Caring for Newborn Puppies

Most people will agree that there is nothing quite as cute as a puppy. However, these tiny bundles of joy are hard work. If you have a female that is about to give birth, it is important to ensure that you are prepared and equipped for the new arrivals. Ensuring that your are organized and ready for the tough task ahead will make the first few weeks of your puppies’ lives much easier.

Where to Keep the Pups

Traditionally, owners have kept litters of puppies in cardboard boxes. Although this is perfectly fine, you may find it more helpful to use a child’s inflatable pool, which is filled with blankets and towels rather than water. There are a great number of advantages to keeping Mother and pups in this pool, not least of which is that she has easy access to her young. Additionally, this will offer a roomy home where the puppies can move around freely as they wish.

Of course, another important aspect of caring for puppies is being able to keep their surroundings clean. Obviously, an inflatable pool can be easily wiped clean. However, you may find it useful to place some puppy pads beneath the pool to ensure that fluids do not seep through to your carpet or wooden floor.

How Close Should Puppies be to Mother?

As mentioned above, one of the real benefits of using a pool is that Mother has easy access to her young. It is important to remember that although a cardboard box is fine for the puppies, Mother may stress if she does not feel able to reach them. Of course, she will want to be able to move away from them at times, but it is wise to ensure that she can return to them easily.

Keeping Puppies Clean

Obviously, it is vital that puppies and their living quarters are kept clean. Remember, at days or weeks old, a puppy is particularly susceptible to infection and germs can breed quickly in a warm, damp atmosphere. Therefore, it is important to replace the blankets and towels at least once a day. Of course, if the puppies are particularly messy, you may need to do it more frequently. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on the pool and ensure you have a fresh supply of bedding available.

When cleaning the pool itself, which may need to be done every two or three days (again depending on how messy the pups have been), make sure that you use gentle cleaning products, because any strong odors or chemicals will be very unpleasant for both Mother and pups.

As for the puppies themselves, Mother will usually take care of this task. However, there may be times when you need to help her out. If you need to clean a puppy, take a damp cloth and give the pup a gentle wipe down. Never use any kind of soaps or shampoos, as Mother will ingest these detergents when she licks her babies clean.

Keeping the Puppies Warm

Another important aspect to remember is heat, as young pups cannot regulate their own body temperatures properly. Obviously, it is important for Mother and pups to be indoors for the first few weeks of life. Additionally, by supplying plenty of bedding and blankets, the pups should huddle together and keep each other cozy. However, if you are worried that the pups may be getting too cold, you can use a small heater (do not place it too close to the litter).

Naturally, the only way to monitor heat, cleanliness and general condition of the puppies is by keeping a close eye on them. Of course, by watching the pups on a regular basis, you will be able to monitor their development and spot any worrying signs. Although caring for newborn puppies is a full-time job, it is incredibly rewarding and well worth the effort.

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