Are there any tips for feeding & caring for 2-wk old puppies?

Question

Our beloved dog just delivered 2 pups about 11 days ago. She just died yesterday after being bitten by a rattlesnake (we live in a rural area) & even the anti-venom couldn't save her. We are mourning her, but also need to care for her pups. We got puppy formula from the vet, with a small bottle. We assist them in urinating, but have had difficulty with getting them to drink enough and deficate. We lost their mom & would hate to lose them. We have asked-around & called animal control for a surrogate nursing dog to no avail thus far. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jen

Thanks so much to all of you for your wonderful answers (except for the one about breeding- shame on you...we don't breed our pets & we dearly love them - besides, we prefer muts). For the rest of you - Encouragement goes a long way & I can't thank you enough. To add... we have been getting good results in helping them urinate, but aren't as lucky in getting them to deficate (after persistant message of the rectal area with warm damp cloth). There are 3 of us to take turns with care (between work & school). They are kept in a box away from drafts. They have clean bedding & a heating pad (set on warm, covered with a towel). They have room & are able to move away from the heating pad if they get too warm. They are kept indoors in the same room with us at all times. We live in AZ, rural desert area. None of our pets would ever be kept outside - too hot! Thank again for all of you responses. Jen

Answer 1

I know this sounds alittle off the wall, but years ago, a friend of mine has your situatuion, and she found a mother cat that had kittens that were practically done nursing, so they took the cat over to the pups to see what would happen, and sure enough, they clamped right on!! The cat didn't budge! She wasn't even a bit scared. JUst layed there while they feed, with her tail swinging all around They were all very gentle to each other. Maybe call you local vet offices and see if theres anyone with a Momma dog that would take them in and feed them. You never know. But if all else fails,, ask about large cats too! Milk is milk!! ya know? Its a priceless picture to see when the pups feed off the Mama cat!!! What area do you live in? They aren't outside in the heat, are they? That woulnd't be good on these considering their age. The heat would probably disrupt their immature bellies.. What area do you live in?

Answer 2

The hot water bottle, ticking clock and tight space are good advice. Hopefully you can find a surrogate mom, but even if you don't, where there's a will there's a way -- you seem to care enough about your puppies that I'm sure they'll make it. Good luck.

comment: Nightskys : Did you notice in the question, her phrase "beloved pet"? This is not supposed to be a forum for your soapbox! I'm sure you have quite a bit of knowledge of dogs, and you could be quite helpful if you chose to be.

Answer 3

The mother dog's tongue stimulates young puppies to defecate - or they can't do it. So you need to take over; dampen a wash cloth with warm water and gently rub over the area a few times and they should go.

Otherwise, sounds like you're doing fine. They need to be kept warm - do you have a heat lamp on them? a safe distance away of course, blankets to snuggle into. Feed them small amounts often - hope they'll be fine.

Answer 4

You are not too bad off with the pups. They got colostrum from their mom which is good. They are starting to regulate their temperature. They have a good chance of survival now. Keep feeding them when they want and keep them warm but not too hot. Keep them in the same room with you so you can hear them wake up at night. Don't forget to wipe their bottoms so they can pee and poop (still don't have control of this). Good luck with the babies.

Answer 5

Ugh, why did you breed your dog?? Was she tested for all health problems (eyes, hips, joints)????? Was she show quality? Did she have any behavior problems? The only reason to breed puppies is to better the breed. Do you feel these pups are just as good or better then any of the dogs you will see at a dog show???
2 weeks old is very young, these puppies will need to be bottle fed night and day. Also if they do survuve they will miss out on a lot of socialization skills that the mom and littermates would have taught them.

Answer 6

before each little thing it is all things you need to have researched formerly breeding your dogs. even with the undeniable fact that, now that this is executed, flow to the puppy save and get nursing bottles for newborn pups alongside with "replace moms milk" do not USE HUMAN MILK it will reason diarrhea and the pups will die. you'd be intending to feed them each 2 hours throughout the day and the nighttime. %. up a e book on nursing pups so that you're totally knowledgeable on what you're going. call your vet and search for pro help from them it really is what you need to have executed. keep them warmth, if the mummy isn't worrying for them (and danger is she became bred too youthful) then placed them on a warm water bottle or a heating pad on low to maintain their body temperatures up in view that pups can not preserve body warmth for numerous weeks.

