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April 11, 2016 by Molly - 37 Comments

How to Raise Orphaned Puppies

If y’all remember, my brother and sister – Ozzy and Brandi – were born here a few days before an ice storm. For whatever reason, their momma decided she wanted to up and move her babies.  To make a long story short, she was able to move some of her babies, but not all of them. The ice storm was so bad that she didn’t make it back to get the last ones. That is how we came to have Ozzy and Brandi. There were actually 4 of the orphaned puppies left, but my Lady found homes for two of em after they got old enough to go to another home. At any rate, rasin’ orphaned puppies without their momma was hard work! My Lady says it’s never the best thing to have to do, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. So, my Lady wanted to give ya some tips on how to raise orphaned puppies!

How to Raise Orphaned Puppies

Check out my Lady’s tip on How to Raise Orphaned Puppies

A young puppy can become orphaned for a number of reasons. Maybe their mother is sick, injured, or dead, or she could have a behavioral issue that prevents her from providing the proper care. Regardless of the reason, if a puppy is less than 8 weeks old they will need special care. And if their mother isn’t available to provide that care, a person will have to step in. We did that part with our own Ozzy, Brandi and two other siblings! Miss Molly even did her part! She would have been a good mother for sure! She helped clean, comfort, and take care of the orphaned puppies! We are so proud of her!

How to Raise Orphaned Puppies - Brandi

Brandi – only days old

If you’re dealing with a similar situation, these tips on How to Raise Orphaned Puppies should be very helpful!

1. Keep Them Comfortable

Young puppies need to be kept warm to stay healthy. As they don’t have thick fur or the ability to do much that would make them warmer, they’ll rely on you. A 1 week old puppy should be kept in an area with an air temperature of 90-95 degrees. At two weeks, 85 degrees. 80 degrees through the third week, 75 degrees in the forth week, and finally 70 degrees (room temperature) at five weeks and beyond. An incubator, heating pad, or heat lamp can help with this as long as they’re used safely so the puppies can’t get overheated or burned.

2. Keep Them Fed

If you’re trying to raise orphaned puppies, you’ll need to buy or make puppy formula. In their first 48-72 hours of life, feed the puppies in 2 hour intervals. After that, feed them in 3 hour intervals except for at night, where you can do two 4-hour intervals. At two weeks old, feed them every 4 hours (with a 6 hour gap between feedings at night). Burp them after each meal. When puppies are 3 weeks old, they can begin to eat puppy mush 3 times a day along with their puppy formula. At 4 weeks old, they can eat the mush 4-5 times a day, can have less bottle feeding, and don’t need to be fed at night. At 6 weeks, they can eat normal solid food.

3. Manually Create Potty Times

Until they’re 21 days old, orphaned puppies will need you to stimulate their bowels because their muscles are too weak for them to accomplish those tasks on their own. So you’ll need to rub a warm, damp cotton ball or towel on their genital and anal areas to get them to urinate and defecate. For some puppies, this will work best before a meal, and for others this will be most successful after they’ve eaten.

4. Prevent Diseases

Young puppies are especially susceptible to disease since their immune systems are so new and weak. To raise orphaned puppies that are healthy, you may need to get them vaccinated earlier than non-orphaned puppies (consult with your veterinarian). You should also provide your orphaned puppies with deworming treatment at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks old. Then put them on a monthly heartworm preventive product.

Ozzy and Brandi puppy pic

Ozzy and Brandi at 3 months old

5. Socialize Them

Just like human babies, puppies need to be given time to work on their social skills. So when you’re working to raise orphaned puppies, don’t forget to spend time with each puppy. Pet them, talk to them, and generally just show them love. When they’re about 5-6 weeks old you can start getting them used to more complex things, like household noises and other people and pets. Just take it slow, remembering that they’re essentially furry babies!

For further help, consult your veterinarian. They can guide you on what exactly needs to be done for your puppies depending on their situation, health, breed, and age. Raising orphaned puppies takes a lot of time and patience, just as with a newborn baby. It’s not an easy task, but it can be done.

Ozzy and Brandi playing

Ozzy and Brandi at 3 years old

My two little orphans are now 3 years old and big healthy pups! They don’t remember their birth mother and actually, I believe they think I really am their mother 🙂 So, tell us, have you ever cared for orphaned puppies before? We would love to hear about it in the comments below!

 

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  1. Sarah L says

    April 11, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    It does take dedication to raise orphaned pups or kittens. I applaud those who do.

    Reply
  2. Bethany Cook says

    April 12, 2016 at 5:11 am

    They are so cute, this is so awesome!

    Reply
  3. Ruth Epstein says

    April 12, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    thanks for the info, good to know

    Reply
  4. belinda bell says

    April 12, 2016 at 5:02 pm

    no but these are very good tips raising orphaned animals

    Reply
  5. Cathy Armato says

    April 13, 2016 at 1:05 pm

    Excellent tips! I fostered orphaned puppies for the shelter once, it was so difficult! They had to be taken away from the mom & fostered because she was very aggressive. The 2 puppies had just come off the mom when they were given to me, mainly because there wasn’t an experienced orphan puppy volunteer or staff available at the time. They were maybe 2 weeks old. I had a very tough time bottle feeding them, they did not want to take the nipple! Honestly, I was a bit panic stricken. I only had to keep them a couple of days before a more experienced volunteer could take them. It was quite an experience.
    Love & Biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

    Reply
  6. Nichole says

    April 13, 2016 at 5:15 pm

    Great post!

