When You Have To Rear The Puppies By Hand

Newborn puppies are totally dependent on their mother for the first three weeks of their lives.  They need her for food, to keep them clean by licking, and to help them urinate and defecate and if the mother does not have enough milk, rejects her litter, or has died, you will need to learn how to properly rear the puppies.

* When bottle feeding the puppies, you must give them the milk formula initially every two hours.  Consult a vet for guidance on the exact amounts to feed.

* After you have finished feeding the puppies, wipe away any spilled milk and clean each of their anogenital region with damp cotton.  This process mimics maternal licking, which stimulates them to urinate and defecate.

* Clean each of the puppy’s eyes, ears, and mouth daily with cotton moistened in warm water.  You may still handle them frequently even if their mother is around; just make sure that you do not upset her.

* You may have to trim their nails to prevent them from scratching their mother and one another.

* To properly keep track of their weight gain, carefully weigh each one daily.  This will determine weak puppies and those that are not sufficiently getting enough milk.  You can help puppies that cannot gain weight by helping them gain access to the most productive teats.