Top 5 Tips For Caring For A Newborn Puppy

Congratulations, you’re a proud new dog owner, and your little bundle of joy is ridiculously cute! Now comes the hard part: learning how to care for a puppy.

If you’ve cared for a dog before, you might think that you already know everything there is to know, but newborn puppies are a bit different. You need to be prepared if you want to help your new friend through the first few weeks of her life.

Here are 5 tips to help both of you survive intact and come out on the other side happy and healthy.

1. Feeding a newborn puppy

Just like with human babies, the mother’s milk contains everything that the newborn needs to survive and grow for the first four weeks. But if mom isn’t around or can’t do it, you need to use a commercial canine milk replacer that has been specifically designed for newborns.

This is incredibly important, because some milk replacers — including cow’s milk — can cause diarrhea. Consult with a vet as soon as possible about how to bottle-feed your pup correctly, because you can hurt her if you do it wrong.

You’ll need to provide these feedings every few hours for the first few weeks. After about a month, you can start transitioning puppies to solid foods by adding water and milk replacer to dry kibble and blending until it reaches the consistency of oatmeal. You can slowly reduce the amount of water and milk replacer you add over the next month until they are able to eat plain kibble at around 7 to 8 weeks.

2. Keeping them warm

Newborn puppies can quickly and easily die of hypothermia if they aren’t kept warm enough. If the mother is there, simply lying next to her should provide enough heat, but if you’re acting as surrogate mother, you’ll need a bit more.

Blankets can help, as can heating pads, but take care that you don’t use something that’s too warm or can burn them. For specific advice, talk to your vet.

3. Helping a new puppy go to the bathroom

Did you know that newborn puppies can’t go on their own? Mother dogs have to help them to urinate and defecate by licking the appropriate areas after the puppies eat.

If no mother dog is around, you’ll need to do this by massaging their urinary and anal regions with a soft cloth that has been dipped in warm water. A vet can show you the proper way to do this until your puppy is able to go on her own at about a month old. Then you’ll have to start worrying about house training!

4. The first vet appointment

A big part of caring for your newborn puppy is ensuring he gets the help he needs when he needs it. And as already mentioned, your vet can help train you how to properly feed and assist with elimination. There are a number of reasons why you might need to call your vet immediately about your puppy. If he’s vomiting, coughing, crying nonstop, has nasal discharge, can’t go to the bathroom with help, experiences diarrhea, or just isn’t eating or gaining weight, you need to see a professional as soon as possible.

However, if your puppy seems healthy, most vets won’t need to see them until they reach six weeks of age. At that point, you can begin the first round of standard vaccinations and deworming.

5. Training and socialization: what and when?

You might want to crate train your newborn, but it’s not going to do you any good until they’re about 7 to 8 weeks old, can eat solid food, and go to the bathroom on their own. Introduce it to them in the most friendly way possible, offering treats or toys when they go into the crate, and only closing it for a few minutes at a time.

Other kinds of simple training and socialization can begin within the first few weeks, such as you handling the puppy and calling her to you once she begins to explore. You want her to bond with you and get used to your smell, voice, and touch.

It’s also a good idea to introduce others to your new pup around this time. But as she approaches eight weeks, you need to handle socialization carefully, because all puppies go through a “fear” stage. Negative experiences during this time can be incredibly impactful. Take it slow, and follow your puppy’s cues.

Source:http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/puppies/caring-for-a-newborn-puppy

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Tips on How To Create A Puppy Routine

When you get a new puppy, it’s only natural to want to simply hang out with them and play and cuddle all day. Unfortunately, there are a number of things that you need to do in those first few days and weeks — both to make sure that your new pup stays healthy and to establish good behavior patterns. These things will necessarily include at least these four routines for your pup. Once you have surmounted the obstacles and got your pup into the right routine you'll realize what a favor you've done for yourself and for your dog. Rest assured that the work you put in now will pay off tenfold in the long run.

When your full-grown adult dog is balanced, well-behaved, and the envy of all your Pack Leader neighbors, you’ll be glad you took good care of her right from the beginning.

Getting into a routine

One of the most important things you need to do for your puppy right off the bat is to establish a routine. Though it will be difficult initially for you to decide on a routine that will work for you, your family, and your puppy, don't wait too long to figure it out.

Here are some of the most important things to make sure you have on your puppy schedule:

1.   Feeding

Your new puppy is doing his best to become a full-grown adult dog. But in order to do so, he’s going to need to eat more frequently than an adult. Where you can feed many adult dogs twice a day — or even just once — puppies need to be fed three times a day like people.

