Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 6: Prepare a farrowing crate
• Method 2 of 6: Prepare for birth
• Method 3 of 6: Provide care during the first few days after birth
• Method 4 of 6: Help the puppies drink from the mother
• Method 5 of 6: Caring for an orphan puppy
• Method 6 of 6: Take care of the health of young puppies
• Tips

It is great fun when you expect a litter of puppies in the house, but it is very important that you take good care of the mother and the puppies. With proper care, the mother and puppies will stay healthy and feel safe. The methods in this article will help you prepare both your dog and your home for the arrival of the puppies, as well as help you take care of the puppies themselves.

To step

Method 1 of 6: Prepare a farrowing crate

1. Choose a box that is a comfortable size for your dog. A maternity box is the box in which the dog gets her babies. He must also keep the puppies warm and prevent them from being crushed by their mother laying on them.
   • The box should have four sides and a bottom. Choose dimensions in which the female can lie stretched out. Add half her length to the width of the box, so you have room for the little ones too.
   • Make sure the sides are the correct height so that the babies stay in it but the mother can easily jump out.
   • You can buy a maternity box at most pet stores. You can also use a cardboard box, or make one out of hardboard or particleboard. Find two large, sturdy boxes, such as those from a television or household appliance. Cut out one side of each box and combine them into one large box.
2. Make room for the puppies. The puppies need a safe place in the box where the mother cannot lie on them (they would suffocate). Mark the extra width in the box and add a sturdy wooden edge about 10 - 15 cm above the bottom.
   • You can conveniently use a broomstick for this.
   • This is especially important when the puppies are over 2 weeks old and a bit more agile.
3. Cover the bottom of the farrowing box. Put a lot of newspaper in it, and a few thick towels. You can also buy a fat bed, which is a fleece blanket that wicks moisture away from the bitch and puppies.
4. Place a heating pad in the puppy area. Once you have made the puppy section, place a heating blanket underneath the paper in this section. When the puppies are born, turn this heating blanket on to a low setting. This keeps the puppies nice and warm when they are not with the mother.
   • You can also try it with a heat lamp, which you point at a corner of the box to create a warm spot. It is true that a heat lamp produces dry heat, which can dry out the puppies' skin. If you must use a lamp, be sure to check the puppies regularly for chips or red skin. When that happens, put the lamp away.
   • Use a hot water bottle that you wrap in a towel for temporary warmth.
5. Cover the top of the box; the bitch likes to lie in a hole during the delivery. This gives her a sense of security and can therefore help accelerate contractions. Cover part of the box with a large towel or blanket to give it some coverage.
6. Place food and water close to the box. Make it easy for your dog to eat and drink by making sure it is close by. You can also leave food and water in the regular place, but if your dog knows that there is also food and water near the farrowing crate, she will feel more comfortable here.

Method 2 of 6: Prepare for birth

1. Introduce your dog to the maternity box. At least 2 weeks before the due date you let the bitch explore her maternity box. Make sure it is somewhere quiet. In the near future she will want to make her nest in a quiet place and prepare for the birth.
2. Put your dog's favorite treats in the box. To help your dog get used to the box, regularly put a treat in it. She will then see the box as a quiet place with nice things.
3. Let your pregnant dog choose the place for her contractions for herself. Don't worry if she doesn't put that in the farrowing crate. She chooses a place where she feels safe. That can also be behind the couch or under the bed. As long as there is no danger of her hurting herself, you can leave her alone.
   • Trying to move her can upset her. This can slow down or even stop contractions.
4. Have a flashlight ready. If your bitch decides to endure contractions under a bed or behind a couch, it can be helpful to have a flashlight handy. This way you can see how she is doing.
5. Have the vet's phone number ready. Program the vet's number into your phone or stick a note on the fridge. If there is an emergency, you want to be able to find the number quickly.
   • Talk to your vet about how to reach him if your dog goes into labor at night.
6. Make sure an adult is present at the delivery. A trusted person should stay with the dog to see if everything is going well during birth. This must be someone who knows the dog very well. Make sure there are not too many people walking in and out of the room where the dog is giving birth. This can distract her and cause her to become distracted, possibly slowing down the contractions.
7. Do not allow visitors at birth. Your dog needs to focus on giving birth. Do not invite neighbors, children, or friends to come and see. That can upset your dog and delay contractions.

