Either because they have been abandoned by their mother or their family, or because we have adopted them in a shelter, feeding newborn puppies well is not an easy task, but it is essential for them to survive.
In this Dogsis article we will show you the correct way to feed a puppy that cannot nurse naturally from its mother.
Index of contents
- 1 Puppy milk Is anyone worth it?
- 2 How often should I feed a puppy?
- 3 How should we give milk to our puppy?
- 4 My puppy does not eat. What’s wrong?
Puppy milk Is anyone worth it?
We can think that the cow’s milk that humans drink is also a good way to feed a puppy, but the truth is that It is not like this. Cow’s milk contains lactose, something that can greatly harm our little puppy.
Newborn dog puppies should be fed solely and exclusively on specific dog milk, which we can buy at any veterinary clinic or pet store.
- Cow’s milk / Milk for human consumption
- Specific milk for dogs
How often should I feed a puppy?
It is very important that we feed our puppy with the help of a bottle every three or four hours, even if it is at night. We will have to wake up and feed them at midnight, if we want them to survive.
Since they are born and until they are four weeks old of life we will feed them like this, every three or four hours without exception.
From four weeks of life, we can gradually lengthen the feedings, for example in the fifth week of life we can give the feedings every four or five hours and in the sixth week every five or six hours.
So progressively until they are seven or eight weeks old, where we can begin to introduce a little puppy food moistened with water to make it softer.
How should we give milk to our puppy?
Never catch a puppy like it’s a human baby, just try to imitate the situation in which the puppy would suckle normally from his mother. That is, put the bottle a little lying down so that he can hook onto it and feed (simulating a breast).
It is very important that we control the temperature of the milk in the bottle, it must always be warm to avoid burning or abhorring it. It should never be cold or very hot.
The amount of milk that we should give depend on the size and weight of the puppy, something that we will normally find indicated on the dog milk box or that our own vet will indicate.
My puppy does not eat. What’s wrong?
Nothing compares to feeding a puppy with milk from its mother, so we may run into some problems:
- Voltage drop, something that will take away the hunger of our dog and that we can solve by providing a little honey or sugar water (even with the help of a syringe without a needle).
- Indigestion, mothers usually lick their puppies’ anus after feedings so that they defecate and don’t get soggy. If your puppy doesn’t defecate, try stroking its anus with a damp cloth at room temperature for a few minutes, very gently.
- Cold If our puppy has cooled down because we have not maintained a constant temperature of around 22º in his crib, he will stop eating.
Dog puppies are extremely sensitive, so if you appreciate that he is listless, he has fever, it does not defecate even if you stimulate it or stop eating, it is very important that you consult your vet, since it could be sick or have intestinal parasites, something very common in puppies.
Remember to apply our recommendations to take proper care of them: Care for newborn puppies.