Caring for Newborn Puppies: A Day by Day Guide Through the First Weeks

In this guide

Whether your family dog has just whelped at home, a common situation across many Indian households, or you are fostering an orphaned litter, the first weeks of a puppy's life demand close, consistent attention. Here is what actually matters at each stage.

The first 24 to 48 hours

Keep the whelping area warm, clean and quiet, ideally between 29 and 32 degrees Celsius for the first few days, since newborn puppies cannot regulate their own body temperature at all. A vet check within the first two days is worth arranging to catch congenital issues like a cleft palate or hernia early. Puppies should be nursing vigorously within hours of birth, receiving the mother's colostrum, a nutrient and antibody dense first milk that gives them their earliest immune protection.

Week one: warmth, feeding and weight checks

Newborns feed roughly every two to three hours and spend nearly all remaining time sleeping. Daily weighing, using a simple kitchen scale, is one of the most useful habits during this stage, since steady weight gain is the clearest early sign a puppy is thriving, and any puppy failing to gain weight day on day needs prompt veterinary attention. Keep the whelping box bedding clean and dry, changing it regularly, since damp bedding chills puppies quickly.

Week two: eyes and ears begin to open

Around ten to fourteen days, eyes typically begin opening, gradually rather than all at once, and ears follow shortly after. Weighing can shift from daily to roughly every three days once growth looks steady. The whelping area temperature can be gradually eased down as puppies get slightly better at regulating their own warmth.

Week three: first steps and first gentle handling

By around three weeks, most puppies are attempting wobbly first steps and beginning to interact with littermates. This is also a good stage to start brief, gentle daily handling sessions, holding each puppy for a short time while sitting on the floor, which helps them form early positive associations with people. Deworming often begins around this age, repeated every two weeks as advised by your vet.

Week four: weaning begins

Weaning typically starts as baby teeth begin coming in, around three to four weeks, introducing a soft, gruel like mixture of puppy food and warm water or milk replacer alongside continued nursing. This transition should be gradual over the following two to three weeks, not abrupt, to avoid digestive upset. Puppies at this stage are noticeably more mobile, playful and vocal, and often trying to climb out of the whelping box, a sign it may be time for a larger enclosed space.

Watching the mother's health throughout

The mother's wellbeing deserves as much attention as the puppies'. Check her mammary glands daily for redness, heat or hardness, which can signal mastitis and needs prompt veterinary attention. Her appetite will increase substantially while nursing, sometimes to two to four times her normal intake, and she needs constant access to food and water brought to her near the whelping box, since she will be reluctant to leave the puppies for long.

When to call the vet without delay

A puppy that feels cold to the touch, cries persistently, fails to gain weight, or seems weaker than its littermates needs urgent attention, since newborn puppies have very little reserve and can decline within hours. Trust a consistent daily routine of weighing and observation to catch these problems while there is still time to intervene.

Telling littermates apart

Accurate daily weight tracking only works if you can reliably tell puppies apart, which is genuinely difficult in a same coloured litter. A dab of non toxic, pet safe marker on the belly or a soft coloured ribbon collar, loose enough to allow growth and checked regularly so it never tightens, are both simple ways to keep records straight from day one.

Getting the heat source right

An overhead heat lamp positioned over part of the whelping box, rather than a heating pad placed directly under the puppies, is the safer choice, since it allows puppies to crawl toward or away from the warmth as they need, while a heating pad against bare skin risks burns a puppy cannot move away from on its own. Always leave at least one cooler zone in the box so puppies can self regulate, and if the litter is scattered to the edges of the box away from the heat source, it is usually a sign the area is too warm rather than too cold.

Article content © Ravi Teja. All rights reserved.