What to do with Orphaned Pups

[carlisle]

My lead dog had a litter of nine pups and they are about three weeks old and all are doing well. Without to much warning the bitch got sick and the next day was dead. I have been bottle feeding the dogs and they all seem to be doing fine. i was just wondering if anyone has any tips for me.

[pegleg]

keep them warm, clean, wipe them often, when they wake up, after they eat and fifteen to thirty minutes after that. use a good puppy formulated milk replacer as recommended on the label. other then that it's a case by case situation. find a house dog or hound female to help nurture them"not nurse unless it's possible" but a few female dogs will help take care of puppies especially if she believes their yours this takes a load of you as far as bathroom issues and rounding them up and watching over them teaching them to be dogs.

[cobalt]

The pups should be fine. I start weaning at 3.5 wks. Get good quality pup food and soften a little of it with boiling water. Cool it down with evaporated milk. Once it is mush, put it on a plate and press their nose in it. They should try to suck it off the plate and after a while, learn to lick it up. If your female was current on shots, her colosterum should cover the pups til 7 wks. The pups should be fed at least 4 times a day. If they eat, they will live. Change bedding often to keep sores from developing. Good luck.

[pegleg]

cobalt what is your reasoning in weaning at 3.5 weeks? if a female naturally will feed for ten or more weeks why shorten the nutrient intake for the pups ? a pups digestive tract is not fully developed in 3.5 weeks nor is their skeletal structure finished hardening this is a common transition period for all mammals after birth " during which the skeleton is softer and pliable to ease passing through the birth canal" they absorb large amounts of calcium and nutrients to complete the process of development ie the inability to walk. it's a fairly good guide to development the age a species is mobile.

[Melanie Hampton]

pegleg

Have you had a female want to nurse pups that long? I am honestly curious.. I have raised 3 litters off of 2 different females and I can't keep a female with pups for more then about 4.5 weeks.. tops.. she is done feeding them by then and wants back in her own kennel.. I start them eating at about 3.5 weeks too and leave them on mom until she is done...

As for making the food.. I do the same thing cobalt does, except use milk replacer.. that is the only differance.. Has seemed to work..

[cobalt]

I'm sure there is more than one way to skin this cat. If the pups end up healthy and happy, then all is good. Once the pups develop teeth, they are ready for real food. I start weaning at 3.5wks and by wk 5, they don't get any more momas milk. This seems to be better for Mom, even if she wants to nurse. Puppy food has everything and more a pup will need for proper growth at that point and that is what my vet recommends. Like with my horses and cows, at some point, they need to be pulled or they will nurse for way longer than is beneficial. I have never had any pups with nutritional deficiency issues. The Veterinary establishment suggests weaning from 3 to 6 wks and should take about one week to complete.

[pegleg]

Melanie yes my females do nurse that long on their own the freaquency goes down as would be expected but they continue to nurse and the smallest litter I've had is nine pups this applies to my kelpie females as well. with cattle or most livestock you wean when it's most economical if a calf nurses to long the next years calf suffers and the cow has no time to rebuild body tone before nursing the new calf and any deficiencies are made up with hormone injections and supplements along with the feeding program of the feed lots to reach a finished beef. horses on the other hand have no meat value and its easy to find different schools of thought on the weaning dates. the dairy industry in the us is going through some rough times right now dealing with commercial production of livestock. the poultry industry is in a better situation to handle that type of production do to the speed of genetic changes when required and the nature of poultry. the large hog farms are dealing with its faults as well poor meat quality and slow organ development low resistance to disease organisms etc. and most have all their money in a very narrow genetic pool and to get the genetic changes in place takes time. with the competitive prices and low profit margins this can be disastrous. I put a lot of time in my hounds and want them to perform for me so try to give them the tools to do it. nature has set the rules some can be bent others are rigid so I try to keep that it in mind with animals and livestock.

[bearintheair]

My vet recomends between 3 and 5 weeks, my last litter the female killed one pup so we pulled them off of her at 3 weeks, we did the same as listed above, soft puppy food and milk replacer, we also used regular baby rice mixed with milk replacer which seems to be easy to eat and digest for them, all are doing great, no health issues at all. A couple of the males are going to be pushing 70-80 lbs i bet when full grown.

I had a freind who breast fed till her kid was 2, just cause the female wants to do it doesnt make it right

[bearsnva]

Bearsinair, U R one sick dude!! LOL
But besides that how big did that kid get ???

To ya--