How to Take Care of Maltese Puppies at 5 Weeks

Prepare a pen for your puppies. This can be a large plywood box, an ex-pen (available in pet stores) or possibly a small, puppy-proof room. For a litter of Maltese puppies, provide a pen that's at least 4 feet by 4 feet, but larger is better, as this will be their primary home until they are older. Select the best bedding: safe wood shavings from a pet store, newspaper or a large blanket. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks. Some people and pets are allergic to wood shavings, newspapers can be messy and blankets will need to be washed frequently. Consider your schedule, the number of puppies you have and any allergy considerations when deciding what to use.

Feed the puppies four times daily. By 5 weeks of age, they should already be started on solid foods, but plain dry dog food will be a little hard for some of them to chew. Give them a high-quality dry puppy food and soak it in warm water or puppy formula until it is soft and mushy. Do not use milk, as many puppies cannot digest it and will get diarrhea. You can mix a little canned food into the water and dry food if you'd like, but make dry food the mainstay of the diet. Give fresh, clean water as many times each day as needed, since the pups are learning and will walk, fall and sometimes even defecate in their water or food.

Trim each puppy's toenails once each week. This is important because the puppies scratch the mother's belly when they try to nurse, and also because the pups need to learn to accept nail trimming, so they will be better behaved when their nails are trimmed when they are older. Trim just the very tips of each nail, making sure you have good light to see what you're doing. Have the veterinarian show you how if you've never done this before. Use the styptic pen to stop bleeding if you cut a nail too short, but try very hard to avoid this as the pups will remember the pain and become very difficult whenever anyone tries to touch their paws.

Administer worming medicine and vaccines according to your veterinarian's instructions. This cannot be skipped. Puppies are susceptible to a number of parasites and diseases, and most are deadly when contracted at such a young age.

Allow the puppies about 10 to 30 minutes a few times each day be with their mother. The mother will be weaning them and the puppies have sharp teeth and nails, so the mother must have her own space to rest somewhere that the puppies cannot reach, but the pups still need interaction with their mom. Adjust the amount of time the puppies spend with their mother according to the mother's actions. If she is trying hard to keep away from them, limit the time more, and if she is relaxed and seems to be enjoying time with her pups, allow them to stay with her longer for each visit.

Clean the puppies' pen at least twice each day, and you may find you need to clean more often than that, depending on the number of puppies and the size of the pen. Cleanliness is essential for your puppies' health. If you use newspapers, they must be thrown away and fresh papers put down when the pups have soiled it with food or waste. Often, the pups will start to choose one or two spots for their potty area, which will make your job a little easier, but remember that the pups mature at different rates and some may not be at that level by 5 weeks of age.