Need Help With Two Young Pups

[BMAK]

HI everyone, at the moment i am looking after/fostering two young 4-5 week approx maybe younger cattle pups probably until their ready for a new adoptive home.

Both female pups will cry constantly (got them yesterday after being separated from rest of litter ) unless eating or sleepng trouble is they haven't relaxed i will cuddle them sometimes in hope they might settle against my body but don't stop moving around towards my face and crying, and when playing one is bigger and quite ruff so they are a bit of 24/7 supervision needed poor things really need their mum and my girl does understand the whole mothering thing.

I never got my own two dogs that early and while they have little or no bladder control or understanding at this early stage i'm a bit unsure in the pattern of how many meals per day and what exactly they should be eating and toilet sessions they sould have???

i have put a hot water bottle in there pen so they stay warm and they usually go for the normal breaks after waking up and after eating and any where inbetween when i see them running aroud sniffing.

For those who have had litters what should i expect and for those with cattle dogs any signs or behavours i should watch out for when they grow or any critical stages i should know about?

someone mentioned 4 smaller meals per day?

should they eat together even tho the biger one is a bit of a hog and when can they be brought off di-vetelact (mothers milk replacement) and what type of foods(solids) are appropriate to feed the babies

[Miranda]

If they are 4/5 weeks of age they are old enough to eat solids. However you say they may be younger in which case check their mouth and see if you can feel any teeth, if you can feel teeth it's ok to begin feeding them. I usually start them on very small balls of human grade mince and then move them on to Advance Rehydratable, as they have been separated from their dam give them 5/6 meals a day for a couple of weeks. You can mix the Advance with milk replacement or water. They can be fed together or separately, just make sure that they both get sufficient food and that one puppy isn't eating more at the expense of the other. I would also have water available, they may not drink it at first, but they'll soon learn. They should also be wormed every two weeks until three months of age.

You say you are keeping them warm, but just be sure that they aren't too warm, puppies will cry if they're too hot as well as too cold and at 4/5 weeks they are able to regulate their temperature quite efficiently and heating shouldn't really be necessary unless it's extremely cold. If the weather is mild they certainly don't require extra heating at that age.

[Bokezu]

poor little mites, they're missing their mum and siblings. If it were me, I would be mixing up some leerburg formula ......to give them a good start and because its got more calories they will settle really well after. They also need some mince, chicken or beef, softened with some warm water or formula, and some rehydrateable Advance.

They need to feel warm and comfortable, I always have a couple of soft blankets for my puppies to snuggle into, on top of their bedding. They also need some things in their box to play with such as a couple of small cartons to climb on, an old pillow and things like that. Have some paper outside their sleeping area and sometimes they will go on it sometimes not. They are too young to toilet train, but when they wake put them on the paper and they will get used to it. Some people will say they are old enough for all solid diet, but if you want them to settle mix them up some formula, you can add some mince to the formula as well but let them have a nice drink on its own

1 cup goats milk if no goats milk you can use diluted carnation evaporated milk (not low fat)

1 cup whole milk yoghurt

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon karo syrup or glucose made from corn syrup

good luck, hope they settle for you

[persephone]

Make sure they are kept together, and have lost of dark/snuggly spaces ..with hw bottle or heatpaks keep meals small and frequent.. don't pay them too much attention when they're crying... otherwise you may not be able to get them to settle when you're not there :p

take them out of their pen for some playtime.. just a few minutes ..

Make sure they have a bed and food area in their pen well seperate from newspaper or whatever toilet area they have .

I second the toy suggestion.. soft toys/cartons, soft balls.... and a couple of big meaty bones on which they can suck/chew!

[BMAK]

thank you for your suggestions they all sound good. its fairy cold here atm so they have the water bottle and ontop they have bankets build up like a nest to suggle into.

and i will try that formula Bokezu, thanks again