Puppies

[SnakesvsRodents]

I had a question about my new puppies,... is it safe to treat them for fleas if they get any while they are 1 week old?...is it possible for the mother to run out milk?,if so what can i do about it or how/what can i feed the puppies?Thanks

[sweety314]

You shouldn't worm or flea dip/powder/shampoo them until 8 wks or older. Mom should make plenty of milk, but if the puppies aren't thriving, sometimes vit B or oxytocin ( or was it pitocin our vet used) can be given to help lactation. If U DO have to supplement, there's the KMR milk replacer that's available in cans (already mixed) or pwder (mix with water) but you must follow label directions as to life after opening/refrigeration.

[wolfy-hound]

Most flea products are not safe to use on week old pups. You can however bathe them with a mix of any pet shampoo and water and towel them off well, let the suds sit on them a while(2-3 minutes) to help kill the bugs. Don't submerge them at any point. They get water into their lungs easily.
The mother can run out of milk. Check her breasts, and make sure they do not get caked up, if they do, clean them gently. Watch for "milk fever" where she will shake, almost vibrateing. Eventually she will be unable to stand and shake very badly and that means she doesn't have calcium, take her to a vet right away. Easily cured, but it can kill a mother dog quickly.
If you have to feed puppies, or supplement feed them if mom is giving them enough, use puppy formula. Regular cow milk is not rich enough. Puppies require a much higher fat content in their milk. I've heard of home mixes to use, but by the time you get the ingrediants, and mix them up, it was cheaper to buy the puppy milk replacement formula. A lot of hardware stores carry it, feed stores almost always do, and you might mix it half strength with water.
You can also feed mom some liver and cottage cheese, which will give her extra iron and calcium, in addition to other good vitamins, which will cut down any chance of problems. Just buy cheap beef liver and boil, give her the juicey water afterwards too, only need to give her a couple SMALL pieces per day. Not entire pieces of liver, too much and she will get an upset tummy. Keeps well in the fridge too. Same with cottage cheese, only a heaping tablespoon maybe twice a day.
This advice is only my opinion, not meant to be vet-style advice, but I have had multiple litters of yorkie puppies, and have worked next door to a vet and asssisted them constantly. I've hand-fed hundreds of kittens and dozens of puppies so far in my life. Even did a few raccoons.
Wolfy

[sweety314]

Sorry, I forgot about milk fever. It's been a while.

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

You shouldn't worm or flea dip/powder/shampoo them until 8 wks or older. Mom should make plenty of milk, but if the puppies aren't thriving, sometimes vit B or oxytocin ( or was it pitocin our vet used) can be given to help lactation. If U DO have to supplement, there's the KMR milk replacer that's available in cans (already mixed) or pwder (mix with water) but you must follow label directions as to life after opening/refrigeration.

Used the KMR stuff with the bunny I had, only keeps for 72 hours according to the can just for future references

[SnakesvsRodents]

ok, thanks all. i just wanted to be prepared none if this has happened yet.