Is he o.k.

by Amber
(Springville)

I found a puppy laying outside by my door. He still had an umbilical cord and eyes are closed. I took him in immediately put him in a box with towels and heating pads.

I started feeding him puppy formula every two hours(he cries every two hours on the dot) I help him eliminate after every feeding. I have had him for 3 days. Today he has only pooped twice. He acts like it hurts or it's hard.

Also, while I was feeding him about a half hour ago he got choked and was making a gurgly noise and acted like it was trying to throw up, but didn't.

I'm just worried. I have hand raised many kittens but this is my first puppy. Please help.




Hi Amber
This little puppy was very, very lucky that you found him. Newborn pups are totally helpless and can't even regulate their own body temperature, so he wouldn't have survived more than a few hours on his own.

You'll need to stimulate his desire to poop by gently rubbing his lower belly and genital area with a warm, damp washcloth. He has no control over this himself yet. If he still seems constipated, try diluting the formula and feeding more frequently for a day or two.

If the flow of milk from the bottle is too fast, puppies may gag/choke on it and risk inhaling the milk instead of swallowing it. This can lead to pneumonia which can be fatal, so make sure that he drinks slowly. Always hold your puppy face down on your lap when feeding, not upright or cradled like a human baby.

I'd recommend that you take a look at my New Born Puppies page. It has lots of tips and advice on hand raising abandoned or orphaned puppies.

Best of luck with this little guy!