How to Prevent Disease in Orphaned Newborn Puppies
Ensure the puppies get passive immunity., Purchase a commercial puppy formula., Bottle feed the puppies., Use caution if tube feeding the puppies., Consider using a surrogate mother dog.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Ensure the puppies get passive immunity.
Passive immunity protects newborn puppies from disease until they’re old enough to get vaccinated.
They get this immunity through colostrum (‘first milk’), which a mother dog produces during its puppies’ first day of life.Without a mother, your orphaned newborn puppies will need another source of passive immunity.
Plasma and serum, which are two components of blood, can provide passive immunity.
Your vet can collect plasma and serum from adult healthy dogs.Talk with your vet about collecting the plasma and serum before the puppies are born.
That way, you can be prepared to give them passive immunity if necessary. -
Step 2: Purchase a commercial puppy formula.
After their first day of life, the orphaned puppies will need puppy formula to keep them healthy and prevent disease, since they won’t be able to get milk from their mother.
High-quality commercial puppy formulas are available at pet stores, and maybe at your vet’s office.Examples of high-quality commercial puppy formulas are Esbilac® and Puppylac®.If you cannot get purchase puppy formula right away, make an emergency puppy formula at home.
Mix one cup of milk, one tablespoon of corn oil, one pinch of salt, and three egg yolks (no whites) in a bowl.Feed the emergency formula until you can purchase commercial puppy formula. , Orphaned newborn puppies should be bottle fed or tube fed.
Bottle feeding is preferable.Tube feeding is good for puppies that can’t suckle very well, but increases the risk of a puppy inhaling the formula into its lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia.Here are some bottle feeding tips:
Warm the formula to 99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 38 degrees Celsius) on the stove.
Do not use the microwave.
Use a needle to poke a few small holes in the bottle’s nipple so the milk comes out as drips.
Burp the puppies after feeding.
Rub a moist, warm cotton ball or towel around each puppy’s anus to stimulate urination and defecation after each feeding.
Watch for milk coming out of the nose, indicating the puppy is drinking too quickly. , Not all orphaned puppies have a good suckle reflex.
If some of the orphaned puppies cannot suck on a bottle, you will need to tube feed them.
Have your vet or an experienced breeder show you how to properly tube feed your orphaned puppies., A surrogate mother dog could give your orphaned newborn puppies the chance to get colostrum in their first day of life.
If you use a surrogate mother, watch it the entire time it is with the puppies.
It may reject the puppies and try to kill them.If the surrogate mother accepts the puppies, it could nurse the puppies beyond their first day of life.
Before the puppies are born, talk with your vet about using a surrogate mother dog. -
Step 3: Bottle feed the puppies.
-
Step 4: Use caution if tube feeding the puppies.
-
Step 5: Consider using a surrogate mother dog.
Detailed Guide
Passive immunity protects newborn puppies from disease until they’re old enough to get vaccinated.
They get this immunity through colostrum (‘first milk’), which a mother dog produces during its puppies’ first day of life.Without a mother, your orphaned newborn puppies will need another source of passive immunity.
Plasma and serum, which are two components of blood, can provide passive immunity.
Your vet can collect plasma and serum from adult healthy dogs.Talk with your vet about collecting the plasma and serum before the puppies are born.
That way, you can be prepared to give them passive immunity if necessary.
After their first day of life, the orphaned puppies will need puppy formula to keep them healthy and prevent disease, since they won’t be able to get milk from their mother.
High-quality commercial puppy formulas are available at pet stores, and maybe at your vet’s office.Examples of high-quality commercial puppy formulas are Esbilac® and Puppylac®.If you cannot get purchase puppy formula right away, make an emergency puppy formula at home.
Mix one cup of milk, one tablespoon of corn oil, one pinch of salt, and three egg yolks (no whites) in a bowl.Feed the emergency formula until you can purchase commercial puppy formula. , Orphaned newborn puppies should be bottle fed or tube fed.
Bottle feeding is preferable.Tube feeding is good for puppies that can’t suckle very well, but increases the risk of a puppy inhaling the formula into its lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia.Here are some bottle feeding tips:
Warm the formula to 99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 38 degrees Celsius) on the stove.
Do not use the microwave.
Use a needle to poke a few small holes in the bottle’s nipple so the milk comes out as drips.
Burp the puppies after feeding.
Rub a moist, warm cotton ball or towel around each puppy’s anus to stimulate urination and defecation after each feeding.
Watch for milk coming out of the nose, indicating the puppy is drinking too quickly. , Not all orphaned puppies have a good suckle reflex.
If some of the orphaned puppies cannot suck on a bottle, you will need to tube feed them.
Have your vet or an experienced breeder show you how to properly tube feed your orphaned puppies., A surrogate mother dog could give your orphaned newborn puppies the chance to get colostrum in their first day of life.
If you use a surrogate mother, watch it the entire time it is with the puppies.
It may reject the puppies and try to kill them.If the surrogate mother accepts the puppies, it could nurse the puppies beyond their first day of life.
Before the puppies are born, talk with your vet about using a surrogate mother dog.
About the Author
Samuel Clark
Brings years of experience writing about organization and related subjects.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: