Caring for a 1 Week Old Puppy

Feeding and keeping warm are only part of caring for a puppy this young, you'll also have to help he/she eliminate several times a day. The mom will spend most of her time while the puppies are nursing licking on them and cleaning them. You'll have to replace this action with a warm washcloth with each feeding. You'll also need to clean the puppy from head to toe (including the eye and mouth area) with a CLEAN washcloth. This a tremendous amount of work, totally do'able if the need be, but not recommended if the mom is around and willing to care for her young.

One weeeek? I am screaming! It belongs with its mother if at all possible! You probably know that it is too young to come home, so there must be some problem forcing it away from its mom. Be thinking how you will get some help with this big job, keeping this one alive. God bless you.

A 1 week old puppy should still be with its mama. If mama can't/won't care for it a grown up should do it. A puppy should be with its mama until it is at least 8 weeks old.

Puppies need to be at least 8-9 weeks old before taken from the mother. Please don't take it before then.

I cared for a puppy that the mom had pushed out of the litter. I created a sling from a towel, kind of like a hammock with ends that tied around my neck and waist. I "wore" the pup this way day and night to keep it warm enough with my body heat. I fed it with an eye dropper and formula that you get at a pet store. The puppy has to be fed like a new born baby. Every two-three hours in the day and at least twice nightly. Remember also, they do need to be put down once in a while to learn to crawl around and walk.

If the puppy is an orphan, then you need to know you will be taking on an enormously serious commitment. Without a doubt there will be a great deal of care & time involved. If the puppy is NOT an orphan then it needs to stay with the mother until it's around 6-8 weeks old. Years ago my husband & I took in a 4 week old puppy & I spent the bulk of my days & nights tending it.

Caring for a puppy only a week or so old entails keeping the pup at the proper temp. around the clock along with keeping it hydrated & fed purely by your hand. You'll need to do around 6 feedings a day with an eye dropper or special puppy bottle, spaced out evenly through the day. NO skipping a feeding because you have something better to do or you're tired. This is a little life that is totally dependent on you to survive & that isn't a responsibility to take lightly. Then you will need to wean the pup at around 6 weeks & start it on soft foods & finally puppy food in a dish. It's up to you to make sure when it's time for weaning that the pup can properly chew & digest it's food plus lap water to stay hydrated. Raising a young pup can be done but just wanted you to understand the seriousness of the commitment. Good luck!