Nutritional Care of Orphan Puppies
Nutritional care of orphan puppies is required because an orphan puppy is a young animal that does not have access to the milk or care of its mother.
Circumstances that may render young puppies orphans include the death of the dam, the production of an inadequate quantity or quality of milk or rejection of the young by the dam.

Whatever the underlying circumstance, once puppies or kittens are orphaned they depend on humans for the provision of maternal care, proper nutrition, and a suitable environment.
Although it is difficult, if not impossible, to fully compensate for the absence of the mother, the use of proper diet, management techniques and feeding techniques can result in the development of normal, healthy puppies.
Maintaining the Proper Environment
Orphaned animals must be kept in a warm, draft-free and clean environment.
Maintaining the appropriate temperature is of the utmost importance because chilling can decrease the survivability of new borns.
When a bitch is present, her body heat provides an excellent heat source and protection against drafts. In her absence, the ambient temperature must be increased.
For the first week of life, the ambient temperature should be kept between 85° F and 90° F. This temperature can be decreased slightly to between 80° F and 85° F during the second to fourth weeks and to between 70° F and 75° F during the fifth week.
After the litter reaches 5 to 6 weeks of age, a room temperature can be maintained.
Generally, newborn kittens and small puppies require slightly higher ambient temperatures than do large puppies.
A heating pad or heat lamp may be used to provide heat, although a pad is often preferred because it allows for the maintenance of a normal day/night light cycle.
Feeding of Orphan Puppies
One of the greatest challenges involved in raising orphaned puppies and kittens is providing them with adequate nutrition.
The alternative is to provide nutrition through a well-formulated milk replacer.
A milk replacer will nourish the puppies and kittens for the first few weeks of life until their digestive and metabolic functions develop to the point at which semisolid food can be introduced.
It is important that the chosen formula closely approximates the composition of the natural milk of the bitch.
A comparison of the compositions of the milk of different species shows that bitch‘s and queen‘s milk have larger proportions of their calories from fat and protein and lower proportions from lactose than the milk of ruminant species such as the cow and goat.
Although the percentages (by weight) of these nutrients only differ slightly, the more dilute composition of ruminant milk exaggerates the relative differences between these values.
This is reflected by the lower DM content of goat‘s and cow‘s milk as compared to the milk of dogs.
For example, when converted to a calorie basis, the lactose content of cow‘s milk is nearly three times that found in bitch‘s milk. For this reason, puppies that are fed straight cow‘s milk will develop severe diarrhea.
Evaporated cow‘s milk is occasionally recommended for raising orphans because it has levels of protein, fat, calcium, and phosphorus that are similar to bitch‘s milk. However, the lactose content of evaporated milk is still much too high for young puppies and kittens.
In addition, the casein-to-whey protein ratio in cow‘s milk is not ideal for puppies, and cow‘s milk contains an excessive proportion of casein for neonatal kittens.
There are numerous recipes available for the formulation of homemade milk replacers. Most of these use a combination of cow‘s or goat‘s milk and eggs. Eggs are added to increase the protein content and dilute the lactose concentration of the ruminant milk.
Practical Feeding tips for Orphan Puppies
- Provide a warm, draft-free and clean environment.
- Feed a milk replacer that closely approximates the nutrient composition of bitch‘s or queen‘s milk.
- Estimate the correct amount of formula based on the orphan‘s age and weight.
- Divide the formula into four to five equal feedings per day.
- Bottle-feed or use a feeding tube.
- Weigh orphans regularly: one time per day for the first week and one to two times per week thereafter.
- Introduce semisolid food at 3 to 4 weeks.
- Wean to dry pet food by 6 to 8 weeks.
Feeding Management During Growing Stage of Puppies
Proper feeding of young dogs supports normal muscle and skeletal development and a rate of growth that is typical for the dog‘s particular breed. All dogs grow and develop rapidly during the first year of life, but small and toy breeds reach maturity at a younger age than large breeds.
The most rapid period of growth for all dogs occurs between 3 and 5 months of age. Overfeeding for maximal growth rate and early maturity should be avoided in all dogs, but is crucial in large and giant-breed puppies.
Growing dogs have a very steep growth curve, and their total daily energy needs do increase as they grow. The amount of food that is fed should be adjusted in response to a weekly or biweekly assessment of the dog‘s body condition and weight.
A dog that is too thin has easily palpable ribs with little or no overlying fat layer. The tail base may be prominent, and the overhead profile will be an exaggerated hourglass. A dog that is overweight has a moderate to heavy layer of fat overlying the ribs.
In very overweight puppies, the ribs may be difficult to even feel. There may be a thickening around the base of the dog‘s tail due to fat stored in that area.
Overweight dogs that are older than 6 months lose their abdominal tuck and may show abdominal distention.
Growing dogs that are at their ideal weight have ribs that are easily palpable with just a thin layer of overlying fat. The bony prominences of the hips are easily felt but not Prominent.
Portion-controlled feeding is the recommended feeding regimen for growing dogs. A puppy‘s daily portion of food should be divided into at least two but preferably three meals per day until the puppy is 4 to 6 months of age. After 6 months, two meals per day can be fed.
Some large and giant breeds of dogs may benefit from three or more feedings per day as a precaution against the development of gastric dilatation-volvulus. Free-choice feeding is not
recommended for growing dogs because this type of feeding regimen makes it difficult to monitor and control weight gain and growth rate and has been associated with a greater incidence of developmental bone disease.
If a pet owner eventually wishes to switch a dog to a free-choice regimen, this should be done only after the dog has achieved mature size.
Practical Feeding tips for Growing
- Feed a highly digestible, nutrient-dense food formulated for growth.
- Meal-feed using a portion-controlled regimen.
- Feed three to four meals per day until 4 to 6 months of age; feed two or more meals per day after 6 months.
- Feed to achieve an average rate of growth for a pet‘s breed and to support a lean body condition.
- Avoid overfeeding to promote maximal growth rate.
- Energy density and calcium should be carefully controlled in foods selected for large- and giant-breed puppies.
- Provide regular daily exercise.
- Do not add nutrient supplements to a pet‘s balanced diet.