How to Care for a Newborn Dog
To have a pet spend the first days of life with you is a very beautiful and rewarding experience that will make the union between an animal and a human very strong. However, this is a very difficult task, as raising a puppy without its mother implies some complications that need to be considered. You must have a basic knowledge in order to help your puppy get a correct development without its mother. In this OneHowTo article you'll find step-by-step information on how to take care of a newborn dog, so you know everything. Taking care of a newborn puppy is a difficult task but it's not impossible. With some patience you'll be able to raise your dog with no problems.
Steps to follow:
We must be quite clear in saying that a puppy in this stage of its life is not able to take care of itself so we have to do so. The warmth of the mother and the rest of the litter is one of the elements that will be sorely missed by the newborn dog. The ideal temperature for a newborn puppy is about 25 degrees. In the case that the natural environment does not reach that temperature, you can keep your puppy warm with a blanket or heating.
Adequate food is essential when you're caring for a newborn puppy. During the first four weeks of life, give your puppy a bottle of whole milk every two to three hours, depending on how often they cry to be fed.
After the first month of the puppy's life, you can begin to give them solid foods such as soft pate or wet food with water or milk. The change of food should not be drastic, and you must never force the animal to eat.
A newborn dog needs stimulation to go to the bathroom. This is something that the mother would do, but in its absence, you must do it. It's very simple, we just have to take a cotton ball and rub it lightly along the puppy's anus and genitals.
If the puppy does not have any health problems, the only drug that you must give it is an anti-parasitic pill in the third week of life, approximately. If you have doubts about how to administer this, consult your vet.
Taking care of a newborn dog is relatively easy, but it will require time and patience. Puppies will cry often because they need the warmth of their mothers. For this reason, we recommend that you stay the most time possible with your newborn puppy. The best time of the year to take care of a newborn dog is when you're on holidays, so you can devote all the time to your new puppy.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Care for a Newborn Dog , we recommend you visit our Pets category.
