Questions on care of 4.5 wk old puppies?

Question

I have 3 (4 wk) old pomeranian puppies. We had to give the momma dog back due to her being aggressive to her puppies yesterday. They were started on puppy mush and replacement milk last week. How long should they stay on that food, and how long do I keep mixing it with the puppy milk? I am feeding them every 4 hrs. I dont know what schedule they should be on. Any in depth answers on how to care for puppies till 8 wks (feeding, housebreaking, etc) would be greatly appreciated.

Let me explain.... the momma is my MILaws, and she gave them to me to care for since she had been very ill while the momma dog was pregnant. "Princess" was doing fine with feeding till the puppies got teeth. She then would growl and attack them when they wanted to feed. I tried for 2 weeks, muzzling her so she couldnt bite them but she started lashing out with her feet, I took them back to the vet, and was told to remove Princess from the puppies for both safety. The puppies are doing well with no problems so far. Hope this helps.

Answer 1

At 4.5 weeks, the puppies need to be with their mother, nursing. Give them back to whomever you gave the mother back to.

Answer 2

I have a Pomeranian and they are not big eaters, so don't be alarm if they do not eat much. To be safe I would call a Vet's office. Their teeth are so small so I would think staying on puppy mush & milk should be at least until they are 8 weeks old.On the housebreaking, I would place puppy pads down, but start them out in going outside. Praise them with a treat for using the puppy pad.

Answer 3

My female dogs started running the pups off when they tried to nurse at about that age. Most of mine were weaned by their mothers, who also did not appreciate puppy teeth, at about 5-6 weeks old.

Your pups are old enough to not need any middle of the night feeding, so I'd cut that immediately. Start making dry food and water available to them at all times now except during the night if you haven't already--the chewing is good for them and with teeth coming in they like to crunch stuff.

I'd go with 5 feedings of what you have been giving them for the rest of the week 4 feedings a day at 5 weeks, 3 at six weeks, and 2 feedings at 7 weeks and do that for another week or so then go to one feeding and free choice dry. They can go totally free choice dry at about 3 months old if you like.

Canned milk mixed 1:1 with water is just as good as puppy replacer at your pup's age and less expensive and more convenient, so I'd go with that for mixing up their main meals. Start gradually backing off on the amount of milk you add to the food each day until it's barely moistened enough to soften it a little. If you're feeding canned, they ought to be able to handle that almost straight now without having mix much in at all. Most dogs can do fine on straight canned with no mixing in by 4-5 weeks.

Housebreaking at this age is mostly taking the pups out when they wake up and before you go to bed, after every meal, and anytime you see them going into a squat. Most of the real housebreaking is going to be the job of the new owners. They really won't be mature enough to totally housebreak for a while, and you don't know what kind of set up the new owner is going to use anyway--papertraining, scheduled trips outside, the new dog litterboxes, dog doors whenever they feel like it, or whatever. If you confine them to a crate or box at night they will start trying to "hold it" but don't expect much from them at this age.

Getting the pups a few chew toys will help keep them occupied too. As you're probably painfully aware now, pups like to do two things--fight and destroy your stuff. Keeping them busy chewing will not only decrease the other two behaviors somewhat and it's a natural thing that they need to do.

Good luck with the pups. Your inlaws are fortunate that you've stepped in and helped them out with their dogs. I hope that they appreciate what you're doing.

Answer 4

Many dogs start weening their pups at about 4-5 weeks. But different breeds may be different.

Ask your Vet about your specific breed. He can tell you what types of puppy food you should feed them, how often, and how much.

Answer 5

you had to give the momma dog back to WHO?????
What was she doing to the puppies?? Being a momma??
Good luck.

Answer 6

An orphan is a newborn puppy without a female parent or dam. The maternal instinct is one of the strongest in nature, but pups can become orphaned as the result of a variety of circumstances, such as death or illness of the dam, or the inability of the dam to produce sufficient amounts of good quality milk. A canine mother may abandon her litter as part of the natural selection process of weeding out sickly puppies, or due to a lack of bonding with her litter. In any of these cases, the pups will need someone to take over their care if they are to have a chance of survival.
The Normal Puppy

Newborn puppies should be sleek and round with good muscle tone and pink mucous membranes. The primary activities of puppies are suckling and sleeping. Birth weights range from 100 to 750 g depending upon breed and body weight should double in first 8 to 10 days. Heart rates are 230 to 240 beats/minute for the first 2 weeks. Normal respiratory rates are 15 to 35 breaths/minute. Normal rectal temperature at birth is 96 to 97 degrees F, which gradually increases to 100 degrees F by four weeks of age.

