FEEDING YOUR NEONATAL PUPPY OR KITTEN
Feeding and raising orphaned babies is one of the most rewarding endeavors in veterinary medicine. There is no feeling quite like being able to wean a puppy or kitten that was a helpless little orphan just a few weeks ago.
Feeding
Esbilac for puppies, KMR for kittens, NOT COWS’ MILK OR BABY FORMULA!
Your baby animal is its own species and, in the absence of its natural diet, needs something as close to the real thing as possible. The listed products are specifically designed to replace each species’ unique nutritional needs by imitating the milk of a dog or cat as closely as possible. Feeding a puppy or kitten the wrong formula can lead to malnutrition, poor growth, and even death! Each baby should be fed as much as they will take from a baby bottle every 4 hours until they start taking solid food on their own. You can begin offering semi-solid food at 4 weeks of age (some loosening of the stools is normal at this point) by mixing puppy food with water and leaving it out for the puppies. You can also put some puppy food mash (soft puppy food mixed with water until it’s about the consistency of thick oatmeal) on your finger and let them lick it off. Then, once they have the hang of this, move your finger toward the plate the food is in to give them some idea that the food is where it is. To encourage them to eat puppy or kitten food, it is okay to begin feeding them just a little bit less milk so that they are looking for a new food source. Puppies and kittens are commonly not fully weaned until 6 weeks of age, so don’t worry that things are taking too long. It is normal for the babies to take less and less milk and more and more solid food during this time, so make the transition gradual.
Puppies and kittens, especially young ones, cannot regulate their body temperature well. It is okay to make a nest box lined with dish towels and place this on top of a heating pad set on low to provide an extra source of warmth for the babies. It is important to make sure that it’s not too warm. One good way to do this is to set the nest box half on and half off the heating pad. This allows the baby to find an area with the warmth it likes while allowing it to cool off if necessary.
Defecation/urination
Puppies and kittens, especially young ones, cannot defecate or urinate without help. In a normal situation, mother helps stimulate this by licking her babies’ tummies and perineums (anus/genital region) however you can gently massage and wash the area with a warm, wet cloth and achieve very good results. We recommend doing this after each feeding.
If your baby does not eat for 12 hours, doesn’t urinate or defecate for more than 12 hours, becomes cold, develops a discharge from the nose or mouth, or begins having trouble breathing, call us immediately! This can be the sign of a life-threatening emergency and may require the attention of a veterinarian.