Care of Neonates

Either voluntarily or involuntarily, you may find yourself to be the primary caretaker of a one or more orphaned baby kittens or puppies or those "runts" of the litter that can less effectively compete for food. Sometimes, the mother is incapable or unwilling to take care of the babies. She may have been through a surgery and can't nurse the little ones or may be she is insufficiently producing milk or sometimes, she rejects taking care of the puppies or kittens. Your care of the newly born can be a rewarding experience, but it is also labor-intensive and challenging. The following are some guidelines to help care for the little ones. Temperature Puppies and kittens are unable to effectively control their body temperature for the first few weeks of life. Their body functions, especially the digestive tract, are dependent on maintaining a body temperature of 96-97 F during the first two weeks. If they become hypothermic, they will cease to digest, become constipated and stop eating. By 4 weeks of age, they will be able to maintain an internal temperature of 100 F without supplemental heat. A body temperature of less that 90 F will not allow them to digest their food. The environmental temperature should be 86-90 F for the first 2 weeks and around 75 F for the subsequent weeks. Be careful with heating pads. As the neonate cannot move off it, burns can occur. Hot water bottles are safer but are harder to keep at a constant temperature. Feeding For orphaned kittens and puppies, the best option is to find a nursing dog or cat willing to act as a foster mother. But usually there is little chance of finding an available lactating mother who will accept orphans. The only other alternative is to feed a commercially prepared formula, of which there are several types. Esbilac for puppies and KMR for kittens, both made by Borden, are among the most used formulas. Also Unilact can be used for puppies and Veta-lac and Havolac Food Supplement can be used for puppies and kittens. Note that cow's milk should not be fed as this is not nutritionally complete and will cause diarrhea. Once a formula is chosen, the quantity fed must meet their metabolic needs. When making up formula, the manufacturer's directions should be closely followed and only a 48 hour supply of formula should be prepared at a time and kept in the refrigerator. For the first week of life, a puppy or kitten should daily receive about 13mls of formula for 100 grams (gm) of body weight. This increases to 17mls/100gm of body weight the second week, 20 mls/100gm the third week and 22 mls/100gm of body weight by the fourth week. These amounts of formula should be fed in equal portions several times daily, each time warmed up to body temperature. When a formula is first introduced, less than calculated amount should be fed for the first feeding with a gradual increase by the second or third day. Feedings are usually done every few hours with increasing amounts and decreased frequencies as the puppies and kittens grow. The easiest and safest way of feeding is via a nipple on a bottle feeder. When feeding the puppy or kitten, it should be held "right-side up", that is not laying on its back. When the puppy or kitten is nursing, the bottle should be held so as to avoid ingestion of air. The hole of the nipple may need to be enlarged with a hot needle to allow the milk to ooze from the bottle when it is inverted. When feeding, squeeze a drop of milk onto the tip of the nipple and then insert the nipple into the animal's mouth, but milk should not be squeezed out during nursing. Note that "poor doers", puppies and kittens that have a low body temperature or do not have a good suckle response should not be nursed. Occasionally, tube feeding is necessary, but this should not be attempted without a demonstration from a veterinarian or a breeder familiar with tube feeding. Aspiration of food into the lungs can be a risk with this feeding technique. It is important after each feeding to stimulate all puppies and kittens to urinate and defecate by gently swabbing the anal-genital region with a damp warm cloth. After 3 weeks of age, most puppies/kittens can relieve themselves without stimulation. If not stimulated, this will lead to urine retention and constipation. Orphaned puppies and kittens should be encouraged to start eating solid food at 3-4 weeks of age, respectively. Some formula can be mixed with puppy/kitten dry food and the quantity of formula can be gradually decreased. Monitoring the stools is important at this stage since if the puppy or kitten shows signs of constipation, more formula needs to be given and the amount of puppy/kitten food decreased temporarily for another week. Alternatively, if the stool is too soft, more food can be introduced. Monitoring Weight gain should be closely monitored and is a favorable sign of response to the feedings. Having a baby scale at hand for daily weight measurements is useful. Puppies should gain 1-2gm per day for the first several weeks. The kitten should weigh 80-140gm initially and gain 50-100gm weekly. Dehydration can be assessed by gently lifting the skin on the animal's back and noting its elasticity. It should return to place immediately. A slow return can be indicative of dehydration. Bowel movements and urination will usually decrease in amounts with dehydration. Throughout the period of feeding formula and then formula/food mixture, the stools should be formed but not excessively soft or hard. Ongoing diarrhea is usually indicative of a problem with the feeding or others, such as parasites or protozoa and a fecal analysis done by your veterinarian can help diagnose this. Vaccines & Testing All kittens older than 4 weeks of age should be tested for the feline leukemia virus. Testing is recommended before being introduced them to other members of the household. All puppies and kittens 6 weeks and older can be started on their vaccine series. If you have questions regarding the care of orphaned kittens or puppies, don't hesitate to contact your veterinarian. The above is general veterinary information. Do not begin any course of treatment without consulting your regular veterinarian. All animals should be examined at least once every 12 months.