Taking care of puppies newborn puppies are very vulnerable and need help.
Normally, the female will take care of the puppies, but if this is not possible for whatever reason, there are several options to take care of the female and the puppies.
In the best case, the mother will take care of the entire care of the pup during the first weeks of its life and they are completely dependent on her. Because the pups cannot keep themselves warm and clean, the mother will take on this task and provide the right help with defecation and urination.
If the umbilical cord has been bitten by the mother at birth, it will slowly dry up. It will come loose between four and seven days.
Usually the pups can find the nipples well, but sometimes they need some help from the bitch or from the human.
During the first two days, the pups absorb antibodies from the mother's milk against various diseases. After two days, the antibodies can no longer be absorbed by the intestines of the pup, but the milk of course remains very important for the other nutrients.
Pups drink from the mother every two to three hours and the mother then licks their behinds to make them urinate and defecate.
Risks with newborn puppies:
Healthy, contented puppies sleep and drink for the first few weeks.
If they crawl around squeaking, this usually indicates a problem. They may be too hot, too cold or simply hungry.
Temperature:
We assume a situation in the Caribbean and the corresponding temperatures between 28 and 35 degrees and a perceived temperature of higher.
The temperature will not be a problem as long as you do not place the puppies in the air conditioning. This quickly becomes too cold for the puppies.
Bowel movements:
With this information we assume that the puppies, for whatever reason, are not being cared for by the bitch. You can stimulate the bowel movements yourself by rubbing the belly and their backside with a cotton ball and some oil. If this does not give the desired result, contact your vet. In the normal situation, a good mother will clean up the feces of her puppies herself in the first few weeks. If this is not the case, you should remove it yourself immediately and check the stool for any worms. You should also change the nest daily. Preferably with a light Dettol solution (lots of water with a few drops of Dettol). Change any blankets and/or towels that are present daily. Points of attention: The first and most important symptoms that something is wrong is that the puppy is not growing or even losing weight. But also if the belly swells and feels hard. This can indicate that stool is stuck in the puppies. Also pay attention to the bitch: a puppy that is weakened gets less attention from the mother or is even thrown out of the nest by her. So pay extra attention to the temperature, moisture and food and the weight of the puppy. Also make sure that the puppy does not dehydrate. If this is the case, you can give extra water between the milk feeds. You can add rehydration powder to this, this will support the fluid balance of your puppy.