CARING FOR A NEWBORN

Few things are more delightful than a litter of newborn puppies and kittens, but the prospect of caring for all of these brand new little lives can be daunting. Check out this nutritional and health management guide by Dr T. A. Shafi, Dr A. K. Wankar, Dr A. M. Syed and Dr P. M. Mane to raise a healthy, happy litter.

- Dr T. A. Shafi, Dr A. K. Wankar, Dr A. M. Syed and Dr P. M. Mane

The neonatal period of newborn pups and kittens is the first two weeks after birth during which they are completely dependent upon their mother’s care as they are born immaturely (responsible for high pre-weaning mortality of 40%). Furthermore, the initial 36 hours are physiologically stressful for pups or kittens due to the process of birth and exposure and adjustment to a new environment. Therefore, efforts for providing quiet, warm queening areas, minimising stress and disturbance from human visitors to the litter should be warranted during this critical time period. Deworming is important to raise a healthy pet as puppies and kittens are most of the time born with intestinal parasites or can pick them up from the surrounding environment. Kittens or puppies are born with an immature immune system, thus are prone to infections as kittens receive only 25% of their maternally derived antibodies through the placenta and puppies only 5% to 10%. Both are mainly dependent on the mother’s colostrum for passive transfer of maternal antibodies that are maximally absorbed by GIT within eight hours of birth and diminished absorption occurs after 24 hours. The maternal antibodies last for about 16 to 20 weeks of age, therefore the neonate needs to build its own immunity to fight infections and must be vaccinated against common diseases of concern.

Feeding of newborn pups and kittens