What should you pay attention to and know with newborn puppies?
- Puppies need a lot of mother's milk. Artificial milk can also be a solution;
- After 2 weeks the eyes open;
- Give a puppy enough rest;
- Keeps puppies nice and warm;
- Keep an eye on the weight, a puppy should gain weight every day.
Newborn puppies, what should you pay attention to?
During the first weeks of their lives, the pups are cared for by their mother. They are completely dependent on her. Pups cannot yet keep themselves warm and clean and they need help to defecate and urinate.
Drinks
The puppies need to start drinking immediately after birth. They are not even dry yet. The drinking will induce contractions and the birth will continue. Most puppies can find the nipples well, but sometimes they need a little help.
During the first two days, puppies absorb antibodies from their mother's milk against various diseases. After that, the antibodies can no longer be absorbed by the puppy's intestines, but the milk is of course very important for the nutrients.
Puppies nurse from their mother every 2-3 hours and then the mother licks their rear ends to encourage them to urinate and defecate.
Eyes and ears
Up to the age of 10-14 days old they can not hear or see. If after this period their eyes are not open yet, contact your vet. During this period they can smell well and contact with people is important now to get them used to people. However, do not pick them up too often. Rest is very important during this phase.
Behavior
Healthy, contented puppies sleep and drink. If they crawl around squeaking, this usually indicates a problem. They may be hungry or too hot or too cold. If the puppies are not kept warm by their mother, a heat lamp can help. The first 4-5 days, a temperature of around 26 to 28 degrees is best, gradually decreasing to 26 degrees in the 2nd week, 23-26 degrees in the 3rd week and 23 degrees in the 4th week. The bitch may also forget to lick them and therefore not help them with urination and defecation. In this case, also contact your vet.
Weight
Puppies should gain weight every day. Some days more than others. Puppies that need to be monitored closely are those with a low birth weight or those that lose weight after birth. It is therefore wise to weigh the puppies immediately after birth and again after 12 hours. After that, you can weigh the puppies every day at the same time. After 4 weeks, you can start weighing them weekly.
Supplementary feeding with artificial milk
If the puppies do not grow enough or even lose weight, they need to be supplemented with artificial milk. The packaging states how much the puppies may receive for that age and weight. You can put the syringe in the mouth. It is wise to have this at home before birth, so that you can also start feeding at night or in the weekend.
Supplementary feeding of the entire litter is also necessary if only one or two pups have problems. The larger pups drink all the mother's milk and the smaller ones get less.
When the puppies leave the nest, it is important that they get the right food. We recommend Denkadog Pup Junior Croc .
Read our blog “Why is puppy food good and necessary?” for more information.
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