Answer 7

i have 11 puppies now that are 7 weeks today. since your mother dog is gone , just do the bottle feeding every couple of hours and they should do ok. they will go to the bathroom when they need to.with my 11, i couldn't tell at first when they peed. good luck with your babies!

Answer 8

The first 2 weeks of life are the most precarious for puppies. It is important for puppies to obtain the initial milk from the mother, called colostrum, as this contains high levels of antibodies to help protect them against disease. However, if the mother dies or rejects the puppies, or if there are too many in the litter for the mother to feed, the puppies will require hand rearing. This is a time-consuming process requiring a lot of patience, persistence, and care. Since puppies under 2 weeks of age are unable to maintain their own body temperature they must be kept in an environment at 29 to 32°C, with 55 to 65% humidity. Their rectal temperature at birth is 35.6 to 36.1°C, increasing gradually to 37.8° by 1 week of age. Puppies should be placed in a crate or box lined with towels or another cleanable synthetic warm material. The box should have a heat source to maintain optimum environmental temperature, and should be large enough for the puppies to move away from the heat source if they are too hot. Hot water bottles or heat lamps are often used.
Cold puppies will huddle together, piling on top of each other, and cry more, whereas if they are widely separated they are probably hot.
The environmental temperature can be reduced to 27°C after 1 week, then to 22°C after 4 weeks.There are mild formulas available for puppies, and these will have feeding guides as to how much to feed depending on the age of the puppies; Puppies less than 2 weeks of age need to be fed every 3 to 4 hours, gradually reducing to every 6 to 8 hours at 4 weeks. Bottles and teats designed for feeding different sized puppies are available, and these need to be sterilised between uses, as for human babies.
You can start to offer milk in saucers from 2 weeks of age, gradually mixing in greater proportions of puppy food. Puppies can be weaned entirely off bottled milk as early as 4 weeks of age.The mother would normally lick the area under the tail to stimulate the puppy to urinate and defecate. In her absence, you will need to clean this area with damp cotton wool or tissues after a feed to ensure regular toileting.The most common signs of illness are persistent crying, decreased activity, reluctance to feed, failure to gain weight, and weakness. Crying for more than 20 minutes is abnormal - it may indicate that the puppy is cold, hungry, or ill. Eventually the puppy will stop crying and become weak and cold. Since newborn puppies can become seriously ill and die very quickly, contact your veterinarian for advice if you are concerned about a puppy's behaviour.

Low body temperature (hypothermia) is a common cause of newborn puppy death. Hypoglycemia refers to low blood sugar levels and is due to insufficient food intake. Signs of hypoglycemia include weakness, depression, and muscle twitching. It is treated by giving a few drops of glucose solution such as Glucodin into the mouth. If this doesn't alleviate the signs, and the puppy's body temperature is normal, consult your veterinarian.
Diarrhoea is a common problem in hand-reared puppies, and can lead to rapid dehydration, infection, and death. Feed milk diluted with boiled water, but if this does not improve the diarrhoea within 24 hours, or the puppy shows other signs of illness, consult your veterinarian, as hospitalisation may be required.Puppies should be wormed from 2 weeks of age at fortnightly intervals until 12 weeks of age. They need to be dosed accurately according to weight. The first vaccination is at 6 to 8 weeks of age in most cases. However, some breeds in some areas require extra parvovirus injections, and some litters need earlier vaccinations if they have not received the important first milk (colostrum). Colostrum contains antibodies that provide some immunity to disease, provided the mother has her vaccinations up to date. Conatact your veterinarian for advice on the appropriate vaccination program for your puppies

Answer 9

oh....pups deserve lots of care especialy at that age, pups are so sensitive thats why they need to have a lots of care, from what they eat and from their enviroments. base on my experience, i use to have a 1 month pitbul and accidently he ate a smell pice of rock and died. thats why you have to give them extra care... hope they survive....thanx

Answer 10

I would just keep feeding them every couple of hours and keep them safe and warm, sounds like your doing that so they should be allright.........good luck!