How to feed newborn puppies without a mother

The birth of small puppies is a real miracle. A new mother first of all tries to feed the babies. But not always everything goes smoothly. For some reason, the bitch cannot feed the puppies, and then this big responsibility falls on the owner’s shoulders. So it can happen if the dog does not have milk, if it refuses puppies, or died at all during childbirth. In such a regrettable situation, it is important to gather courage and understand that you still have newborn puppies in your arms, and they cannot survive without you.

What to do with newborn puppies

First you need to prepare a warm spot for them. The babies of the first days of life do not know how and do not know, their eyes and ears are closed. The only reflex for them at the moment is sucking. For puppies you need to organize a box with warm clothes.In the box you need to put a heating pad or a bottle of hot water. And you do not need to cover all sides of the box with hot objects - this can lead to overheating. Mimic the heating pad mom and leave it on one side of the box. Do not forget to change the water as it cools.

How to feed newborn puppies

First you need to make every effort to puppies drank at least one teaspoon of breast milk. This will colonize their sterile stomachs with beneficial bacteria, will lay the foundation for future immunity. If the bitch does not allow puppies to her, you can try to gently decant the colostrum manually.

As a first feeding, it would be ideal to use a special adapted mixture for newborn puppies. It can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy in the form of powdered milk. The mixture is diluted according to the proportions indicated on the package.

If it is not possible to feed the dog with such a mixture, you can use the following recipe. Egg should be well whipped with a blender and mixed with one hundred grams of fresh cow's milk. Milk should be just from under the cow, not shop in a pack.Then add to the mixture two drops of vitamins A and D, after which everything is thoroughly mixed. Before you give the cooked mixture of babies, it must be filtered through several layers of clean gauze.

If the puppies are weakened, you can add a little cream, 20 ml of glucose and 3 ml of ascorbic acid to the mix.

How to feed newborn puppies

In the modern veterinary pharmacy you can buy anything. Including special bottles for feeding newborn puppies. But if the pharmacy is not at hand, you can feed the kids with an ordinary baby bottle. It is very important to pay attention to the size of the hole in the nipple. If the hole is large, the mixture will be poured out very quickly, the puppy will not have time to swallow it and may simply choke. If the hole is too small, the baby will quickly tire and will not be able to master all the necessary portion for him. Usually, newborn puppies of several days are eaten about 30 ml of the mixture per day.

Before feeding you need to massage the tummies of babies with a piece of wet cotton wool. This is done to improve the perilstatic of the intestines.After all, mother always licks her puppies to start the work of their stomachs. If this is not done, the babies may have problems with the stool - either constipation or diarrhea. Cables are better to wipe along - from the navel to the penis, and the bough around.

You can feed large dogs with a baby bottle, but if the breed is small, it is better to use a pipette or a syringe. A piece of a thin tube is put on the syringe so that the puppy can swallow the droplets of the mixture coming into his mouth.

A small puppy usually pushes away everything that comes to its face. So that he does not push the bottle, you need to drop a couple of drops of the mixture on his tongue. He will understand that this is food and will stop tormenting a bottle or a pipette. If this does not happen, it is best to swaddle the baby's front legs.

In what position to feed the puppies

A puppy is a child to follow. If you give him the mixture in the wrong position, he may choke or choke. It is best to put the puppy on your lap with your belly down and lift the head slightly. Give him food in this position, because in a natural way he eats that way.In this way, you reduce the risk of the mixture getting into the respiratory organs.

If suddenly a puppy from the nose had bubbles of the mixture, it means that the nipple opening was too large. In this case, you need to raise the puppy upside down, give him a breath, change the nipple to another (with a smaller hole) and continue feeding.

Sometimes the puppy itself begins to greedily and quickly suck in order to quickly satisfy its hunger. In this case, you need to take short breaks so that the baby can catch his breath. A full puppy usually turns away from the nipples.

After eating, hold the puppy vertically for some time so that all the air from the stomach comes out with a belch. Otherwise, the dog may begin to regurgitate. After eating, repeat the abdomen massage, maybe the dog will be empty. Lubricate the anus and abdomen of the dog with oil.

How often to feed puppies

First puppies are fed every 2-3 hours.If the kids are healthy and strong - the gap is 3 hours, if weak and painful - 2 hours. Over time, the number of feedings per day is reduced and already a month-long puppy needs to be fed only 5-6 times a day.

After two weeks, when the eyes of the babies begin to open, they can begin to be accustomed to lacquering from a small plate. First of all, give the puppies cottage cheese. It is not recommended to clean the mixture completely; it is still the main source of food. Over time, the food is completely replaced with liquid to solid.

To feed newborn puppies is not an easy task. But if you drop all the cases, give the kids all their time, give care and become literally a mother - everything is quite real. Be attentive and merciful to newborn puppies to give them a second life!

Video: how to feed a newborn puppy