Caring for Newborn Puppies

As many of you may know, we have two newborn litters! Quinn’s litter just turned 2 weeks old on August 30th, and we are waiting for their eyes to open up. Ariana’s litter was born just on August 26th, and we figured it’s the perfect opportunity to talk about what all goes into newborn puppy care!

Before Puppies Arrive - Keep Mama Happy & Healthy!

Before the babies arrive, we ensure that their mama is as healthy and happy as can be… But what does that look like? Keeping the same routine is pivotal at this time, and making sure not to stress them too much. We also make sure to feed them extra as they are eating for more than just themselves while they’re pregnant! We announce pregnancies one month prior to their due date on our Upcoming Litters page.

A week before the mama’s due date, we start taking temperatures. We wait to see if their number drops below 100, 99, and so on… 98.6 is generally our “last warning” before our girls head into labor. It’s not often you see a mama give birth that early before the due date, but it’s happened before so we take extra good care to make sure everyone is prepared.

Another part of our preparations is making sure our mama is cleaned up with a pregnancy clip before she gives birth. Our pregnancy clip shaves their tummy so the nips are accessible for the pups, and we also shave their bums to make sure the way is clear when puppies are ready to come. If the mama’s tail is fluffy, we usually wrap them up when she starts going into labor, so that we can keep it nice and pretty after the puppies arrival.

During Puppies’ Arrival - Safely Delivering our newborns

Labor can be stressful for our mamas, and while it’s important to keep them company while they give birth, it’s also pivotal that you assist them in doing so. We never know what could happen during the laboring process, and if we may need to take them to the vet for additional assistance. We always have someone on hand to watch and assist our mamas during the laboring process, so that they can make sure everyone is healthy.

When mama pushes, we help her deliver the puppy, and we help clean it up, so that it’s breathing and ready to nurse. We help it latch onto mama while we wait for the next to arrive, and then repeat the process! Sometimes first-time mamas are hesitant to let their new puppies nurse, but most of the time they get the hang of it after we teach them that they’re OK.

After every puppy has been birthed safely, we move mama and them to a new kennel, and make sure to give mama another fresh clean up, as there may be after-birth on her. This is generally when we come up with names for our puppies and get birth weights, so that we can adequately track their growth.

During Week 1 - Daily Care Routines & ENS

Daily care for our mama and puppies includes changing out their blankets/pads each morning, making sure food and water is accessible for mama, and just making sure the puppies stay clean throughout the day. We also make sure to give our mamas plenty of breaks, though it is common for them to avoid breaks during the first few days of having puppies.

“The first three weeks of a puppy’s life are a crucial time. Puppies are very helpless at this stage... Mama Dog does most of the work at this stage, so [our] job is to keep everyone warm, safe, and clean.”

— American kennel club

Recently, we’ve learned a lot about the importance of Early Neurological Stimulation and what that does for newborn puppies in the long run. We can blog more about it in the future, but the gist is that we start doing ENS exercises on Day 3 until the puppies reach 16 days old. At that 17 day old bench-mark, their neurological system has kicked in, and ENS exercises are no longer effective.

During Weeks 2-5 - Eyes Open & puppydom begins

At 2-2.5 weeks old, we’ll start to see eyes open up for our puppies! This is one of the most exciting milestones. We do watch on a daily basis for this as we do our daily care routines, and we assist pups who can’t quite get the last little bit of their eyes open. We try to take “2 week” pictures after everyone in the litter’s eyes have opened, and it’s so beautiful to look into the eyes of the pups we’ve been caring for daily.

At 2.5 weeks, their ears finally fully open up so that they can hear more of their surroundings. We do keep our young puppies in a relatively quiet place, away from our other dogs, so as not to scare them with loud noises or anything that may stress them during this stage.

At the 3 week mark, the puppies receive their first vaccination and deworming. They are kept on a very strict routine for all of that from here on. You can see a copy of our Vaccine & Deworming Schedule over on our Preparing for Gotcha Day page.

They are so cute at this stage, and we finally allow customers to schedule first visits after their 5 week mark when they’ve received their second vaccination and deworming. They are usually crawling around a bit and playing at this time, and it’s exciting to see them progress into their 6 week mark when they head to their first vet appointment.

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Puppies of the week

Ariana’s puppies are happy and healthy! These beauties will be turning 1 week old on September 2nd, and we’ve already started doing their ENS exercises. They are precious, and Ariana is very protective and loving of each and all 7 of them. We’re thrilled with how gorgeous and dark red they all turned out, and are excited to find them forever homes!