Caring for Your Stray Puppy

Keep the puppy WARM by placing it in a small box with a heating pad, set on LOW, cover the heating pad with a towel and place the puppy on top of the towel. Monitor frequently to be sure the puppy is staying warm enough, but not too hot.

Try to get some NUTRIENTS and liquid in it. Very weak puppies, or puppies under 4 weeks old will not be able to eat on their own. Prepare a milk replacement from whatever you have available (see recipes for emergeny milk listed below). Make sure the mixture is warmed to room temperature and feed it to the puppy using either a pet nurser bottle or an eye dropper. If the puppy appears to be at least 4 weeks old, and if you have it available you can offer canned puppy food, or you can make a gruel by placing some dry dog or puppy food in a bowl with a good bit of water, heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, and let it sit, to absorb the water; then mash with a fork to make a mush or gruel; add more water if needed. Offer this to the puppy. If it will not eat it, offer some replacement milk in a saucer or shallow bowl. If the puppy will still not eat, use an eye dropper or pet nurser bottle. Repeat feedings as often as the puppy will accept it, at least every couple of hours. If it is eating solid food, also offer some water in a shallow dish; you may have to gently touch the nose to the water to encourage it to drink, they usually have not learned how to do this yet. Alternatively, mix plenty of water with their solid food.

Check the puppy for FLEAS. If flea infestation is severe, this can quickly kill a puppy, however, getting the fleas off the puppy may present a problem. Frontline spray is not labeled for use in puppies under 6 weeks of age. However, it has been used safely in very young puppies when the need is urgent. Use sparingly, be careful not to soak the puppy as this will chill it. It is best to use a cottonball moistened with the spray to apply it to the puppy, especially around the face area. Apply it only in this manner to the face, do not spray the face. And you should apply it to the face first. You can also bathe the puppy, if it is not severely ill, with Palmolive dishwashing liquid or baby shampoo. This will not kill the fleas but it will stun them and give you an opportunity to pick some of them off. Towel dry the puppy and keep it warm until dry. DO NOT attempt to bathe the puppy if he appears to be very ill, as the stress of the bath could cause serious problems: in this instance try applying baby powder or talcum powder. A flea comb, if available will also help.

Young puppies and kittens cannot eliminate on their own and depend on the licking of the mom to stimulate these most important functions. You will have to be the "mom" in this case. Take a cotton ball or soft tissue paper and apply lukewarm water to moisten it. Then very gently rub the rectal and genital areas (one at the time, please!) in a back and forth motion. Do this until urine and stool are released. Repeat this procedure several times a day, after meals is an ideal time.

This puppy will be alert and active, depending on its age. The gums should be pink, the body not too thin or dehydrated, and flea infestation will be minor or nonexistent.

If it is a tiny puppy, less than 10 DAYS OLD (see "how old is your puppy?" below), it needs to be kept warm with a heating pad, on LOW SETTING, with a towel over the pad. It will need to be fed with an eye dropper or nursing bottle and also stimutated to urinate and defecate (see feeding and elimination instructions above). Feedings should be offered every couple of hours or so.

A puppy who appears to be between 10 DAYS and 4 WEEKS old will need to be kept warm, but not necessarily on a heating pad. A small box with blankets or towels should suffice. This puppy will also need to be hand fed with an eye dropper or nursing bottle but if it appears close to four weeks may be able somewhat to lick the milk from a platter. Stimulate the puppy to urinate and defecate (see feeding and elimination instructions above). If it is closer to 4 weeks it may be able to eliminate on its own. Watch closely for this.

A puppy that is older than 4 weeks and is in good shape should be able to eat on its own. Offer a saucer of milk (made from one of the recipes)or gruel as described above to see if it will eat on its own. Or try some canned dog or puppy food. Feed this puppy about 4 times a day, and watch for urination and defecation.

If there are FLEAS on the puppy, follow the instructions above for bathing or using frontline. It would be best NOT to bathe a very YOUNG puppy if the flea problem is insignificant; wait until you can get it to a vet to handle this problem.

A puppy who's eyes are not open is less than 10 DAYS OLD. Often remnants of the umbilicus are still attached. A puppy found this young cannot be far from its mother, so an intensive SEARCH should be made to locate the mother and any other puppies. A puppy that has its eyes open but has no teeth is between 7 DAYS TO 5-6 WEEKS OLD. A puppy that has a full set of baby teeth is at least 6 WEEKS OLD. Adult teeth, starting with the incisors (front teeth), will begin erupting at around 2-21/2 MONTHS OF AGE. A puppy with a full set of adult teeth is at least 6-7 MONTHS OLD.

1. Take an 8 ounce can of homogenized milk and add


• 2 egg yolks
  
• a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil
  
• and if you have any children's vitamins, add a couple of drops of these.

2. Mix one part canned condensed milk to one part water


• add one raw egg
  
• add one tablespoon of karo syrup per 16 ounces (2 cups) of milk and water
  
• and children's liquid vitamins if available (about 1-2 drops per cup of mixture)

As soon as possible, you should get the puppy to the veterinarian for a good check up, deworming, and start vaccines if the puppy is old enough. Almost all puppies and kittens are born with worms. These parasites can compromise the health and nutritional status of the puppy, and if the infection is severe enough, can kill.

If the puppy is under 4 weeks of age, purchase a good quality puppy replacer milk and a nurser bottle to continue feedings. If the puppy is older than 4 weeks purchase a good quality canned puppy food (Iams and Hill's Science Diet are excellent choices, and these will minimize the risk of diarrhea due to change in diet).

DIET CHANGE CAN CAUSE DIARRHEA:

Anytime an animal experiences a change in diet, there is a risk of diarrhea. And there are several other causes of diarrhea in puppies, including intestinal parasites, as well as certain contagious and deadly diseases. Should your puppy show any signs of diarrhea this must be attended to immediately by a veterinarian.

SKIN DISEASES IN PUPPIES:

Stray puppies will often have certain skin diseases, especially mange. There are two forms of mange, demodectic (red mange) or sarcoptic (scabies). Please refer to Common Diseases and Parasites of Dogs for description of these diseases. If you suspect that your puppy has sarcoptic mange, this is contagious to both humans and other animals, so it would be a good idea to avoid contact as much as possible until this can be treated by your vet. Demodectic mange is not contagious, but this too must be treated as soon as possible.

For more information, check out this outstanding link below:
Marvista Vet Information on Raising Orphaned Puppies and Kittens