Puppy advice needed

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Okay I promise to post pics, but for now I need some advice. I volunteer at a no-kill shelter and although I am not usually a foster home, I have been shanghai’d into something.

We are fostering a beagle until Monday, that’s fine. The beagle is female, spayed and likes kids. So far so good. Next got a panicked call from the woman in charge. The Jack Russell that had puppies on Tuesday night is having problems. She had six puppies and two died last night. A third is looking pretty skinny and may need to be bottle fed.

She is dropping the whole lot off at about 5:30.

Now I have hand-raised rabbits, but not puppies. How often do I feed the little guy? Do I have to do anything else (rub its tummy to get it to “go”)?

Also, I have a job interview tomorrow morning and will be out for about two hours. I am going to put the momma and babies in a kennel in my room and shut the door. They should be okay for two hours, right?

Please help!

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Feed it as often as you get a chance. If he’s hungry, he’ll eat. If he’s not, he won’t. You won’t have a problem overfeeding him.

Yes, they’ll be fine. I would make sure that your other dog (beagle) can’t get at the mama/puppies and upset them (or eat them) while you’re out.

You’ll be fine. Mostly the mama will just look after them, so you just sort of watch them to make sure they seem healthy/well fed. Pick them up every so often when they get lost and start crying.

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Gak … the rest of that sentence should read: And put them back close to their mama.

Seriously! Preview!

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I found a good site here that seems to have everything covered. It doesn’t 100% apply, since you’ll have the momma, too, but does cover bottle-feeding.

The mom should take of stimulating the puppies to eliminate, but if not, that’s covered in the link above.

Good on you for helping the cute widdle doggies. Good luck, and post pics soon. PUPPIES!

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Thanks for your help. I really hope the little guy makes it.

I’ll post pics soon.

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When I first got Polaris she was only five weeks old and very sick. I had to feed her with a syringe, and it was touch and go for a while.

My advice from what I learned:

Give the puppy nearly constant contact. Hold and carry him frequently through the day, giving him lots of affection and soothing sounds. Puppies, just like human infants, do much better if they’re held next to a beating heart and have someone giving them affection. While you’re watching TV, lay him on your chest, for example, and you might want to make a sling to hold him near you while your’re doing chores and the like. I’m not saying it has to be constant, but the more contact, the better. There is a dog toy out there which plays a recording of a heartbeat and you put a warm water bottle in it which some people have said is very comforting for very young pups.

Put his sleeping crate/box right next to your bed. I’ll let others share the frequency of feedings and the like, but you’re most likely going to have to get up with him during the night. Often, puppies are very frightened if they’re all alone, and even just putting your hand down into the box with him is comforting.

Watch his eating habits. Dogs most frequently show the first signs of sickness by refusing to eat. A tiny puppy can’t go long without food and water before feeling the effects of it (some will even faint if their sugar levels get too low).

Don’t give him any baths yet. Wait until he’s at least five or six weeks for that. Until then, wipe his fur with a warm, wet towel if he needs it.

Try to give him as many new exposures as you can, as long as he’s healthy. He’s going to have a lot of issues as he grows up, because he hasn’t been properly socialized with his brothers and sisters. You’re going to have to teach him bite inhibition, for example, since he won’t learn it as he usually would.

As soon as he’s vaccinated, get him playtime with other (healthy) puppies. He’ll need it to learn “dog ettiquette” and the requisite canine social skills. Now, he’ll probably always be a bit shy or possibly aggressive towards other dogs (depending on his temperment) but the younger you can get him socialized, the better. Until then, have him meet a lot of friendly people. Introduce him to the world around you, different smells and the Evil Vaccum Cleaner Monster.

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Thanks Lissa, I have a slight advantage in that I do have the mom here, the littlest one just doesn’t seem to eat much from her, the runt is much skinnier than his siblings. I am leaving the pupp with mom as much as possible, and putting him on her teats whenever he is in there, but I am also supplmenting his milk.

He just ate from a syringe and took in almost 5ml. Little piggy when he gets going.

I am going to feed him again at 11, I read it should be every three hours.

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Aw, jeeze. Sorry-- I misread that.

Sounds like you’re doing the right things.

You might want to ask a vet about Nutri-Stat. It’s a high-protein, high-fat food supplement that has lots of vitamins. You can get it at pet stores or at agriculture supply stores, or on the 'net. My tube says nothing about the age of the animal-- it only gives directions for dose-by-weight, but you might want to call a vet just to make sure it’d be safe to give a puppy.

I use it to help my eldest dog keep on weight. My mother’s cat became ill after surgery and wouldn’t eat. She kept it alive for two weeks by getting the cat to lick the Nutri-Stat off of her fingers. The cat recovered.

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Thanks - I’ll phone tomorrow. :slight_smile: He has eaten another 2 or 3ml. He is doing pretty well and I think his belly is starting to get all fat like the others. it’s certainly harder to tell them apart by feel then before.

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I want puppy pix!!!

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Well, good news. He made it through the night and his little belly is getting fat.

Hopefully this trend continues. MY cat is all freaked out and won’t come upstairs. The momma dog also growls at my daughter, so I usually keep the kennel door closed unless I am right there (the dogs are isolated with baby gates anyway).

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That’s a good idea. Think of it as a good sign that the momma dog is being protective of her puppies. (Put yourself in her shoes-- you’ve just had babies and this strange-smelling, furless creature is ogling them and perhaps will try to eat one of them when momma’s back is turned.) She may bite if your daughter gets too close. Jack Russels may be small, but they pack a powerful bite, and they’re as brave as lions when they think they’re cornered.

If she stays in your home for a while, she may warm up to your daughter, especially after the pups are a little older. If you want, you could have your daughter sit quietly on the floor outside the gated area so momma gets used to her presence. Tell her not to look directly into the momma’s face because dogs interpret that as a challenge/threat.

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We’re so concerned about puppies, we didn’t say good luck on the interview! How did it go?

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The interview went fine. I will find out next week. It would be an excellent job and i hope I get it :slight_smile:

Now, where/how do I post these pics?

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Not sure. I’m a newbie :). I would think if you post them to someplace like Shutterfly or some other pix website, you could then provide a link.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed on the job front for you!