How to Care for Newborn Puppies - Caring for a Newborn Orphan Puppy

1. Be ready to provide 24-hour care. If you have to hand rear a puppy, be prepared to provide hard work and commitment, especially in the first 2 weeks of the puppy’s life. They will require 24-hour care in the beginning.[25]
- You will probably need to take time off work to care for the puppies, as they will require near-constant care for the first 2 weeks.
- Take this into consideration before breeding your bitch. If you can't commit to caring for orphan pups then don't breed the mother.

2. Purchase a milk substitute. If your puppies are orphans, you’ll need to provide them with a suitable replacement milk. The ideal is replacement bitch's milk. This comes in a powdered form (Lactol) that is reconstituted with boiled water (very similar to the way baby's formula is made).[26]
- The supplement is available from your veterinary clinic or major pet stores.
- Do not use cow's milk, goat's milk, or human infant formula. These are not suitable formulas for puppies.
- You can temporarily use a mix of evaporated milk and boiled water while you search for proper bitch replacement milk. Use 4 parts canned evaporated milk to 1 part boiled water for a feed.

3. Feed newborn puppies every 2 hours. Puppies need to suckle every 2 hours, which means that you need to feed them 12 times in 24 hours.
- Follow the directions on the packaging to make up the milk substitute (typically 30 grams of powder is mixed with 105 ml of boiled water).

4. Watch for signs that the puppy is hungry. A hungry puppy is a noisy puppy. He will squeal and whine, which would ordinarily summon his mother for nursing. If the puppy is wriggly and whiny, and it hasn’t eaten in 2-3 hours, it may well be hungry and should be fed.
- The shape of his belly may also give you a clue. Because puppies have little body fat, when his stomach is empty, his belly will be flat or caved in slightly. When his stomach is full, his stomach will resemble a barrel.[27]

5. Use a bottle and teat designed for use with puppies. Teats designed for puppies are softer than ones designed for humans. These can be purchased from vet clinics and major pet stores.
- In an emergency, you can use an eyedropper to feed milk to the puppy. However, this option should be avoided since there is a risk of giving the puppy too much air with the milk. This can cause his tummy to swell painfully.[28]

6. Let the puppy eat until he stops feeding. Follow the guidelines on the milk substitute packaging to determine approximately how much to feed the puppy. A good rule of thumb, however, is to allow the puppy to feed until he is no longer hungry. He will stop eating when he is full.[29]
- The puppy will likely fall asleep and then demand the next meal when he is hungry again, or in about 2-3 hours.

7. Wipe the puppy’s face after each feeding. When the puppy is done feeding, wipe its face with cotton wool soaked in warm water. This mimics the bitch cleaning the puppy and reduces the risk of skin infections.[30]

8. Sterilize all feeding equipment. Wash all equipment that you use for feeding the puppies and sterilize all of it. Use a liquid disinfectant designed for baby equipment, or a steam sterilizer.[31]
- Alternately, you can boil the equipment in water.

9. Wipe the puppy’s bottom before and after each feeding. Newborn puppies do not urinate or defecate spontaneously but need to be stimulated to do so. The bitch usually performs this function by licking the puppy's perianal region (under the tail where the dog's anus is). This usually occurs before and after the puppy feeds.
- Wipe the puppy's rear end with a pad of cotton wool soaked in warm water, before and after each feed. This should stimulate the puppy to release feces and urine. Wipe away any feces or urine that comes out.[32]

10. Start spacing feedings apart at 3 weeks. As the newborn puppy grows older, the stomach will get bigger and can hold more food. By the third week, feed the puppy every 4 hours or so.

11. Check to make sure the puppies are warm enough. Use your hand to feel the puppy’s body. A chilled puppy will feel cool or col to the touch. It might also be non-responsive and very quiet. An overheated puppy will have red ears and tongue. It may also be unusually squirmy, which is the puppy’s best effort at getting away from any heat source.
- A newborn's body temperature should be between 94-99 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will rise to 100 degrees Fahrenheit at 2 weeks of age. You don’t need to take the dog’s temperature with a thermometer, however. Check with your veterinarian if you have concerns or questions.
- If you are using a heat lamp, be sure to check the puppies regularly for flaky or red skin. Remove the lamp if this happens.[33]

12. Adjust the room temperature. Newborn puppies are not able to regulate their own body temperature, and they are prone to getting chilled. With Mom not there you need to provide a heat source.[34]
Adjust the room temperature so that you are comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt.
Provide additional heat in the puppy’s box by placing a heating pad under the bedding. Set the heat to “low” to avoid the risk of overheating. As a newborn, the puppy cannot move away if it gets too hot.[35]