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1142 Orphaned Puppy and Kitten Care

stomatitis, and oral masses can often be SUGGESTED READING AUTHOR: Alexander M. Reiter, DVM, Dr. med. vet.,
identified in the conscious patient. Reiter AM, et al: Dentistry for the surgeon. In Tobias DAVDC, DEVDC
EDITORS: Leah A. Cohn, DVM, PhD, DACVIM; Mark S.
VetBooks.ir thorough intraoral examination and applica- St. Louis, 2012, Elsevier, pp 1037-1053. Thompson, DVM, DABVP
• Sedation/anesthesia is usually required for a
KM, et al, editors: Veterinary surgery: small animal,
tion of more sophisticated diagnostic tools.

Orphaned Puppy and Kitten Care Bonus Material
Online

Difficulty level: ♦ Temperature (e.g., lamps, heating pad): attendant fluid and electrolyte losses that
• Due to lack of a shivering reflex (2 weeks of quickly become critical.
Overview and Goal life) and limited brown fat for thermogenesis, Tube feeding: 5- or 8-Fr red rubber catheter,
A common assumption is that most neonate newborn puppies and kittens must be kept syringe (p. 687)
orphan fatalities are due to infectious disease. in an ambient temperature of 29.5°C-35°C • If a neonate is not gaining weight from bottle
However, the majority of orphan puppy and (85°F-95°F). feeding, it should be supplemented by tube
kitten fatalities are from caregiver error second- Hygiene (antiseptic soap, disinfectant cleaning feeding.
ary to inadequate husbandry. solution):
• Proper hygiene is vital because orphaned Anticipated Time
Indications puppies and kittens are more susceptible • Orphans need intensive management until
• Death of the dam to infectious disease. Caregivers should be weaning (4-4.5 weeks of age).
• Dam with agalactia, mastitis (p. 618), or meticulous about cleanliness of bedding and • Depending on the size of the litter
other debilitating disease feeding supplies. and whether bottle or tube feeding is
• Large litter and dam is incapable of feeding Colostrum: used, each elimination/weighing/feeding/
all offspring adequately • Since only negligible amounts of maternal elimination session could take up to or over
• Neonates that are much smaller or weaker than antibodies (<5%) are passed through the 60 minutes.
their siblings and have difficulty competing placenta to the developing fetus, an adequate
ingestion of colostrum must occur within the Preparation: Important
Contraindications first 24 hours to acquire passive immunity Checkpoints
• Hand rearing orphaned puppies and kittens from the mother. If the colostrum intake Hygiene:
is laborious and expensive. is questionable, serum concentrations of • Before handling orphans, caregivers should
• Hand-reared offspring tend to be poorly alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma- wash their hands with an antiseptic soap.
socialized with others of their species, as glutamyltransferase (GGT) can be checked. Elimination:
evidenced by behavioral problems in the If colostrum has been ingested, these serum • Before and after each meal, orphans need
future. concentrations should remain high during to be stimulated to urinate and defecate by
the first 2 weeks of life. rubbing the perineal and preputial areas with
Equipment, Anesthesia • If colostrum is not available, serum (prefer- a warm, damp cotton ball (until age 3 weeks
Whelping/nesting box: ably from the dam but can be from another and voluntary control of these functions has
• Orphans need a dry, warm, draft-free, and adult of the same species in the kennel/ developed).
comfortable nesting box, with sides that are cattery provided there is no risk of neonatal Milk replacer:
tall enough to prevent the neonates from isoerythrolysis [p. 686]) can be administered • Food must be warmed before feeding and
climbing out (hypothermia risk). orally to a neonate < 12 hours old by feeding should be at maternal body temperature
• Minimizing stressful situations is important. tube. Dosage is 15 mL/100 g body weight, (101.5°F [38.6°F]). Cold food can stimulate
Orphans should be allowed to sleep, eat, and divided into multiple feedings. vomiting, induce hypothermia, and inhibit
grow. • If the orphans did not receive any colostrum absorption by slowing peristalsis. Food that
○ Avoid areas with much foot traffic and within the 24 hours, serum can be adminis- is too hot can burn the neonate’s mouth,
noise. tered SQ: 5 mL/100 g body weight q 6-8h esophagus, and stomach. Caregivers should
○ Avoid overhandling. for a total of 3 doses. mix only enough formula to last 24-48 hours
○ High stress levels impair the immune Milk replacer: and refrigerate any unused quantities in a
system, increasing the risk of infection, • Orphans should be fed 6-8 times each day glass container.
and can have potentially detrimental (q 3-4h) until weaning age (4-4.5 weeks of Weight gain:
effects on future socialization. age). This can be accomplished by bottle, • Neonates (including orphans) should be
○ Consider minimizing neonatal stress syringe, or tube feeding an appropriate vigorous, squirmy, and fat. Hungry puppies
through the use of pheromone diffusers milk-replacement diet. and kittens are restless and will cry until
in the nursery area (Feliway for kittens • Commercial replacement diets (e.g., fed. Weight loss or failure to gain should
and Adaptil for puppies). Esbilac, Just Borne, KMR, Veta-Lac) are immediately alert the caregiver of a possible
Bedding: recommended because of their balanced health problem that warrants investigation.
• Bedding material should be soft, absorbent, nutritional content. Homemade diets can • Orphans should be weighed morning and
nonabrasive, and should comfortably insulate be made, but formulating a nutritionally night. Puppies and kittens should gain 5%
the neonate from heat loss. Bedding should balanced homemade milk replacer is difficult. to 10% of body weight daily. This equates
provide good footing and be incapable of Administering improper replacement diets to 1-3 g per day per pound (2-7 g/day/kg)
bunching up and trapping the neonate. (e.g., cow’s milk) leads to poor nutrition with anticipated adult weight for puppies and
Bedding material must be kept clean and inadequate rates of growth and is usually 50-100 g weekly for kittens. They should
changed frequently. accompanied by the onset of diarrhea and double their weight by 10 days of age.

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