English Cocker Spaniel (detailed introduction)

       How to care for newborn puppies? Newborn puppies have no self-care ability at all, so many things need our help. For example, newborn puppies may not find the right position when drinking milk, so we need to assist them to prevent them from not getting enough nutrition because they can't get milk, which affects their growth.

       The "birthing room" should not be too small; it should be larger than the usual sleeping area to prevent the mother dog from stepping on or crushing the puppies. If a newborn puppy is not breathing, invert it head down for one second and apply gentle chest compressions repeatedly until the amniotic fluid is expelled and breathing begins; you can also open the mouth and use sterilized gauze to suck out the amniotic fluid directly. For timely and effective results, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can be performed while simultaneously compressing the chest.

       Newborn puppies need to be kept warm, especially since their respiratory system is fragile and they do not easily adapt to sudden changes in environmental temperature. Puppies’ body temperature is about 4°C lower than adult dogs, around 35°C. Because their nerves and muscles are not fully developed, they do not shiver when cold, making it easy to mistakenly think they are not cold. In fact, frozen puppies account for 30% of total mortality. Their eyes open around day 12, ears open on day 15, and breathing rate increases, all of which help promote and maintain a higher body temperature. Before one month old you can notice the increasing body temperature, which approaches that of adult dogs by the time they reach one month, and shivering responses begin.

       Newborn puppies should be fed with mother's milk. It is important to frequently observe whether each puppy can feed. Put smaller puppies in the middle of the litter to avoid being pushed to the side and missing out on milk. Most importantly, colostrum contains various antibodies from the mother (maternal antibodies) that provide the puppy with disease resistance, so the newborn puppies should drink colostrum within 0.5 to 1 hour after birth.