Feeding the Puppies and the Mother Dog


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On the first few hours after delivery, find out to see that the mother dog bears a sufficient milk supply for the pups. The nursing period begins with the secretion of a watery-milky fluid known as colostrum. On the first twenty-four hours of life, newborn puppies get antibodies from their mother's colostrum which protect them against particular diseases for the first few weeks of life. If the mother doesn't have enough milk, or if there's too large a litter for her to attend to, then you should give extra bottle feedings.

You could use a commercial dog bitch's milk replacer like Esbilac, or you could make your own formula using two teaspoons Karo syrup, two cups whole milk, and two egg yolks. You may also use two parts of evaporated milk to one of water, putting a small amount of Karo syrup and the yolk of an egg. thoroughly mix  and keep the formula inside the refrigerator, heating whatever amount is utilized at every feeding. A puppy nursing bottle or small doll's nursing bottle may be used for hand-feeding. A baby lamb nipple or the anticolic nipple employed for premature babies is the best type for puppies. Be sure that the hole allows the formula to pass through easily but not too fast. For pups raised entirely by hand, the feedings must be given every four to five hours round the clock.

For hand-fed puppies, it is crucial after each nursing to get a swab of cotton, dip it in warm water, and massage the puppy between its hind legs till it has urinated and had a bowel movement. These substitutes as the mother's washing, which maintains the pup clean and the bowels open.

For the first day or two after the whelping, feed the mother meat, egg, milk, and other soft foods. She will decline bulkier food, which will make her have to leave the puppies more a great deal. Soon dog meal may be added. She needs even more food now than when she was in whelp. Ask your vet about extra vitamins and minerals that might be needed. As time goes on, the matron will require more food throughout lactation; she is feeding her growing litter as well as herself, and she must be well-nourished if she's to make sufficient milk for her brood. Feed her a minimum of three times every day plus a bedtime snack if she desires it.

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