What to do with and orphaned pup at 4 weeks?

Question

I recently got my friends mastiff pup. The last one that survived. The mother killed the other 3. No, the mom normally does not have a mean bone in her body. (we both don't know why this happened) Anyways, she gave him to me because she was afraid mama might try to kill this one too. I started him on milk supplement mixed with all natural no byproduct, chemical, etc... nutro puppy food. I feed him 4 times a day now I make the milk and warm it up and then in a blender mix the puppy food to about oatmeal consistency with the milk. Does this sound about right???

Answer 1

If you're talking a supplemental milk for puppies, then it sounds right. I've had a lot of bad experiences with Nutro and I hope they have done something to address problems that caused the recall of so many of their products when over 100 brands of dog and cat food were recalled recently during the melamine, other contaminants scare.
Royal Canin was recalled at that time as well, but it's food is more digestible. Some brands that weren't recalled:
Canidae, Wellness, Orijen, Newman's Own, Nature's Recipe, Flint River Ranch.
If you have already been feeding this Nutro mix and the pup is tolerating it well, then I wouldn't recommend switching the food as that could cause problems, going from one food to another when the pup is so little and vulnerable. GL with your pup!

Answer 2

If there is someone else in the house with you, send them to Wal*Mart to buy a puppy formula. Have them get the ready to drink formula. It can be found in the pet section and looks like a small milk carton with a puppy on it. Do not buy the powder. Have them also buy a small puppy bottle (in the same section). All of this will cost you roughly $15. Put a very small amount of the formula (maybe 1/2") in the bottle. Make sure when you squeeze the nipple of the bottle that there is formula coming out (it should not freely run). The puppy will not be able to suckle very strong (if at all). Enlarge the hole if you have to. Run some warm water over the outside of the bottle in order to warm the formula slightly. Then open the puppies mouth and gently squeeze the nipple. You can also use an eye dropper for this (probably a bit easier at this stage). Don't overfeed the pup. Do not feed more than that 1/2" at first. Keep the puppy wrapped in a soft towel in order to keep him warm. You can slightly warm the towel by letting it run in the dryer for a few minutes. You are going to have to feed this puppy every 2 hours at the very least! After the puppy has eaten, wait about 10 minutes and take a warm, wet and soft wash cloth. Gently rub it over and around the puppies anal area. This will stimulate the mother's licking and will cause the pup to go to the bathroom. If you do not do this as regularly as you do the feeding, your puppy will not go to the bathroom on it's on and it can die if it does not eliminate waste. As soon as your vet opens, call him and see if you can bring the pup in. But don't be surprised if the pup does not survive. You may lose more than one puppy in the first few days following the birth. It does happen and unfortunately there is nothing you can do. Good luck

Answer 3

Don't give him cow's milk. Go to the pet store and buy a can of Esbilac, which is replacement dog milk, and use that. Hopefully at this point, the puppy is peeing and pooping on his own, but stil you should use a warm wet washcloth to keep him clean, and help stimulate him to excrete. Consult your vet for other advice. You might also ask your local animal shelter, since they sometimes have to deal with orphaned puppies. Be sure to keep him warm, as his temperature regulation probably isn't fully working yet. Making the mush and feeding 4 - 5 times a day is probably about the right thing to do. Here's a link to some information:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1651&articleid=863

If you do a web search on "raising orphaned puppies" you'll find some more.

Good luck with the little guy.

Answer 4

Sounds like you are doing a good job, 2 of my 5 dogs were rescues that were 4 wks (or less) my chi-mix had no teeth and was fed just milk supplement 6 times a day for a week then when he could chew began mixing with puppy food. All of my beagle mixes' litter mates died before they were 5 wks old,someone threw the mother dog out just days before she had her pups. The puppies were 4 wks when i saw them and were covered in fleas and sores. Only one puppy had the energy to play and was responsive so i took her home ,cleaned her up ,wormed her and started her on milk supplement and puppy food. she is a great dog.Both dogs are healthy, happy and well-adjusted.

Answer 5

its perfect, the puppy milk is fine and nutro is a great food...
at 4 weeks you can start the weaning process, if the puppy has the beginnings of teeth you can start slowly adding less milk the goal being by 6 weeks of age he should be on solid dry food...
4 times a day sounds right for now but keep an eye on his weight, if hes not gaining steadily add a 5th feeding...by 8-10 weeks of age he should eb down to 3 feedings a day.

id also have the vet take alook at him. females usually kill their offspring for 1 of 2 reasonins, 1 if shes too young and cant handle the pup...
2 is theres something genetically wrong with her pupies and shes doing natures job of culling them....
always best to be safe.
PLEASE never breed this female again, many females who do this never become good mothers!

start exposing him to strange sights and sounds at home, the learning process for orphaned puppies is very difficult and trying, they tend to be either shy and reserved or bold and pushy (they dont learn from mommy and siblings about bite inhibition ect) so start out now, slwoly turn the vacume on around him, drop pots and pans ect...and lots of hands on time.

good luck.

Answer 6

Yup you doing it right. You really don't have to do the puppy replacer milk every time you can make it with just plain warm water too! When he's 6 weeks old you can just soak the puppy food in warm water and break it up a bit and just feed him that too. The by 7 week old he should be able to eat it dry with out any soaking at all. Then just dry from that point on.
My only concern is the protein level in the puppy food your giving him. You have a giant breed puppy. so the protein level should not be over 24% in the food. High protein levels for Giant breed makes them grow too quickly and can cause joint and bone issues later in life.

For now your doing things exactlly right.! Good job!

Answer 7

What do I feed my orphaned puppy?

Total nutrition for the newborn orphans must be supplied by a milk replacer recommended by your vet, until the puppies are about three weeks of age. At this age, the puppies are ready to start nibbling moistened solid food. You are doing just fine, you could try now not blending the puppy food & just making into a mush & see if the puppy can start nibbling at that. Enjoy your new friend x

Answer 8

I have hand reared several pups and kittens from birth to 5 weeks. the best bet would be to buy lactol milk you can get it from the pet shop, until next week or he shows signs of being hungry, then buy a tin of puppy food mix it with water so that he can swollow it with ease until about 6 - 7 weeks when he should start eating it straight from the can. i wouldnt use things like oatmeal weatabix ect because it may cause bloat or be too rich for him and in the long run cause serious digestive problems and he may need to go on a strict veterinary diet of sensitivity food designed for dogs ect but any way its your desision and im sure you will do whats best!

GOOD LUCK

Answer 9

I prefer to use goats milk and I have had trouble with Nutro I use Purina Puppy chow
I just soak enough food over night and use it
pups should be wormed at 2,4,6,8 and 10 weeks and especially being taken form mom so young (I understand and agree) should have the first vaccine at 6 weeks.
At 5 weeks don't make it as moist and do not blend he needs to learn how to chew. I would also start leaving a bowl of water to start drinking. by 6 weeks just slightly moist and I leave a bowl of plain dry for nibbling on. by 7 weeks he should be eating solid food and drinking water.

Answer 10

sounds good so far, after about 10 weeks introduce some rice pudding [the stuff in tins will do, increase the ratio slowly untill youve weened off the milk, then after 12 to 14 weeks introduce boiled fish and do the same, then introduce puppy food and then onto dog food, enjoy your new buddy, my bull mastif is two on the 12th december, they have a great personality, the mother probably senced there was something wrong with the others and put them down, get a vet to check out the puppy and tell the vet your story, we took a kitten on in the same way after the mother rejected it, it turned out the kitten was brain damaged and that is why the mother rejected her, she is now a companion for an old lady they look after each other