Hand rearing

If your bitch has too many puppies to feed or if she rejects one of the puppies you may need to hand rear. It is important that they receive some of the mother’s first milk, the colostrum, which contains a high level of protective antibodies to give their immune system a head start.

Milk formulas come with detailed instructions on how to feed.

Puppies less than 2 weeks of age need to be fed every 3 to 4 hours, gradually reducing to every 6 to 8 hours at 4 weeks. Bottles and teats specially designed for feeding puppies are available, and these need to be sterilised between uses, as for human babies. You can start to offer milk in saucers from 2 weeks of age, gradually mixing in greater proportions of puppy food. Puppies can be weaned entirely off formula as early as 4 weeks of age.

The mother would normally lick the area under the tail to stimulate the puppy to urinate and defecate. In her absence, you will need to clean this area with damp cotton wool after a feed to ensure regular toileting.