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Your pet pekingese just had a litter and you have no idea about caring for newborn puppies. And I hope this post will be able to help you about it.

One of the many miracles of nature is the way how mothers seem to understand and respond to their young and take care of them. And your female dog is not an exemption, they will instictively know what their puppy wants and needs. Newborn pups normally communicate via sound through whining since they cannot see yet, their eyes are still closed if you notice.

In general, pups will produce a what sounds like a cat, almost meowing just to keep in contact with their mom and siblings. If they are hungry, they will shrill softly and move around more just to find its mother. And for the next couple of weeks, the newborn pups are unable to regulate their body temperature thus they should be kept away from air conditioning units, heating ducts, or other direct heat/cold sources.

Newborn pups don’t need too much space since they don’t move around that much, anyway. Just enough space for their mother to be comfortable with. And as each passing day goes by, you will see them become more stronger and active, this is a very good sign. Be sure that their mom has enough space to lie down and move around without actually crushing them.

In about 10-14 days, the newborn pups’ eyes will open thus making them more active. This is the time where you will see the mother trying to get away from them for brief periods of time. It would be wise to put sides on their whelping box tall enough to allow the mother to go in and out comfortably while keeping the puppies in. This is the time that owners should be keen in observing for signs of dehydration or lack of nursing or check if they have sharp nails already, if so, clip it carefully.

Normally, newborn pups are clean since they will be bathed by their mom. The female dog will lick her pups on their stomach, anus and tail areas in order to stimulate them to relieve themselves after nursing. You will also notice that she will eat their waste materials, however it is still very ideal to keep the lining on their box or area clean. You can use old towels, newspapers or paper towels just avoid anything that contains dyes or other form of chemicals which can be harmful to the both the puppies and mother. Change their lining on a daily basis and wipe down the hard surfaces on the box/area. If the puppy will be soiled with poop, then simply wipe using damp cloth or wet wipes, never give a newborn pup a full bath nor completely wet their coat.

Caring for Newborn Puppies

Prepare a whelping box. A week or two before your bitch goes to labor prepare a nest for her. Get her accustomed to the place you prepared for her so that she will stay there during labor period. Box size. The whelping box size would vary by breed. Be sure that there is at least 2x amount of room for the bitch to lie down. The walls should be high enough for the mother to hop in and out comfortably while ensuring the safety of the puppy inside. Since they cannot regulate their body temperatures for now, be sure you provide a light source of warmth. Their box should be a heated and unheated area. Be sure that the heat you give them is only mild. The puppies will crawl to the heated part if they feel cold and would go to the unheated part if it becomes too warm already. Just provide them the heat they need when their mother is away since an experienced bitch will lie down with her litter for 4-5 days nonstop to give them the warmth. Weigh them. On their first 3 weeks, weigh the pups on a daily basis. If you cannot see steady weight gain, then they isn’t enough food. Either their mom’s milk is not enough or you are not giving them enough if you are bottle feeding them. No cow’s milk. If you are bottle feeding them, do not use cow’s milk. You can use either a prepared bitch’s milk replacement or goat’s milk (canned or fresh). You can mix powdered or canned milk with distilled water to prevent diarrhea. Newborn pups would need to be fed every 2-3 hours. Use human bottle nipple. The nipples designed for pets don’t deliver milk well enough. Do not attempt to tube feed or use eye dropper in feeding. Newborn puppies have very little stomachs and can’t close their throats, thus if ever you fill up their stomach and esophagus, the milk will just go to their lungs and drown them. Proper food spacing. As the puppy grows, their stomach would get bigger. By 3rd week, you can feed him every 4 hours and introduce solid food to their diet gently. Introduce solid foods. O n his 4th week, you can mix cereal, baby meat and milk and pour into his bowl. Try to hold the pup while he is eating. By now, he can figure out how to lap his food instead of sucking it. Continue to hold him until such time he can stand firmly on his legs. Waking hours. Baby dogs are usually awake for only short periods of time during their feeding time. Most of the time, they sleep. They tend to wake up more than once at night expecting there is food. It is ideal that someone can handle their night feedings. Feed him more. Puppies can’t be over-fed as long as he is eating on his own and that you are not force-feeding him. By 5 weeks, you can add increasing amounts of high quality kibble. Try to soak the kibble in goat milk then grind it in a food processor before adding to his daily diet. Exercise. After 4 weeks, they are walking well already and must go get some exercise. Though, they are still too little to go outdoors, so it is wise to put a partition on a large bathroom or kitchen and allow them to play in that area. Just be sure to remove any rugs or other clothing . You can place newspapers instead so that they can pee on that one. Interaction. From birth onward a puppy needs to be cuddled and handled daily by their owners. When they begin on experimenting solid foods, it is ideal that he is hand fed and being played around by the time they can walk. The puppy should think that the humans are his surrogate mother by the moment they open their eyes. This would lead to an adult dog that have a best personality. However, they also need dog-to-dog interaction from time to time from week 5 onward . Immunization. Their life immunity would be inherited from their mother granting that she is fully immunized. Puppy shots would begin at 6 weeks until 12 weeks. His shots will be every 2 weeks while his final shots (Rabies included) would be at 16 weeks.

Caring for newborn puppies is no joke. If you think that it is easy to rear them, then think again. Newborn puppies rely on their mother for their nutritional needs, they won’t be needing food and water during this period.Even if you will give them food, they still don’t know how to eat it. It is best that you keep the mother well nourished and healthy. Also, protect them from sudden loud noises or too much attention. Allow the puppies to interact with each other and their mom to enhance bonding.

Have you experienced taking care of newborn pups? Is there something that you would want to share with us here? Feel free to do so below.