Method 3 of 6: Provide care during the first few days after birth

1. Do not cut the puppy's umbilical cord. If you cut the umbilical cord before the elastic blood vessels have closed, chances are the puppy is losing too much blood. Leave the placenta intact. It dries up quickly enough, shrinks and falls off on its own.
2. Stay away from the puppy's belly button. You don't have to put a disinfectant on the pup's belly button and umbilical cord. If you keep the maternity box clean, the navel will naturally remain healthy.
3. Replace the towels and newspapers in the maternity box. It is important to keep the farrowing crate clean after the puppies are born, but at the same time, you must take care not to disturb the nursing bitch too much. When the mother has gone to relieve herself for a while, remove the dirty towels and put down clean ones. Dispose of the dirty newspapers and lay out clean ones at the earliest opportunity.
4. For the first 4-5 days, allow the mother and puppies to bond. The first few days of the puppies' lives are vital in forming a bond with their mother. Try to leave the dogs alone as much as possible for the first few days.
   • Limit picking up the puppies for the first few days as much as possible. Only pick them up when you need to clean the box, and you do that from the third day.
5. Make sure the puppies are warm enough. Use your hand to feel the body. A hypothermic puppy feels cool or cold when you touch it. He can also be drowsy and unresponsive. An overheated puppy has red eyes and a red tongue. He can also be extremely squeaky, which is the best way for a puppy to get away from a heat source.
   • A newborn puppy's temperature should be between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. When they are two weeks old, it will go up to 38 degrees Celsius. But you don't have to use a thermometer. Consult with your vet if you have any doubts or questions.
   • If you are using a heat lamp, be sure to check the puppies regularly for dander or red skin. When that happens, remove the lamp.
6. Adjust the room temperature. Newborn puppies are not yet able to regulate their own body temperature and they quickly become hypothermic. If the mother isn't there, you have to keep them warm.
   • Set the room temperature so that you feel comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt.
   • Provide extra warmth in the corner of the puppies by placing a heating pad under the bed. Set the setting to "low" so they don't overheat. Newborn puppies can't get away if it gets too hot.
7. Weigh the puppies every day. Use a letter scale to weigh each puppy every day for three weeks. Keep a record of each puppy's results to make sure they are healthy and getting enough nutrition. Disinfect the scale's bowl every time you weigh a puppy. Use a household disinfectant to clean the tray and then dry it.
   • Note if they gain weight regularly every day. You don't have to panic if a puppy doesn't gain weight for a day or even loses an ounce. As long as he is alive and continues to eat, you can wait and weigh him the next day. If your puppy has not arrived by then, call the vet.
8. Make sure the visit does not bring in harmful bacteria. Visitors who come to see the new puppies are the most likely source of infection. There may be bacteria or viruses on their shoes or hands.
   • Ask the visitors to take off their shoes before entering the room where your mother dog is.
   • Ask the visitor to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching or handling the puppies. Touching and picking up should be done as little as possible.
9. Do not bring pets that do not belong to the family. Other animals can carry diseases and bacteria that are harmful to newborn puppies. The new mother can also be susceptible to illnesses, which in turn can spread to the puppies. For the first few weeks after birth, keep non-your own animals away.

Method 4 of 6: Help the puppies drink from the mother

1. Help the puppy find mom's nipples. A newborn puppy is blind and deaf and cannot walk for the first 10 days. He wriggles around a bit to find mother's nipple and be able to drink. Some puppies may need a little help learning how to latch on.
   • If you want to help the puppy, you must first wash and dry your hands well. Pick up the baby and put him against the nipple. He may be making some searches with his mouth, but if he doesn't find the nipple itself, gently help his cup so that his lips are against the nipple.
   • You may be able to squeeze a drop of milk from the nipple. The puppy smells that and then he latches on.
   • If the puppy still doesn't latch on, gently insert a finger into one corner of the mouth to gently open the mouth. Then you put his open mouth over the nipple and let it go. He should start drinking now.
2. Keep an eye on how they eat. Remember which kid is drinking from which nipple. The back nipples produce more milk than the nipples that are more forward. A puppy who drinks by the front nipples may take in less milk than one who drinks by the rear nipple.
   • If one puppy is gaining less weight than the others, you can try putting it on the back nipple.
3. Do not combine breast milk with formula. When a mother feeds her babies, her body produces milk. If less is drunk, the milk production also decreases. And if less milk is produced, there is a risk that the mother will no longer have enough milk to feed all her babies sufficiently.
   • Only bottle feed when absolutely necessary! For example, if the puppy is not strong enough to compete with its littermates in the battle for nutrition. It may also be that the mother has given birth to more babies than she has nipples.
4. Have food and water available for the mother. The mother does not like to leave her newborns, so make sure she has easy access to food and water. Some bitches don't even leave the box for the first 2 - 3 days. If so, give the food and water in the box.
   • The puppies can then watch mother eat.
5. Have the puppies examine their mother's food. The puppies are completely dependent on mother's milk for the first 3-4 weeks. Towards the end of this period, they begin to research their mother's eating, which is part of the weaning process. In this phase we no longer call them newborns.

