Pets

How long can you leave newborn puppies unattended?

How long can you leave newborn puppies unattended

If you are a breeder, or if you are a pet lover who has intentions of joining the group of new breeders, there is a lot you will need to learn about dogs, and puppies, and the various breeds. One of the most important period in the life span of dogs is the period they are born, and when they are still in their litter. In this article, we will be sharing with you what you need to know about puppies, and also provide series of answers to one of the most frequently asked questions about puppies, which is, “How long can you leave your newborn puppies unattended?” We Know it is important for you to know that, and this article will share all there is to be known about puppies in relation to this question.

However, to put a break on your suspense, you need to know that you just like a new born baby needs the attention and care of the parents in every ticking second, the litter of newborn puppies need the breeders attention as well as the dogs attention. Considering that the dog does not have a pouch to carry young ones, the litters of newborn puppies constantly need the attention of the breeder.

How a breeder should attend to a litter of newborn puppies

To give a succinct answer to the question of how long a breeder can leave newborn puppies unattended, we consider it necessary to share the attention that newborn puppies require, as well as how a breeder can attend to the litter of newborn puppies properly. More so, it is important to know that the entire guide giving to a breeder for attending to any litter of newborn puppies revolves around ‘Care’. Below is a how a breeder is expected to attend to a litter of newborn puppies.

  • An Adequate Home
  • Regulated Temperature or Warmth
  • Feeding and Nursing
  • Health
  • Association
AN ADEQUATE HOME:

Just like a cradle is prepared before the arrival of baby from the hospital, every breeder needs to provide the litter of newborn puppies with an adequate home. Sometimes breeders use a box, or pen. Well, none is better than the other, a breeder can either use a box or a pen; what is important is making sure that the home is adequate for the puppies.

Here is a list of what makes the home adequate:

  1. Enough Space
  2. Very accessible
  3. Always neat
1. Enough Space:

To create an adequate home for a litter of puppies, a breeder must ensure that there is enough space for the litter of puppies and their mother. The space should be big enough for the puppies and its mother to relax, stretch out, and sleep.  Also it has to be spacious enough to enable the dog clean up its puppies.

2.Very Accessible:

The pen or box of the puppies needs to be very accessible that it is easy for you the breeder to change the beddings in the pen or box, and also makes it easy for the breeder to access the litter of puppies and assist the mother dog in cleaning up the litter of puppies if they are so many for the dog, or if the dog is weak to handle them. Remember that the litter of puppies will have their eyes closed for the first two weeks, so their home is adequate if it is accessible.

3.Always Neat:

The litter of puppies are usually helpless and so will use all the help they could get from their mother and the breeder, one of which includes cleaning up well, cleaning up the pen, box, and their beddings to ensure that they are neat enough for the puppies and their mother so that they do not contract any disease.

REGULATED TEMPERATURE OR WARMTH:

In the first few weeks, the litter of puppies are not able to regulate their temperature so they need to be kept warm which is why they are usually together, and are under the warmth of their mother, but the breeder has to be active to know when to provide them some warmth with the use of soft blanket or light in the absence of the warmth they get from their mother, because the mother could be feeling unwell, or may be too weak to cover them. The warmth of the pen or box needs to be regulated.

For instance, the temperature of the room or pen should be between eighty-five degree Fahrenheit and ninety degrees Fahrenheit within the first five days of the puppies’ existence.

Then within the next six to ten days, the temperature should be left at about eighty degrees, after which the temperature should gradually be reduced until it gets to about seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the week four of its birth. In addition to this, it is also necessary to consider providing a cooler corner where the pups can crawl to whenever they happen to get too warm from the heat and warmth around them.

FEEDING AND NURSING:

Another important care guide for a litter of puppies and the dog, which the breeder should consider is the feeding and nursing. The puppies need to be nursed by their mother, and in the same vein, their mother needs to be fed well so that she has energy and is nourished enough to feed the litter of puppies.

Now, a breeder has to monitor the litter of puppies to be sure that none of the puppies is being underfed, neither is any of the puppies trampled on by the others. If any puppy is not well fed, the breeder can position that particular puppy at the latch, where the milk flows bigger, or the breeder can consider bottle feeding the puppy so that it is healthy and well nourished.

When a puppy cries too often, it could be a pointer to the fact that the puppy needs more attention, so the breeder needs to be aware of that in order to provide the crying puppy with the needed attention. In addition to this, it is also very important that a veteran is consulted when the puppy is not gaining any weight so as to ensure that the puppy in question is not sick or has not contracted any form of infection.

More so, the nipples should be closely monitored because a certain kind of infection could interfere with the production of breast milk for the litter of puppies, in the same vein, a sore nipple hurts the mother dog and is also not healthy for the feeding of the puppies. So you see, feeding and nursing of a litter of puppies and its mother dog is a handful.

Another important thing is to pay attention to the feeding habits of the puppies. When the puppies start to sample their breast or nipples of the mother dog instead of actually suckling, it means that it is time to get them their own meal. On the other hand, it is time to wean them and provide them with their own meals when they start to grow teeth.

HEALTH:

The health of the dog and the litter of puppies is also worth attention. Little puppies are very vulnerable to parasites and fleas that if one pup contracts any ailment, chances are that the entire litter of puppies could contract the same ailment, and it could be deadly.

So do not hesitate to get a vet doctor involved at any level at all.  This is because having them involved helps a breeder identify ailments and symptoms early enough, and then the pup or the litter of puppies get the adequate medication as early as possible. More so, just as self-medication is wrong, do not randomly give drugs to your litter of pups because your neighbor next door does the same. Ensure that every medication you give to your dog and its litter of puppies are approved of by your vet doctor.

In the preceding section, we did mention of infections, one of such infections that can affect or even prevent the mother from properly feeding the litter of puppies is an infection called ‘mastitis’. Mastitis is an infection if the mammary gland which has already been established to affect the production of milk, it can also make the mother dog snap at the litter of puppies and stop them from feeding because mastitis often result in swollen nipples that are easily identified by the colour red. Get the vet involved immediately.

Also engage the litter pups and the dog in mini exercise that helps them keep fit.

ASSOCIATION

By the fifth week of the birth of your puppies, you should teach them to socialize by meeting people, letting them play with other dogs, and also getting them separate corners so that they can exist independently, and are not afraid or overly aggressive when they meet people or other puppies and dogs. You can do this by taking them for a walk daily, this is also a part of exercise that can keep them fit.

Why you should not leave litter of newborn puppies unattended

When you leave you puppies unattended, you expose them to ailments, which can come as a result of not being in clean environment, or malnutrition, and even death, and you do not want any of these for your puppies.

How long can you leave newborn puppies unattended?

Clearly, there is no time you need to leave newborn puppies unattended. They require your attention except you do not want to keep the puppies, then you sell them off. But before you get a buyer, or why you await the arrival of a buyer, you will also need to take care of the puppies. Should your work not give you the chance you need to take care of your puppies, then you may have to hire a care giver for the litter of puppies just as people hire a nanny for their babies.