Sound like a lot of work? Well, the good news is that you can plan your pup’s meals more or less around your own. The best times to feed him are around 7 in the morning, at noon, and then again at 5. You’ll want to follow this schedule for the first 3 to 4 months of your pup’s life. Then you can switch to twice-a-day feedings unless your vet recommends continuing more frequent meals.

Establishing a routine for eating times is especially important. With a set feeding schedule, your puppy will learn when to expect food and will be less likely to beg between designated meal times.
    

2. Potty time

Unless you want to have a big mess on your hands, you need to make sure you’re giving your pup “potty time” every 2-4 hours. Any longer than that and she just won’t be able to hold it. Putting a set time (and place) to this activity also teaches her that this isn’t just something she can do whenever and wherever she feels like it.

    

3. Keywords training

Very young puppies can’t get into any kind of formal training class right away, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be teaching him some basics every day. One thing every pup can start learning: keywords.

Begin with important words like “good,” “bad,” and “no.” Keep these words simple and be consistent with which ones you use. Your dog needs to get used to hearing the same words in order to associate the same meanings with them each time.
    

4. Exercise and play

Starting to think you’re never going to have any fun with your new puppy? Well, you can relax, because it’s also important to build time for exercise and play into your schedule.

Ideally, you want to begin your pup’s day with exercise before she has her first meal. After breakfast, try a pack walk (if she’s too young to go outside, you can do this around the house) followed by some bonding or play time. You’ll repeat this general routine throughout each day. Exercise, meal, exercise, bonding, meal, and so on.

By creating a good schedule for your puppy and starting small with tasks like feeding times, potty times, teaching keywords, and exercising and playing, you will not only save yourself innumerable future headaches, you’ll also ensure that your new bundle of joy grows up to be the best that he can be.

Sourced from: http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/puppies/how-to-create-a-puppy-schedule

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Foods That Can Make Your Dog Sick

We think nothing of passing titbits to that little thing waiting expectantly under the dinner table. But there are quite a few foods — which we eat on a daily basis — that dogs can’t digest, resulting in upset stomachs and in extreme cases, even death. Here are some food related tips that can help you take care of your dog better.

Chocolate: 

This is a big one. Chocolates and dogs are not made for each other. So however much your pet begs for it. Don’t give in. According to pawbuzz.com, chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine which fall under the methylxanthines category. In dogs, chocolate can cause vomiting, dehydration, abdominal pains, severe agitation, muscle tremors, irregular heart rhythm, elevated body temperature, seizures and death.

Garlic: 

Garlic is more harmful to dogs than onions as it contains compounds that are strong in toxicity. Your dog will be tired and reluctant to move. Their urine will be orange to dark red in colour. Like with onions, a blood transfusion might be required in severe cases.

Grapes and raisins: 

The innocuous grape (and raisins) is toxic to dogs and can lead to rapid kidney failure in some dogs (though not all). Dogs will also develop dehydration and lack of appetite. Death from kidney failure may occur within three to four days.

Onions: 

Onions can damage red blood cells in dogs causing them to become weaker and move around less. Even a blood transfusion might become necessary.

Milk: 

Like humans, many dogs are lactose intolerant. While they can digest milk as puppies, it is unadvisable to give it to adult dogs as milk contains milk sugar that dogs don’t have the enzymes to break down. Consumption of milk could lead to vomiting, diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal problems. While it’s not immediately life-threatening, it can contribute to serious bacterial exposure in dogs that could eventually lead to diseases.

Cheese: 

Like milk, dogs can’t digest cheese as they don’t have the enzymes to break it down. Symptoms like gas, diarrhoea and vomiting can occur if a dog eats too much cheese.

Caffeine:

While one would not give coffee to dogs normally, don’t try it as a prank. Coffee contains a stimulant known as Methylated xanthine. It stimulates the nervous system in dogs, causing vomiting, restlessness, heart palpitations and even death.

 

...and there’s Bacon: 

This is important, because will dog will go crazy with the smell of bacon, especially if you are not sharing. Don’t. Foods rich in fat, like bacon, can lead to pancreatitis in dogs. Once a dog has developed pancreatitis, their pancreas’ become inflamed and stop functioning correctly.

Other foods to keep your dog away from: Macadamia nuts, avocados, apple core and yeast dough.



Source: DeccanChronicle

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