Common Problems

The most common causes of sickness, and sometimes death, for neonatal puppies are hypoglycemia, dehydration and hypothermia. Call your veterinarian if your pup does not double its weight in 8 to 10 days or frequently cries for more than 20 minutes. These are both abnormal and usually indicate a problem of hunger, cold, maternal neglect or illness.

What to Watch For


Persistent crying

Failure to gain weight

Decreased activity

Decreased muscle tone.

Diagnosis

To be certain the puppy is in good health, your veterinarian may recommend the following diagnostic tests:


Complete medical history and thorough physical examination, weight and vital signs (temperature, pulse and respiratory rate)

Blood glucose tests

Further blood work on neonates is often not done initially because response to immediate treatment is usually positive.

Treatment

Treatments will depend on the findings of the diagnostic exam. These treatments revive most neonates within a few hours, but if the puppy is not revived, then additional diagnostics may be performed. Your veterinarian may perform the following:


Slowly raise the puppy's body temperature to normal if the puppy is hypothermic.

Administer dextrose (sugar solution) if the puppy is hypoglycemic.

Administer fluids subcutaneously (under the skin) to correct dehydration.

To provide nutrition, tube-feed the puppy a warmed milk replacement formula.

Home Care

Maintain a log (record) identifying each puppy's weight, appetite, amount of formula fed and urination and defecation frequency. It is important to identify each puppy if there is more than one because they can be difficult to differentiate.

Feeding

Puppies may be fed by bottle or stomach tube. The stomach tube is faster and especially handy with large litters. Many people, however, prefer to bottle-feed. Feeding with an eyedropper should be discouraged due to poor accuracy, tendency to give food too rapidly (increasing risk of aspiration) and the rigid nature of an eyedropper, which can cause soft tissue injury to the oral cavity. A bottle might be best.

Newborn puppies should be fed 4 times daily by tube feeding or 5 to 6 times daily by bottle-feeding 4 times daily by tube feeding or 5 to 6 times daily by bottle-feeding. At 2 weeks of age, four feedings per day are usually sufficient. It is preferred to feed small amounts at frequent intervals rather than large quantities infrequently to prevent diarrhea and lower the risk of aspiration. Overfeeding can be worse than slightly underfeeding.

The recommended daily feeding amount is based upon weight and age (most milk replacers contain 1 kcal/ml). This amount of milk should be divided into at least 4 feedings per day:

Week 1: 13 to 15 ml per 100 g body weight
Week 2: 15 to 18 ml per 100 g body weight
Week 3: 20 ml per 100 g body weight
Week 4: 20 ml per 100 g body weight and also eating mostly solid food

Recommended milk products:


Milk from another nursing ***** (foster mother if possible)

Esbilac Powder or Liquid (Pet-Ag, Inc)

Canine Milk Substitute (Waltham)

Unilact Liquid or Powder (Upjohn Company)

*****'s Milk Replacer (Iams)

The puppy should be burped after a meal to relieve swallowed air. Hold the puppy in the palm and gently rock back and forth or massage the abdomen until an air bubble comes up.

The puppy should be stimulated to urinate and defecate after feeding. Simulating the licking mother by rubbing the urogenital area with a moist warm cloth or cotton ball can do this. Puppies should be able to relieve themselves after three weeks of age.

By three weeks of age, introduce solid foods mixed with water or the same milk replacer used to feed previously. Pan-feed a thin gruel made by blending an approved puppy food with the milk formula (e.g. 1 part dry food with 3 parts formula or 2 parts canned food with 1 part formula). Gradually thicken the gruel using less liquid until about six weeks of age. At this time, the pups should be offered an approved puppy food 4 times daily. Fresh clean water should always be available and replenished daily.

Supplies to Have On Hand


Thermometer

Puppy nursers or tube

Feeding kits

Gram scale for weighing puppies

Soft blankets and heating pads