How to Handle Newborn Puppies

A mother dog can usually handle the whelping process and her newborn puppies with little help from you. However, if the mother dog is sick or not available after giving birth, you may find yourself caring for litter of newborn puppies without the benefit of the biological instincts that a mother dog will have.

Things You'll Need

  • Commerical dog milk substitute
  • Solid puppy food
  • Syringe or nursing bottle
  • Warm, moist washing cloth
  • Newspaper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Feed your newborn puppies with quality commercial canine milk replacer to substitute the milk of the mother dog. Using any other kind can cause stomach troubles in your newborn puppies. Feed them by syringe or bottle every two hours the first week, increasing the intervals as the weeks go on. The amount and increased intervals will depend on the weight of the newborn puppies and the manufacturer̵7;s directions for the milk substitute. Begin the weaning process at about three weeks by offering moistened puppy food and gradually reducing the amount of milk replacer and the wetness of the puppy food.

    • 2

      Leave the newborn puppies in an enclosed, dry and warm area for the most part during the first two weeks. Only physically handle them when it is necessary as you keep them warm, fed and safe. During week three, you can gently hold and pet the newborn puppies a few times each day to get them ready to interact with other people in the future.

    • 3

      Stimulate newborn puppies to use the restroom by massaging the genitals with a warm washcloth after feedings. This mimics the way a mother dog would lick these areas to encourage waste excretion. You have to do this after every feeding until the newborn puppies reach two to three weeks of age and start doing it themselves. You can keep the area clean by doing this over a set of newspaper pages spread out to catch the waste.