Here we discuss neonatal and orphan care of cats and dogs.
The neonatal or newborn puppy or kitten is entirely dependent on the mother. It's best to think of the mother and offspring as one functional unit during this time. Newborn puppies and kittens will nurse every few hours, and every time they eat the mother will stimulate elimination of urine and feces by licking the anal-genital region of each of her young. The young will not be able to do that on their own for a few weeks. Also, extremely importantly, the mother keeps the young warm with her body heat, as neonates are unable to regulate their own internal body temperature.
As a result, in most cases, there is very little human intervention necessary as long as the mother is able to provide for her offspring. In addition to monitoring the overall health of the animals, the most important things that we humans can do are in ensure a warm, draft-free environment that is clean, with clean bedding, and make sure that we just have a nice private, quiet area for the mother and her young during those first few weeks.
In addition, we can also monitor overall health of the offspring. We know that certain reflexes are present in newborns, and these can be checked to be sure that everything is going alright.
For example, we can observe the suckling reflex—when the mouth comes in contact with the mother's teat. This is a unique reflex that newborns exhibit and will be replaced later on in life with chewing.
We can also observe the rooting reflex when we see a pup or kitten push forward with the head and crawl toward the mother. This is believed to be moving toward warmth and is usually in a circular movement, which is thought to help the animal locate the teat on the mother's body.
We also observe that healthy newborns will show the righting reflex. This is when they are able to flip themselves over when they find themselves on their backs.
The healthy newborn will be kept warm and will not exhibit any signs of chilling, which we'll discuss in a few moments, and he or she will be eating well and gaining weight. It's extremely important that during the first few weeks of life we see our puppies and kittens gaining weight.
A general rule of thumb for weight gain in puppies is that for the first three to four weeks we should expect 1 to 1.25 grams of gain per day for every pound of expected adult weight. So, for example, if we have a breed or breed mix and we expect the adult dog to weight approximately 60 pounds, we should expect the puppy to gain 60 to 75 grams per day for the first three to four weeks of life.
Hypothermia, or chilling, is one of the biggest risks in the first two weeks of life for puppies and kittens. Newborns do not thermoregulate efficiently during their first two weeks.
A chilled animal will have a decreased internal body temperature, which will slow the body's metabolism. The digestive system will also slow down, and heart and respiration rate will also decrease. These combined effects may lead to a loss of reflexes and eventually death.
A chilled neonate may appear limp and may be located apart from his littermates. Normal healthy litters would generally lie together in a heap to conserve warmth. So, if a puppy or kitten is located apart from his littermates, this is one of the first signs that that animal may be chilled.
If a puppy or kitten is thought to be chilled, the best approach is to warm the animal very slowly and gradually using one's body heat. We should not use artificial heat sources like lamps or heating pads because these might heat the extremities of the puppy or kitty before the core and therefore cause tissue damage.
Another thing to remember with a chilled puppy or kitten is to not immediately feed the animal. Remember that the digestive system has slowed down, so the animal will not be able to digest in the chilled state. We should wait until after having gradually warmed the animal to try to provide it any nourishment.
The best way to prevent chilling is by keeping the animals' area warm and free of drafts.
Although the care of the puppies and kittens is best left up to the mother, there will be certain circumstances in which the owner must act as the mother to meet the needs of the newborn animals. If you find yourself in this situation, seek help from your veterinarian or local animal shelter, and keep a few general things in mind.
For feeding, hopefully the orphans were able to suckle from the mother during the first 24 hours in order to receive adequate colostrum. Colostrum is a special form of milk that contains immunoprotective factors. Beyond the first day of life, commercially prepared milk formulas are recommended and are readily available because they are nutritionally balanced to meet the needs of orphaned kittens and puppies. One example for kittens is KMR, or kitten milk replacer. It's important to feed the kittens or puppies frequently—every two to three hours for the first two weeks and then every four to five hours until they're about three weeks and at least four times per day until six weeks of age.
Weight gain should be constantly monitored as previously addressed.
And during the first two weeks, you'll also need to take over the mother's role of stimulating urination and defecation; this can be done by gently rubbing a warm washcloth or cotton ball on the kitten or puppy's belly, genital, and anal areas.
One of the most important considerations is that orphans no longer have the warmth of their mother, and so the ambient temperature must be slightly elevated and closely monitored.
