Nursing Points After Puppy Birth: Nursing, Deworming, and Vaccination

The gestation period of a bitch is generally sixty days, and it is normal for puppies to be born between fifty-eight and sixty-three days. If it exceeds this period, there may be problems. The nursing period of puppies after birth is forty-four days, and puppies will open their eyes within fourteen days after birth. Please remember not to force their eyes open prematurely. If after fourteen days the puppies still cannot open their eyes completely, it may be due to eyelid adhesion, and you can try to gently separate them. Whether the eyes open or not affects the development of the eyeballs, and both too early or too late opening is not conducive to health.

Weaning and Feeding

When puppies reach forty-four days, the bitch usually begins to refuse to let them continue nursing, and this is the time for weaning. About a month after birth, puppies should be fed some puppy food appropriately, which is beneficial for the development of their digestive system.

Deworming

Generally speaking, puppies need to pay attention to deworming, especially ascariasis. Ascariasis is usually transmitted from the bitch to the puppies. If the bitch has ascaris in her body, the ascaris can be transmitted to the puppies through the placenta during fetal development. Therefore, during the fetal stage, ascaris may already exist in the abdominal cavity of the puppies. After birth, within about twenty days, these puppies will accumulate a considerable number of ascaris in their stomachs.

Deworming Steps

• First Deworming: Puppies must undergo the first deworming between twenty and twenty-five days after birth.
• Second Deworming: The second deworming should be carried out twenty days after the first deworming, and these two should be conducted consecutively.
• Subsequent Deworming: Generally, this can effectively control the number of internal parasites. Afterwards, whether to continue deworming should be decided based on the specific situation of the puppies. The timing of the third deworming should be judged according to the health condition of the puppies.

Vaccination

After weaning, the antibodies from the mother in the puppies’bodies gradually decrease. Within seven to fourteen days after weaning, it is imperative to vaccinate the puppies in time to promote the production of their own antibodies, thereby enhancing their disease resistance. Generally, the vaccination schedule is once every twenty-one days, for a total of three consecutive injections. When the puppies grow to ninety days old, they should be vaccinated against rabies. By this time, the puppies’ immunization and deworming work is basically completed. The puppies will be relatively safe when they go outdoors.

Daily Care

Bathing

At this stage, it is not recommended to bathe the puppies, as they are still small and bathing can easily lead to catching a cold, which in turn may cause respiratory infections and diarrhea, and may even cause some adverse reactions.

Diet

During this period, puppies should not be allowed to eat snacks at will. Some pet owners prepare a large amount of snacks and supplements for them from a young age, which is not very good. It is recommended that after weaning, puppies be fed specialized weaning biscuits, which are the most suitable for them. If conditions permit, a moderate amount of goat milk powder can be given to them, or a small amount of yogurt can be added to regulate the intestines, both of which are good choices. Remember not to let them eat indiscriminately, as this may lead to very serious consequences.

Precautions for Purchasing Puppies from Irregular Channels

If the puppy you purchase is from the roadside or an irregular channel, the following points should be noted:

Health Check

• Deworming and Vaccination: When purchasing a puppy from an irregular channel, it is important to understand whether it has been dewormed and vaccinated when it was young.
• Adaptation Period: Within the first ten days after the puppy arrives at your home, do not change its original dietary habits, do not bathe it, and do not take it outdoors. Be sure to follow the advice given by the original owner.

Environmental Adaptation

At the same time, it is best to let the puppy stay at home for ten days to adapt to the new environment. After the stress response ends, then proceed with immunization or deworming, which will be more effective. If the puppy shows any abnormal conditions within these ten days, you can take timely measures to avoid problems that are difficult to solve.