It’s the stuff of gripping novels. You’re walking along a quiet street, minding your own business, when you look down and see a box poking out of a back alley. Upon further inspection, you discover that it’s a box of puppies. Orphaned puppies. Adorable ones, at that. You might be tempted to gather them all up in your coat and take them home, but that might not be the best course of action—at least, not immediately.
Caring for Orphaned Puppies: A Full-Time Commitment
Caring for puppies is a full-time job, at least for the first several weeks, and it should not be entered into lightly. Of course, in a situation like this—where planning is impossible—it might be a good idea to enlist the help of a local vet or a pet rescue organization. If you decide to take on the responsibility, there are a few things you should know.
First of all, try to assess their age. If their eyes aren’t open, they’re probably less than two weeks old. In this case, they’ll need to be kept warm. If possible, take them home in the box you found them in. They’re familiar with it, and it may provide a sense of comfort. Place a heating pad set on “low” on the floor of the box. Cover the pad with a towel. Be sure that the heating pad only takes up a portion of the box so the puppies can move away from the heat if necessary. It’s crucial to keep the puppies in a warm box, in a warm room. You’ll also find that the younger they are, the more they’ll sleep. Newborn puppies may sleep up to 90% of the time. They may even sleep on top of each other for warmth.
In the beginning, they’ll need to be fed every two to three hours. If they’re very tiny, you may need to bottle-feed them. Puppy formula, along with small bottles and nipples, can be found at your local pet store. Try to feed the puppies in the position that best matches how they would nurse from their mother. Don’t bottle-feed a puppy while it’s on its back, as the formula can get into its lungs. After feeding, you’ll need to stimulate each puppy to help them urinate or defecate. This can be done by wetting a paper towel or cotton ball with warm water, squeezing it out, and gently stroking the dog’s genitals and anal area in a manner that mimics how their mother would groom them with her tongue. This helps relax them and encourages them to produce waste.
Socializing and Training Puppies as They Grow
Around two weeks of age, the puppies will open their eyes and begin to stand and play with their littermates by week three. It’s around this time that you can increase interaction with them to help socialize them and get them used to human contact. Be very careful, as they can easily wriggle out of your grasp. For this reason, children should be supervised closely while handling puppies.
As they grow, they’ll need to be fed less frequently. By weeks two and three, they may be eating every three to four hours, and by week four, every four hours. At this point, you can slowly introduce solid food into their diet. Without a mom to show them, you’ll be responsible for teaching the orphaned puppies how to eat. Take a small amount of canned food and mix it with a little warm water to form a “puppy mush.” Place it on a saucer and put a puppy in front of it. If it eats, the other puppies will likely follow suit. If not, put a little food on your finger and encourage the puppy to lick it off. It may take some time for them to get used to this new concept, but with patience and consistency, they will soon be eating on their own.
By this time, you can also start potty training. Use newspapers to help them identify where the “safe” areas are, and praise them when they go potty in the proper location. Be sure to bring them to the area after feeding and naps, as these are the times they are most likely to need to eliminate. They’ll catch on quickly. If you place the newspapers in a small area with the puppies, where there isn’t a lot of room for them to move around, they’ll be more likely to learn the rules as they won’t want to lie in their own waste.
By week five, you can begin thickening their “mush” as you prepare to wean them off this food and onto dry food or other puppy food. At this time, they’ll also start exploring more. By now, one puppy has probably found its way out of the box. As soon as one does, the rest will likely follow. A small enclosed area is ideal for them to roam, yet not venture too far.
Weeks six and seven bring more exploring, more eating, and more growing. By week eight, the puppies are ready to leave the nest and move into loving homes.
Caring for orphaned puppies can seem overwhelming at times, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. They certainly wouldn’t have made it without your quick intervention. And seeing those wriggling little bodies and sweet faces somehow makes up for all the trouble. As much work as it’s been, it’s bittersweet when the time comes to find them loving homes. You may even realize you’d do it all over again.
