How to Care for the Momma & Her Eight Puppies

Place the mother and puppies in a whelping box or any short-sided box that the puppies cannot climb out of. Line the bottom of the box with old newspaper or old bedsheets that you can launder clean. Replace the newspaper and sheets as often as necessary to keep the box clean. If the puppies are not urinating and defecating, monitor the mother to ensure that she is licking the puppies' perineal areas and stomachs to stimulate defecation and urination. She should lick those areas for two to three weeks after birth until puppies get the hang of urinating and defecating on their own. If she does not do this, you may imitate the process by wiping the puppies' perineal areas and stomachs with a moist rag.

Offer food and water to the new mother within one to two hours of delivery and every two to three hours thereafter. All the work of delivery will have her famished and ready for a replenishment of vitamins. Offer a high-quality puppy food, full of the protein, minerals and essential fats needed to replenish the bitch's energy.

Monitor puppies to ensure that they nurse approximately every two hours. Puppies should nurse until their stomachs are plump and swollen and then sleep quietly the majority of the time between feedings. Puppies that whimper and move restlessly between feedings may not be getting enough to eat and may need your assistance in finding and latching onto the mother's nipples.

Weigh puppies daily for the first two weeks with a food scale. This helps identify feeding problems or potential illnesses among the puppies. Puppies may lose 10 percent of their birth weight during their first 24 hours but will then gain wait consistently for the next two weeks, corresponding with their poundage when full grown. For example, a puppy from a dog breed that weighs 25 pounds when grown should gain 25 to 50 grams per day. If weight gain is slower than normal, you may need to seek veterinary attention.

Offer puppy mush when the puppies reach 3 1/2 weeks old. To feed all eight puppies, combine two cups of the mother's vitamin, protein and mineral-rich puppy food with 12 1/2 ounces of puppy milk replacer. Place those ingredients in a blender, fill the blender with hot water and blend until the mixture resembles infant cereal. Offer the puppy mush three to four times per day, allowing the mother to clean it off the puppies and finish what the puppies do not eat. Each week, increase the dry food in the mixture and decrease the water over the next four weeks; puppies should start eating solid, dry food by seven weeks of age.

Wean puppies when they start to eat the mush. To do this, allow the mother to stay away from the puppies for longer periods to lessen their dependency on the mother.