful as a litter of newborn pups. Raising a newborn puppy can be an incredibly rewarding process.
In fact, the experience is similar to raising a child. Over the years, you will get to know their mischievous habits and little quirks. As adorable and exciting pups are, they require proper care, much like a human baby.
Also, you have to educate yourself on things like your puppy’s nutrition, feeding, and sleeping needs. Preparing beforehand will make it easier for you to take care of your newborn puppy for the initial few months.
In addition, it will help you raise a happy and healthy dog. The Nurturing Hands provides many newborn pets care services, including newborn bottle feeding. It is a great help for pet owners, rescuers, and breeders.
The Initial Days
Dog pregnancy lasts for about nine weeks, and that is how long it takes for your puppies to grow inside their moms. Upon birth, there is still a lot they have to do. In terms of development and growth, your puppy is like a premature baby.
Also, it is mostly born deaf, blind, and doesn’t have any teeth. Even though they cannot hear or see all that well, they can still create noise.
Thus, you might find them making little whimpering sounds. Moreover, newborn puppies start opening their eyes when they are ten to fourteen days old. Furthermore, their vision gradually starts to get better, and their eyes adapt to the true color when they are ten weeks old.
How To Feed a Newborn Puppy?
The milk from the mother dog provides all the nourishment that your puppy needs for the first few weeks of its life. It contains antibodies that will protect these little ones from any germs and pathogens. Also, the mother dogs produce a milk-like substance known as colostrum.
The purpose of colostrum is to provide immunity to puppies so that they can combat diseases and infections. It is important that you allow your puppies to get the nursing from their mother for as long as possible.
In the unfortunate circumstance that their mother rejects them or dies, you can reach out to a puppy care facility. It can provide your puppies with tube or bottle feeding so that they get the nourishment their bodies need. Once this nursing period is over, you can feed your puppies.
If you don’t know how to do it, get in touch with your veterinarian to help you bottle-feed your puppies. Also, you have to make sure that you buy a formula that is especially meant for canines. A puppy needs to lay on its tummy for feeding. Any other position carries the risk of choking.
Much like human babies, you have to heat up the milk to approximately a hundred degrees. In addition, you should avoid using the microwave for warming the milk. Instead, place the milk bottle in a bowl of warm water. Before feeding the puppy, do a gentle pat on the back to get rid of any trapped air.
How Often Can a Puppy Eat?
Puppies usually nurse for at least every two hours during the first week of their life. However, as they grow and develop, the time duration between their feedings increases. When switching to solid food for your puppies, make sure you choose a puppy kibble that is of good quality.
You can soak it either in warm milk or water and make it into a gruel consistency. Also, you can offer this type of food to your puppy many times a day. Over time you can reduce the amount of milk replacer.
Moreover, your puppies will start to eat the dry kibble by themselves at the age of seven to eight weeks. It is a good idea to talk to your veterinarian about the precise amount of food your puppy needs. A professional can also help you create a feeding schedule that caters to the developmental needs of your puppies.
How Do You Hold a Puppy?
You have to be extra careful not to overhandle your puppies during the initial two weeks of their life. Also, you have to take care not to upset the mother dog in handling it. In case you are hand-raising your little ones, handle only as much as is important to keep them fed, clean, and warm.
Keeping the puppies warm during the initial stages of their life is incredibly important. You can use a warm water bottle in a towel wrap or a heating pad to do the trick. When your puppies turn three weeks old, you can handle them every day a few times.
That is the time when their teeth start to develop, and their hearing and vision become better. Also, it is a critical time in terms of their socialization. In addition, if you have children, keep an eye on them to avoid any mishandling of your puppies.
Can You Teach a Puppy How to Go the Bathroom?
Puppies cannot defecate or urinate during the initial few weeks of their lives. Mother dogs lick their little ones to induce the excretion of waste instinctively. If there is no mother dog in the picture, you can use your hands to stimulate this process.
Soak a piece of gauze or washcloth in warm water and massage the urinary and anal regions of your puppies with a gentle motion. The movement, texture, and warmth will mimic the tongue action of a mother dog. Doing this is very important.
Also, you can contact your veterinarian to train you on these methods. Your puppies will start to excrete by themselves when they reach the age of three to four weeks.
Conclusion
Newborn puppy care takes a great deal of effort. However, you will not even realize how fast these first few weeks pass. If you are going to put your puppies up for adoption, this might be a bittersweet experience for you.
However, you should enjoy the process and have fun while you have your puppies. Also, knowing that you provided the best possible care to these little ones will give you immense satisfaction.
