If you are raising newborn puppies without their mother, do four things first: get them examined by a veterinarian, keep them warm without overheating them, feed a commercial puppy milk replacer (not cow’s or goat’s milk) with the puppy belly-down and head level, and weigh each puppy every day. Newborns can decline fast, so a cold, weak, non-suckling, struggling-to-breathe, dehydrated or unresponsive puppy is an emergency call to your vet, not something to watch overnight.
This guide is general education, not a substitute for an exam. It covers the first day, warmth, feeding, elimination, health monitoring, weaning and safe socialization.
What to do in the first hours
- Book a veterinary exam promptly. Best Friends Animal Society recommends an exam before an inexperienced caregiver starts raising orphans. This matters most if the litter was found abandoned, a puppy seems ill, or the puppies did not nurse soon after birth. Ask about feeding, weight checks, deworming and vaccines.
- Ask about colostrum. The Merck Veterinary Manual says intestinal absorption of antibodies (IgG) from the mother’s first milk generally ends by 24 hours after birth, and may begin within 4–8 hours. A puppy that missed nursing needs veterinary advice on immune protection.
- Look for a foster mother. A nursing dog is the best nutrition source when one is available and healthy. Otherwise you will use milk replacer.
- Start a log for each puppy. VCA Animal Hospitals recommends recording birth weight and daily weight for the first four weeks, then weekly from week five. Add food intake, urine and stool, activity and milestones. Mark puppies so you can tell them apart.
- Set up a clean, draft-free nest. Avoid loose, soft cloth that can trap a newborn; Best Friends warns about this.
How do I keep orphaned newborn puppies warm?
Newborn puppies cannot regulate body temperature well. Merck states: “Puppies and kittens lack thermoregulatory mechanisms until 4 weeks of age; thus, the ambient temperature must be high enough to facilitate maintenance of a body temperature of at least 97°F (36°C).” It also recommends 55%–65% environmental humidity.
Nest temperature targets
Best Friends gives these nesting-area targets. They are one source’s starting points, so confirm them with your vet and check with a thermometer placed at puppy level.
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Heat sources and overheating
Newborns cannot crawl away from heat, so overheating is a real risk. Merck cautions that heating pads can burn neonates that cannot move off a hot surface, and describes overhead heat at a suitable distance as an option. Make sure the puppies can’t be stuck in a hot zone, and protect them from drafts.
If a puppy is cold
Chilling interferes with nursing and digestion. Merck advises rewarming a chilled neonate slowly over 30–60 minutes and not tube feeding until it is warm, because hypothermia can cause ileus, regurgitation and aspiration. Call your vet for any cold puppy rather than feeding it to “warm it up.”
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What do I feed my orphaned puppy?
Use a commercial puppy milk replacer made for puppies. VCA says it is superior to cow’s milk and homemade mixtures, and its feeding guide notes cow’s and goat’s milk are inadequate, especially low in protein and fat. Esbilac is one product named in the sources as an example; follow whichever product your vet recommends and its label.
| Option | When it fits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Foster nursing mother | A healthy lactating dog is available and accepts the puppies | Preserves maternal milk; your vet should weigh health and disease considerations |
| Commercial puppy milk replacer | No foster mother | Follow label and vet guidance |
| Cow’s or goat’s milk | Not recommended | Inadequate substitute per VCA |
How often and how much should I feed the puppies?
Sources differ. VCA’s feeding article says every 2–4 hours in the first week, then every 4–6 hours until weaning. Best Friends says newborns commonly need feeding every 2–3 hours around the clock, and small or weak puppies may need more. No single interval suits every puppy, so settle on a schedule with your vet using accurate weights.
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VCA, with the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (article copyright 2024), gives these general energy targets for formula:
| Age | Energy per 100 g body weight per day |
|---|---|
| Days 1–3 | 15 kcal |
| Days 4–6 | 20 kcal |
| After day 6 | Up to 25 kcal |
VCA also gives total fluid needs of 130–220 mL per kg per day, averaging about 180 mL/kg/day. Increase intake gradually through the first week and avoid overfeeding. Use the calorie density printed on your formula to convert these into millilitres, and check the math with your vet.
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How do I bottle-feed safely?
- Use a puppy nursing bottle and a nipple whose flow doesn’t let milk pour out freely.
- Warm the formula to roughly body temperature. VCA gives about 100°F (38°C) in one article and 95–100°F (35–37.8°C) in another. Don’t microwave it; Maddie’s Fund cautions against it.
- Hold the puppy belly-down with head level, like nursing from its mother. Never feed on its back.
- Let it suckle at its own pace. Never force-feed or allow rapid nursing, since fast flow risks aspiration.
- If the puppy won’t or can’t suckle, stop and call your vet. Tube feeding should be learned hands-on from a veterinary professional, not attempted from instructions online.
Keeping feeding equipment clean
VCA recommends cleaning and boiling bottles and nipples between uses, refrigerating prepared formula, and discarding formula left at room temperature after one hour. Best Friends says refrigerated prepared or opened formula should be discarded after 24 hours. If the product label is more specific, follow it. Wash your hands before handling puppies.
How do I get the puppy to urinate and defecate?
Young puppies need you to stimulate elimination, usually after each feeding. Use a warm, damp cloth or cotton ball on the genital and anal area, gently and without harsh rubbing. Sources vary on when it can stop: Best Friends says the first two weeks, VCA says until about three weeks. Ask your vet when your litter is ready to go on their own.
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- Note1:When feeding, always pay attention to the pet's feeding situation and observe the pet's sucking rhythm
- Note2: If your kitten or puppy has grown teeth, be careful not to be bitten by the kitten or puppy when using the pacifier, to avoid the risk of biting the pacifier and eating it by mistake
What should I monitor, and when is it an emergency?
Weigh each puppy daily and write it down. A puppy that fails to gain or loses weight needs veterinary advice. Watch for:
- Poor suckling or refusing feeds
- Lethargy, twitching or seizures
- Breathing difficulty, which needs urgent attention
- Dehydration, such as tacky gums
- Diarrhea or abnormal stool. Best Friends advises a vet call when diarrhea is severe, lasts beyond several feedings, or contains blood or parasites.
- Feeling cold or marked weakness
When and how do I wean orphaned puppies?
Around three weeks, begin offering water and gruel, guided by each puppy’s readiness. Make gruel by mixing growth-formulated puppy food with milk replacer, and thicken it gradually as puppies learn to lap. VCA says replacer should be the sole nutrition until 3–4 weeks and recommends a transition to solid food by 5–6 weeks; Best Friends says most puppies can eat dry puppy food by six weeks. Keep fresh water available and don’t remove formula abruptly.
How can I socialize orphaned puppies safely?
Keep socialization gentle and supervised. Best Friends suggests contact with friendly, fully vaccinated dogs and dog-friendly cats, carefully supervised visits with children, and ordinary exposure to people, objects, smells and household sounds such as a vacuum or television. Protect puppies from injury and from animals that might react badly.
Balance this against infection risk. In the earliest weeks, limit visitors and handling, wash hands, avoid visitors recently exposed to sick animals or animal facilities, and change clothes and shoes after contact with other dogs or shelter settings. Ask your vet how local disease risks and the puppies’ vaccine status should shape their exposure.
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