Method 5 of 6: Caring for an orphan puppy

1. Count on being there 24 hours a day. If you have to hand-raise a puppy, you must be willing to give it your all, especially in your puppy's first two weeks of life. In the beginning, they need care and attention 24 hours a day.
   • You will probably need to take time off from work to care for the puppies, as they require almost constant care for the first two weeks.
   • You have to take this into account before you start breeding your bitch. If you can't afford to care for orphan puppies, don't start breeding.
2. Buy milk replacer. If your puppies are without a mother, you will need to provide them with appropriate breast milk replacements. Breast milk replacement is ideal. This is for sale in powder form (Lactol) and is prepared with boiled water (actually exactly like bottled milk for babies is made).
   • This product is available at your vet or at major pet stores.
   • Do not use cow's milk, goat's milk or bottled milk for babies. Its composition is not suitable for puppies.
   • While you are looking for the right product to replace breast milk, you can temporarily use coffee creamer with boiled water. For a feed, take 4 parts of canned coffee milk or unsweetened condensed milk and mix it with 1 part of boiled water.
3. Feed your newborn puppies every 2 hours. Puppies need to drink every two hours, which means you need to feed them 12 times every 24 hours.
   • Follow the instructions on the package to prepare the replacement milk (usually 30 grams of powder is mixed with 105 ml of boiled water).
4. Watch for a sign that your puppy is getting hungry. A puppy that gets hungry gets boisterous. He's going to squeak and howl, normally a sign to his mother to come and feed. If the puppy flounces and howls and hasn't eaten in the last 2-3 hours, it may well be hungry and need to be fed.
   • The shape of his belly can also be a clue. Because puppies have very little body fat, their tummy will look flat or even slightly hollow when the stomach is empty. When his stomach is full, his belly looks like a barrel.
5. Use a bottle and pacifier especially for dogs. Dog teats are softer than those for human babies. You can buy them from veterinarians and pet stores.
   • In an emergency, you can also use an eyedropper to give the puppy milk. You have to be very careful with this solution because you run the risk of the puppy taking in too much air with the milk. And that gives him a stomach ache.
6. Let the puppy eat until it stops. Follow the guidelines on the packaging of the replacement milk to know approximately how much it will need. The best rule of thumb is still to let the puppy eat until he is no longer hungry. It will stop automatically when it is full.
   • He will probably go to sleep immediately and if he gets hungry again he will ask for food again, or after 2 - 3 hours.
7. Wipe his face after every feed. When the puppy has finished eating, wipe its face with a cotton ball dipped in warm water. This imitates the bitch cleaning the puppy and thus reduces the risk of skin infections.
8. Sterilize everything you use in food. Wash and sterilize everything you use to feed your puppies. Use a liquid disinfectant designed for baby equipment or a steamer.
   • You can also boil everything in water.
9. Wipe the puppy's butt before and after each feed. Newborn puppies do not urinate and defecate on their own but need stimulation to do so. Usually the bitch does this by licking the area around the anus (under the tail). She usually does this before and after nursing.
   • Wipe the puppy's butt with a cotton ball dipped in warm water before and after each feed. This stimulates the puppy to release feces and urine. Wipe away any poo and pee that comes out.
10. After 3 weeks, start to reduce the number of feedings. As the little one gets older, his stomach gets bigger and more food can enter. By the third week, feed the puppy about every 4 hours.
11. Make sure your puppies are warm enough. Feel his body with your hand. A hypothermic puppy feels cool or cold. He is also less responsive and very calm. In an overheated puppy, the ears and tongue are red. He can also beep extra, which is the best way for him to get away from the heat source.
    • The temperature of a newborn puppy should be between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. After a week or two, that will go up to 38 degrees Celsius. But you don't necessarily have to use a thermometer. Speak to your vet if you have any questions or concerns.
    • If you're using a heat lamp, check regularly to make sure the puppies aren't getting red or skin flakes. When that happens, remove the lamp.
12. Adjust the room temperature. Newborn puppies are not yet able to regulate their own body temperature and quickly cool down too much. Now that there is no mother, you are the one who has to provide warmth.
    • Set the room temperature so that you are warm enough with shorts and a T-shirt on.
    • Provide extra warmth in the puppy's box by placing a heating blanket under the bottom. Set the heat to "low" to avoid the risk of overheating. As a newborn, the puppy cannot get away on its own if it gets too hot.

Method 6 of 6: Take care of the health of young puppies

1. Deworm the puppies after two weeks. Dogs can have worms and other parasites that cause health problems so it is recommended that you give them a de-worming cure as soon as they are old enough. There are no special deworming regimens for newborn puppies. But fenbendazole (Panacur) is suitable from 2 weeks.
   • Panacur is available as a liquid wormer; you can gently squirt it into the puppy's mouth with a syringe once he has been drinking milk. The dose is 2 ml per day for every kilogram of body weight; give dewormer once a day for three days.
2. Do not give flea treatment until the puppy is 6 weeks old. You should never give flea treatments to a newborn puppy. Most flea treatments have minimum age and weight recommendations, and there is currently no product on the market that is suitable for newborn puppies.
   • Puppies must be at least 6 weeks old before you can use selamectin (Stronghold in the UK and Revolution in the US).
   • Puppies must be at least 8 weeks old and weigh more than 2 pounds before you can use fipronil (Frontline).
3. Start immune treatments when the puppies are 8 weeks old. Puppies receive a certain immune system from their mother, but they need extra immunity to keep them healthy. Talk to your vet about a good immunization schedule.

Tips

• Don't pick up your newborn puppy until he has his eyes open and starts to walk, or the mother will get angry!