Feeding puppies from birth

Notes for feeding puppies from birth

• Always use puppy milk formula obtained from the vet, never human baby food or other animal’s milk
• Use puppy bottles from the vet but ensure the hole in the teat is not too large (milk should not flow freely but drip from the teat)
• If the puppy is unable to suck, use a syringe from the vet and monitor intake – there is no hard and fast rule as to how much the puppy will eat but generally less than 1 week old it’s between 5 and 10ml per feed
• Keep the pups warm using a hot water bottle covered in a pillow case underneath a sheet or a towel and soft tactile material to cover them – place the hot water bottle to the side of their bed, thus allowing them to move to a cooler location if they are too hot.  Puppies should be about 39 degrees, check their temperature using a anal thermometer 
• Feed approximately every 2 hours, including the night
• Puppies tend to sleep through the night (from 11pm to 7am) from around 7 to 10 days old
• Give the puppy small amounts of feed, ie 2 or 3 sucks of the teat then remove from the mouth and allow the puppy to swallow.  Puppies tend to guzzle the food, allowing it to slip into the lungs occasionally causing infection
• Massage the puppies bottom and gentiles to promote faeces and urine movement
• Swelling of the belly coupled with general discomfort suggests either trapped wind or slight constipation – gently rub the belly and massage the bottom, for as long as it takes (sometimes in excess of an hour!)
• Bitches are quite rough with their young so washing and massaging can be a little vigorous 
• Sterilize all equipment in the same way as for babies, puppies are just as susceptible to infection
• Don’t allow contact with other animals – the anti-bodies of a puppy less than 2 weeks old are not fully functional at that time
• At 1 to 2 weeks old, puppies can take a baby bottle
• Weigh the puppy every other day to ensure weight gain – they generally double their birth weight in 2 weeks
• The guideline is puppies from 2 weeks are fed every 3 hours then every 4 hours once on solid food
• Puppies begin to take solid food from approximately 3 weeks old – start with liquidised puppy weaning food mixed with water and a little milk.  Give the puppy bottle milk before bed (they sleep longer!)
• Puppies start to walk at around 3 weeks 
• Puppies should be wormed at around 3 to 4 weeks but ensure a puppy worming liquid is used from the vet.  Don’t use crushed up adult worming tablets

Please contact CAS should you have any other helpful hints and tips for caring for abandoned bottle fed puppies.