    Reply
  7. Amy Shojai says

    April 13, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    What a great story! Takes dedication to raise orphans…great job, and what lovely doggies they are today!

    Reply
  8. Kelly says

    April 13, 2016 at 5:32 pm

    I’ve never given thought to this before. The time and dedication to raise orphan pups is like having to care for a baby. Thanks for the information.

    Reply
  9. Spencer the Goldendoodle says

    April 13, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    Wonderful post! Pinned it for feature reference! 🙂

    Reply
  10. Sweet Purrfections says

    April 13, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    You did a great job with Ozzy and Brandi!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 13, 2016 at 8:31 pm

      Thank you so much! They are truly my babies 🙂

      Reply
  11. Rachel says

    April 13, 2016 at 6:35 pm

    Very good info here! That’s great that they are now healthy three-year-old pups! Lucky that they ended up with someone who knew how to care for them.

    Reply
  12. Tenacious Little Terrier says

    April 13, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    It’s super labor intensive for sure! Good to know just in case although I hope I don’t have to!

    Reply
  13. Beth says

    April 13, 2016 at 8:20 pm

    That was a lot of work, but I’m glad she was successful! I raised baby birds a few times and it was exhausting to feed them all the time.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 13, 2016 at 9:48 pm

      Oh goodness yes! It was more exhausting than my human babies, but it was so worth it!

      Reply
  14. Suzanne Dean says

    April 13, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    I have never encountered orphaned pups, but thank you so much for a resource to refer to if I ever need it.

    Reply
  15. Gone to the Snow Dogs says

    April 13, 2016 at 9:03 pm

    A very dear friend of ours raised 6 Siberian Husky puppies whose mother died not long after having them!
    It’s not easy at all!

    Reply
  16. MattieDog says

    April 13, 2016 at 9:04 pm

    What great information – this is truly important and worth sharing! Raising orphans takes a true commitment – bless your heart for writing this post as it will likely help others!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 13, 2016 at 9:47 pm

      Thank you so much Mattie Dog! I’m hoping that if someone is ever in that situation, it could be of help to know a little about it.

      Reply
  17. The Daily Pip says

    April 13, 2016 at 9:07 pm

    I have never raised orphaned puppies, but I have raised orphaned kittens. Sounds like the process is similar with the feeding schedule, socialization, and helping them go to the bathroom.

    So glad Ozzie and Brandi joined your family! They look very happy.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 13, 2016 at 9:46 pm

      Yes! The same agonizing schedule. But, it is so worth it! We love our Ozzy and Brandi so much!

      Reply
  18. Bryn Nowell says

    April 13, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    Kudos to you (and Molly) for all your hard work! It takes a lot of time, dedication, care, and love to help care for abandoned puppies. This was a great post!

    Reply
  19. Criss Dimla says

    April 14, 2016 at 12:01 am

    These are some great tips you have here! I could use this when I decide to adopt a dog. Thank you!

    Reply
  20. Ruth Epstein says

    April 14, 2016 at 12:08 am

    I have total admiration for those that raise orphan animals 🙂

    Reply
  21. Dusty Desert Dogs says

    April 14, 2016 at 9:45 am

    It take a lot of hard work and dedication to raise a puppy but a orphaned puppy who is not weaned yet is a whole nother story! Great post.

    Reply
  22. Christina Moore says

    April 14, 2016 at 9:46 am

    Thank you for all the information, I have taken in baby kittens and raised them

    Reply
  23. Kyra says

    April 14, 2016 at 1:44 pm

    This is great!

    Reply
  24. Lia says

    May 26, 2016 at 4:34 am

    These are all great points! Socializing is such an important step–I’ve met pups that were adopted out at 5 weeks old, and they lack many social skills other pups have… =(

    Reply
  25. Donna B says

    May 26, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    Great information. Two of our fur babies were dumped at our house when they were about 5 weeks old according to the vet. Both girls, now 4 years old and the best little sweethearts ever!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 26, 2016 at 10:46 pm

      I have a couple of these kind also and yes they are my heart now!

      Reply
  26. Dianna says

    August 1, 2016 at 9:36 pm

    I’ve never cared for an orphaned puppy, but have adopted many shelter pets. They’ve always been so sweet!

    Reply
  27. Kelly says

    November 26, 2016 at 4:03 pm

    We found an abandoned puppy a few years back. We could not find the owners, nor would the humane society take the pup. It was really frustrating and I felt like we were all alone. This is a great post. We were blessed and a vet helped us learn the ropes.

    Reply
  28. Marianne Griffith says

    May 16, 2017 at 11:18 am

    What a great, helpful article for raising puppies!

    Reply
  29. Rosie says

    October 7, 2017 at 10:41 am

    Oh I never realized Ozzy and Brandi were orphan pups. You are so good at taking care of them, how they have thrived! This is good information. I’ve only taken care of orphaned baby birds, who loved to eat canned dog food!

    Reply
  30. Calvin says

    January 9, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    Important tips when you want to help, this is a good post to start after u make your big adoption decision.

    Reply
  31. Debbie P says

    January 17, 2018 at 11:26 am

    Thanks for the info and a great article. I learned several things!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Raising Littermates Together: Should You or Not? - Miss Molly Says says:
    June 17, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    […] breeders and vets agree that raising littermates is not a good idea. Some will flat out refuse to let you even try, but if you do find yourself with […]

    Reply
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