How Nursing Puppies Should Look and Act

Newborn puppies are so small and fragile. They rely on nursing for their nutrition. Their ability and eagerness to nurse from their mother determines how healthy they will be and if they will live. It's not easy to keep puppies alive. So many things can go wrong. If you know what signs to look for then you can fix the problem before it takes the life of your puppy.

Nursing puppies look a certain way when they are healthy and another when they are not. A healthy nursing puppy makes all sorts of little puppy sounds and squeaks when it is hungry. When placed to it's mother is eagerly searches for the nipple. It pushes itself right up to it's mother and moves back and forth seeking to nurse. Once a hungry puppy is latched on they vigorously suckle. They kneed the mothers milk sack with their little paws. A healthy puppy loves to eat. It's tail will quiver back and forth like a sort of wag when it nurses.

Puppies who are losing their eagerness to nurse are becoming ill. When they just lay there and do not furiously search for the nipple the are showing a disinterest in nursing. A puppy that does not push it's way through the crowd in search of a nipple is not well. Puppies who are listless and quiet are becoming ill.

If you have a puppy that is losing it's eagerness to eat there's something wrong. The most likely cause is that the other puppies have crowed it out too long and it is starving. This can be prevented by making sure that everyone gets a turn. You may need to alternate puppies on nipples. Watch for the ones who don't have a nipple and make sure they get one. If you need to, put some of the puppies in a box with a small blanket. Setting them aside gives the smaller or weaker puppies a chance to get their nutrition too.

Worms are also a reason why a puppy will become ill. Worming is another article, but it should be done once when puppies are one week old, and again at three weeks old. Only a wormer designed for puppies is safe to use. A cat wormer, for example, will cause severe internal bleeding in puppies.

The last most common reason a puppy will become weak or ill is because the mother dogs milk supply is not sufficient. The way to prevent this is by making sure that you are taking extra good care of your mother dog. She'll need to eat a lot more. All of the nutrition she receives drains right out of her and into her pups. If she is not receiving enough nutrition and water then her milk supply will decrease. She may become ill herself. If she cannot nurse the puppies will starve. If her milk supply is low she won't be able to give her pups enough nutrition to thrive. They'll still try to nurse but as they receive less and less they'll lose their strength until they no longer can nurse. Keep your female dog healthy to keep her able to keep her pups healthy.

Puppies are so innocent and precious. My Ladybug gave birth on Christmas night. Puppies require care. If properly cared for they will thrive and grow into healthy adult dogs. If they are not they will die. Learn as much as you can about taking care of puppies so that you know what signs to look for. Prevention and early treatment are key. Thanks for reading and take care!