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| From: | ellie (204.211.2.254)
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| Subject: | Re: Orphaned pups |
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Date: | June 16, 2008 at 6:15 am PST |
In Reply to: Orphaned pups posted by TinaMarie on June 15, 2008 at 4:44 pm:
Bless you for taking in these little angels! No, absolutely do not separate them. They need each other! Urine is sterile until it is in the air. It'd be better of course if they weren't doing this, but it isn't likely to harm them seriously.I am a bit concerned about their nutritional status; I've had a lot of orphaned litters in my house, and most of them, if adequately bottle-fed, snuggle up together but don't try to nurse from each other.
I'm assuming these are very small pups. How old?
Have you ever bottle-raised puppies before? The two most important things are: keep them warm and feed them frequently. Use puppy formula, never ever cows' milk. I like the formula with colustrum and I really think it helps their development. Newborns need to nurse every two hours round the clock. By three weeks old they can eat every 4 hours, and at night you might be able to go a 6 hour stretch between feedings, so you can get a little sleep. By 5 weeks you can start introducing puppy chow, moistened with water or formula and warmed up a bit. By 6 weeks you can begin weaning in earnest.
Once they are two weeks old, give them a dose of pyrantel to worm them. Repeat at 4 and 6 weeks. Since they do not have their mother nursing them, there are no maternal antibodies, so first shots at 6 weeks are a must.
Good luck with these little babies!
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