Unlike humans, puppies are born blind, with their eyes completely closed. They are very delicate, they do not manage to maintain their body temperature and they are only guided by smell to stick to their mother and suck.
But in a very short time they are able to see, move and begin to become increasingly independent from their mother. Below we review developmental milestones to make sure our puppy is growing properly.
Index of contents
- 1 Newborn puppies
- 2 Puppies open their eyes
- 3 Puppies normal temperature
- 4 The best way to care for newborn puppies
- 5 At what age do puppies start to walk?
- 6 Weaning of puppies
Newborn puppies
Once born, the cubs are cleaned by the tongue of their mother, who breaks the bag of amniotic fluid, if necessary, and cuts the umbilical cord with the teeth. They are only able to lift their heads, they cannot walk, but it does crawl up to a nipple, orienting itself by smell. Once in it they begin to suck.
First they feed on colostrum, which is a liquid prior to milk and loaded with antibodies, making it very important to strengthen the immune system of the litter until it can receive the first shot. In the first days of life, they will do nothing but eat and sleep.
Their mother is in charge of helping them to eliminate the feces and the urine passing the tongue through the genital area several times a day. This stimulates the elimination reflex. The little ones are preparing the muscles for their future mobility through jerks and kicks that occur while they sleep, in what is known as activated sleep.
Puppies open their eyes
Puppies are born with their eyes closed completely, as if they were always sleeping. They cannot hear either. It is not until 10-14 days that the opening of the eyes begins and the ears begin to register sounds. But we must bear in mind that they will not be able to orient themselves correctly by sight and sound until 25 days of life.
Puppies normal temperature
The younger puppies will be at the temperature of the place where they are. They manage to maintain their body temperature in the absence of their mother only for short intervals of time. They are not able to conserve heat.
That the temperature of your body falls below 34.4 ºC is very dangerous because it supposes a reduction of the metabolism. That is why it is recommended to keep them in a heated place and periodically check the temperature.
The best way to care for newborn puppies
In the initial stage of their life, all the attention that the puppies need is provided by their mother. We must interfere as little as possible and only when we detect a problem in the puppies or the dog. When the little ones are growing and gaining independence, we will have time to interact with them.
Thus, we don’t have to do anything but watch over the family, keep them in a safe place away from stress and provide the mother with quality food and water on demand. In the case of orphaned or motherless puppies, we must feed them with milk specially formulated for dogs and follow the care indicated by the veterinaryn.
At what age do puppies start to walk?
Once produced the opening of the eyes and when the sense of hearing started, the puppies began to stand up. In 2-3 weeks they will be able to walk. At first awkwardly, but soon, based on practice, they will get good mobility.
Weaning of puppies
By three weeks of age, puppies are already able to take food from a bowl, although it is recommended that they continue to nurse for at least two months. To start them in food we can use a food specially formulated for puppies and soft texture.
It is also possible to choose feed and soak it in lukewarm water to form a paste. We will let them suck normally and several times a day we will feed them with solid food. Over time, without forcing them, they will be consuming more and less milk. In this process their mother will also be marking the limits.