Caring For New Born Puppies Without Their Mother

There are times when you may need to separate young puppies from their mother due to some traits you don't want the young ones to emulate from their mother. Although this is a rare case, there comes times when puppies may be orphaned and you are the only source of hope they have. You will really need to have some skills on how to take good care of these orphaned puppies. The following instructions are there to guide you for a successful orphanage.

Nutrition

You really need to feed these puppies well but even before going to the feed itself, it's worth noting that a special mode of feeding needs to be adapted. You may have all the nutritious foods for the puppies but if you lack bottle feeders, your attempts may be futile. After having bottle feeders, you need to buy a milk re-placer. This is a type of food that has been carefully balanced to have all the nutrients found in dog's milk.

The nutrients also tend to be almost proportional to that found in dogs' milk. Accompanied with the milk re-placer is the direction of how it should be mixed and taken. Carefully follow the directions of the manufacturer, warm the milk re-placer to room temperature, fill in the bottle feeders and feed the puppies. Very young puppies need to be fed after a duration of two to three hours.

Handling and care

Secondly, there is nothing as injurious and as catastrophic to the lives of puppies as cold. Puppies that are subjected to cold usually die within a very short period of time. It is therefore important that you keep them warm. You can either make a box or use a bucket that is filled with either blankets or cotton to keep the dogs warm. On the lower surface of the bucket, ensure that there is a hot water bottle or alternatively a heating pad to constantly supply the puppies with warmth. Puppies that are less than three weeks old should only be handled when necessary. Ensure that only a grown up does this and not children. Lastly, it's worth noting that the new-born puppies should also experience the least disturbance possible since they do spend most of their time sleeping.

Urination and defecation

Puppies are very unique creatures since for them to either defecate or urinate; their mother needs to lick them so as to stimulate this. It is therefore your responsibility to take the mother's role and stimulate the urination and defecation of these young ones by the use of artificial methods. By the use of a damp cloth used for washing dogs, massage the urinary parts and the anal parts of the puppies. It is not until the third to the fourth week that the puppies will be able to pass urine and fecal matter on their own.

Take your time to ensure that these orphan animals are given a second chance of living and they will pay you back through selling them or by offering you security.