Caring for puppies and a dog requires your constant attention and devotion. Although dogs have the ability to care after themselves and their puppies, you never know when something has spiraled out of your dog's control such as her health or your puppies' health. Stay as attentive to your dog and puppies as possible to ensure that all of their needs are met.
Things You'll Need
- Dog food
Instructions
Ensure that the resting area and environment for your dog and puppies is clean and warm. This is important, especially, if your dog has a big litter. Puppies are vulnerable to illness and possibly death if they do not receive the proper warmth. Keep the dog and puppies in a whelping box with extra cover and bedding. Clean the box every day to prevent your pets from developing illnesses. Your dog will provide most of the cleaning and tending to the puppies, but you should still watch over their growth and comfort.
Keep a watchful eye on puppies that incessantly cry and are not gaining weight. Puppies that are not thriving may need medical attention. Sometimes, dogs are neglectful to certain puppies. Remove the neglected puppy and tend to it. Take the puppy to a veterinarian for an evaluation. Tend to the puppy in the manner the veterinarian instructs.
Ensure that puppies receive rabies vaccine shots by 16 weeks of age. This is crucial to prevent diseases such as rabies and parvo. Take your dog to the vet to ensure that she is healthy and free of any complications, because delivering puppies is harsh on your dog's body.
Feed your dog food that contains vitamin C. Vitamin C will help to restore your dog's immune system. Most quality dog foods contain vitamin C as well as vitamin E and vitamin A. Begin to feed the puppies solid food around three to four weeks of age. Feed your dog about three meals a day.
Do not let your dog or puppies eat at their own discretion. Look at the feeding guidelines on the dog food package to get an idea of how much to feed the puppies. Do not overfeed the puppies. If you notice that one of the puppies is gaining more weight than the other puppies, cut down on the portions.