When a mother dog gives birth to a litter of puppies, it is just the first step in their journey. Those puppies must be cared for immediately, and maintained by the mother until they can walk, see and begin eating solid food. If the mother dies, abandons the pups or is incapable of feeding them because her milk does not come in, you should feed them yourself.
Things You'll Need
- Puppy milk replacer
- Eye dropper/small bottles
- Water
Instructions
Mix puppy milk replacer (available at pet stores) according to the directions. Warm it to slightly warmer than room temperature before feeding the puppies.
Feed newborn puppies with an eye dropper or very small bottle. Fill the dropper or bottle with milk formula. Lay the puppy on its stomach, as it would nurse from its mother, and insert the end of the eye dropper or nipple of the bottle into the puppy's mouth. Squeeze gently to push milk into the puppy's mouth. With an eye dropper, squeeze until the milk is gone. With a bottle, squeeze until the puppy's sucking instinct kicks in and it begins to suck on the bottle.
Feed puppies on a regular schedule. Feed small puppies every two to three hours. Give them 2 to 4 cc of milk at every feeding. When a puppy has reached a week in age, switch it to 1 cc of milk per ounce of weight, and feed it every four hours.
Clean the puppies after each feeding. Use a soft, clean cloth to clean any milk off its face. Leftover milk may cause sores on the puppy's face.