Newborn Dog Care: 11 Rules for the First 14 Days

The first 14 days of a newborn puppy’s life are the most fragile. Her eyes are closed, her ears are not hearing, she cannot regulate her body temperature herself, her immune system is only under the colostrum protection of breast milk. When veterinary clinics in Turkey are asked, “We found a newborn on a street, what should we do?”, the protocol of 11 rules increases the chance of survival of the puppies from 10% to 80%. Here are the basics of motherless or maternal neonatal care.

1Temperature comes first — hypothermia is fatal.

A newborn dog cannot regulate its own body temperature. Thetemperature in the room should be 26-28°C; the inside of the bed box is kept at 30-32°C. Plastic bottle (not boiled, hot water), heating cushion (low level, wrapped with fabric cover) or pup heating mat are used with heat. If the puppy lies trembling, the heat is insufficient; if he lies on his side and breathes fast, it is very hot. The rectal thermometer is ideal for measuring.

2The first 72 hours of colostrum are gold.

The thick milk secreted by the mother dog within the first 72 hours after birth gives the puppy lifelong passive immunity. Never separate the newborn from the mother within 72 hours. If the mother is absent or does not give milk, another breastfeeding dog mother’s milk (nursing) is the gold standard; if not, serum transfusion is evaluated under veterinary control. Puppies who do not have it are at risk of infection in the first 3 weeks.

3The motherless pup feeds every 2 hours — night included.

The newborn kitten is fed 12 times a day. If there is no mother, you carry this rhythm: every 2 hours, including at night, with a bottle of warm milk substitute (Puppy Milk Replacer — Esbilac, Royal Canin BabyDog Milk). Each meal is 4-5% of body weight. 200 grams of offspring 8-10 ml. You do not have sleeping hours for 2 weeks — accept this fact in advance. Never push if the syringe is to be used, the pup will suck it himself.

4Baby bottle if sucking reflex, stomach tube if not — vet decision.

It is dangerous to insist if the sucking reflex of the newborn is weak — milk may leak into the lungs (aspiration pneumonia). If there is no suction, the veterinarian teaches feeding through the stomach tube. Do not try this procedure on your own; if the tube is in the lungs and not in the stomach, the pup will die within minutes. 10 minutes of training in the clinic saves life.

5Toilet stimulation required — puppy can’t do it alone.

A newborn dog cannot use the toilet on its own for the first 2-3 weeks. The mother stimulates the genital area of the cub by licking it. You do it in motherless puppies: after each meal, light circular massage with warm wet cotton. If this stimulation is not performed, the offspring cannot urinate or defecate; within 48 hours, uremia and death come. A physical necessity, not a pedagogical one.

6Daily weight tracking is the red line.

Weigh at the same time every day with the digital kitchen scale. Healthy newborn puppy should gain 5-10% weight every day; at the end of the first week, it approaches 2 times its birth weight. 24-hour weight loss = emergency vet. Same weight 48 hours in a row = veterinarian again. This data is your early warning system — you can’t say “looks good, I think it’s okay” in neonatal care.

7Umbilical cord cleaning — infection is the main risk.

After birth, the umbilical cord falls in 5-7 days. During this time, povidone is cleaned twice a day with iodine or a skin disinfectant. Redness, swelling, foul odour are signs of infection (omphalitis) and are fatal to the offspring. The veterinarian gives antibiotic treatment. Keep the bed on a clean, dry, soft towel; change the sheet 2 times a day.

8Eye and ear open on day 10-14 — don’t strain.

The puppy’s eyes open between the 10th and 14th days and ears open between the 14th and 17th days. Before this time, do not forcefully open the eyes or perform a sound test on the ears. If there is discharge, swelling, adhesion in the eyes (especially anomalies such as opening earlier than 5 days), visit the veterinarian on the same day. Prefer a light-sensitive — dim environment with newly opened eyes.

9Do not disturb the mother, stress disrupts lactation.

When the mother dog is under stress, milk yield decreases, even rejecting the puppies. In the first 2 weeks after birth, the mother is kept in a calm environment as much as possible. The approach of children, noisy guests, new animals entering the house are the main triggers. If the mother feels that she is cold, the temperature of the offspring drops; she slips and leaves herself. Pay attention to the nutrition of the mother: the nursing mother wants 2-3 times more calories than normal.

10Cry type is diagnostic tip.

The cry of the newborn puppy is the message “I am hungry/cold/uncomfortable”. Check the temperature if she is still crying after feeding; if she is not satisfied with the heat, she may have a health problem. Chirping, constant crying = serious signal. The silent, sluggish pup is much more alarming — the danger is at its peak when a pup is “silent.” Healthy pup sleeps, sucks, sometimes chirps; everything but this trio goes to the vet.

11Veterinary examination at 14-day checkup.

If all goes well, schedule an initial veterinary examination on day 14: weight monitoring, eye and ear control, heart-lung listening, tail-bone structure control. During this visit, an internal parasite prevention plan (some products that can be applied to the offspring with the mother) and a preliminary evaluation of the vaccination schedule are made. The puppy, who has gone through 14 days without any problems, has completed the most critical phase of his life.

Putting it all together, it turns out that:

The first 14 days of newborn puppies are a period that should be carried out with the logic of intensive care. Temperature, nutrition, stimulation, hygiene and constant observation — these five determine the offspring’s chances of survival. The biggest loss experienced by people taking care of newborns on the street or after the birth of a family dog in Turkey is due to lack of information. These 11 rules are a reliable framework in both mother and motherless scenarios. Keep the number of your emergency veterinary clinic open day and night at hand at any point where you have difficulty.