Knowing When To Get Help

Posted on: 20 October 2015

If you find an orphaned puppy or you end up with one due to the mother abandoning it, you will need to take on that role and play the part of the mother dog to keep the puppy alive. If the puppy is a newborn, then you want to be prepared to care for it around the clock. It will depend on you to keep it warm, keep it fed and even to go to the bathroom. This article will walk you through the process for taking care of a new puppy that's far too young to be away from its mother.

Keep it warm and secure

The first thing you want to do is create a comfortable bed for the puppy with plenty of soft material that will make the puppy feel as if it is lying next to its littermates. You also want to create the warmth the other puppies and the mother would normally be generating.

Put the puppy in a small box and set a heating pad on the bottom. Take some soft blankets and fluff them up so the puppy can snuggle up against the ripples as if it were next to another puppy. You want to keep the heating pad on the lowest setting and make sure it doesn't get to hot, but warms the puppy up enough. You can add or take away a blanket to increase or decrease the temperature.

Feed the puppy often

You will need to feed the puppy every few hours or so, around the clock. The puppy will need to eat puppy formula. The easiest way to feed it will be to purchase the formula and a puppy bottle. You can find both at pet supply stores and/or at veterinarian offices. The puppy will get all the fluid and nutrition it needs from the formula so you won't want to give it water or anything else.

Rub the puppy

The mother will lick its puppies to clean them. Since the mother isn't available to do this, you want to simulate that action. Take a towel and slightly dampen it with just a little bit of warm water. Put the towel around the tip of your finger and use it to clean the puppy's eyes, nose and other areas so it feels cared for.

Help it go to the bathroom

Very young puppies also count on their mothers to help them go to the bathroom. You will need to use a warm towel to rub their lower belly and below to help them go potty. Rub gently and try to get them to go a few minutes after every feeding.

If you have any concerns about the puppy, you should take it in to a veterinarian. If it is after hours, go to an emergency vet clinic since a puppy can take a turn for the worse very quickly. Some reasons to worry include the puppy not breathing correctly, raspy sounds coming from the lungs, it acts lethargic or isn't eating or going to the bathroom.