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Keep the babies together as long as they are about the same age; this will
help socialize them to their own species and will help in keeping them warm. Try
to assemble the following equipment:
The Nest Box
- The nest box in which the babies live should have tall
sides so that they cannot climb out by mistake and become chilled. A cardboard
pet carrier is perfect as it is portable, dark inside, and closable. These are
inexpensive and should be available from a pet store or your veterinarian.
- Place towels in the bottom of the box and cover them
with a diaper so the babies rest directly on the diaper. Most diapers have
elastic leg holes and may have to be trimmed so they will lie flat. Expect to
change the diaper several times daily. Keeping the babies clean and dry is
very important.
- Place a heating pad under the nest box so that only half
of the nest box is warmed. This way the babies may crawl off the warm side of
the box if they feel too hot. Alternatively, a water bottle filled with warm
water can be buried in the blankets as a heat source as long as the babies
have room to move away from it if they are too hot.
If the baby's temperature drops below 94F degrees, the heart rate
drops and intestinal motion ceases. Death occurs if this is not corrected.
Warming should take place over an hour or two to avoid shock.
The Diet
- Pet Ag manufactures KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer).
It comes in a powder and a liquid. The powdered form seems less associated
with diarrhea than the liquid plus with the powdered form, the water content
can be adjusted in the event of dehydration.
For puppies, Pet Ag makes ESBILAC. Again, both powder and liquid forms
are available.
- Mix up the powder according to the directions on the
can. If you are using the liquid form, you may want to dilute it with one part
water for every two parts of formula. As the babies get older, less water may
be used whether you are mixing up the powder or the liquid. If diarrhea occurs
at any time, you should add more water to the formula to make up for fluid
lost as diarrhea.
- Store the can of powder in the freezer after opening. Do
not mix up more than a day's worth of formula. Use a blender to mix the
formula several hours ahead to allow time for the bubbles to settle.
MAKESHIFT FORMULA UNTIL KMR/ESBILAC CAN BE OBTAINED
PUPPIES
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp. salad oil
1 drop multi-vitamins (if you have any)
2 egg yolks
KITTENS
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg yolk
1 drop multi-vitamins
3 Tums (antacid) crushed
Mix in a blender whichever formula you use.
The Bottle
- Obtain a pet nurser bottle from a pet store or your
veterinarian.
- Use very fine scissors or a hot needle to make a hole in
the nipple. The hole should be big enough that formula will slowly drip out if
the bottle is held upside-down and gently squeezed. The nipple should not
collapse when the baby is sucking.
- Warm the bottle in a cup of hot water. Always test the
formula before giving it to the babies. Taste it to be sure it is not sour. Do
not use a microwave oven to heat the bottle as it may not heat evenly with
some areas of the bottle being scalding hot.
How/When to Feed
- Expect to feed them every 2 to 3 hours during the day.
If this is done, the babies should be able to sleep through the night.
- Do not wake the babies at feeding time. Let them sleep.
When they wake up hungry, they will let you know.
- During feeding be sure to tip the bottle so that no air
is swallowed.
- Play with/rub them after feeding to "burp" them.
- Occasionally small amounts of formula will come out of
the nose. The baby is drinking too fast. If excessive amounts of formula
appear to be coming out the nose or if you are concerned, call your
veterinarian.
- Maintaining proper weight gain is crucial to survival.
Kittens with birth weights of less than 3.2 oz (90 grams) have a 59% mortality
rate (though a less than 10% weight loss in the first 24 hours of life is
considered normal). After the first 24 hours, weight gain should be steady:
0.25 to 0.35 oz per day for kittens and 5% to 10% of the birth weight daily
for puppies. An accurate postal or kitchen scale is helpful during this early
period to be sure the baby is on a healthy track. If the baby is not gaining
weight as desired, try to adjust food intake.
Urination/Defecation
- Infant animals are unable to take care of these matters
alone and must be given help. Normally their mother's tongue does the job as
she washes them. Use a cotton swab, tissue, or your finger to gently rub the
baby's genital area. Have a tissue ready to catch the urine.
- Rubbing the anal area as well may also be necessary if
the babies do not seem to be defecating as much as expected. Watch for
diarrhea. Normal infant stool is normally very loose but should not be watery.
Bathing
- Using baby shampoo and warm water, bathe the babies a
couple of times daily. Urine will burn their tender skin and caked feces can
lead to infection so keeping the babies clean is very important.
- Take care not to submerge the infant in water. Be
careful that it cannot drown or choke on the water and be sure the water
temperature is acceptable.
- Gently blow dry the babies when the bath is over. Do not
allow chilling.
How to be Sure You are on Track
The best way to be sure everything is going well is to track weight gain in
your new babies. A postal scale or food scale (ideally one that measures weight
in grams) will be helpful. A puppy or kitten should gain 10% of the birth weight
every day and should be drinking 22 to 26 cc of formula per 100 grams of body
weight over the course of the day. Puppies are variable in growth expectancy
depending on breed but kittens are more predictable and should gain 50 to 100
grams weekly.
Kittens weighing less than 90 grams (approx 3 oz) at birth have a very high
mortality rate.
Starting Solid Food
- When the babies start biting and chewing at their bottle
instead of sucking (3-4 weeks of age), they may be started on some finely
textured canned food. At first it may be necessary to mix solid food with a
little formula and /or smear a little around their mouths gently with a
finger.
**Friskies canned Kitten Meals for kittens **Chicken or turkey baby food
for puppies
- Between ages 4 and 6 weeks, they should begin readily
accepting solid food. New homes may be found for them at age 8 weeks. Be aware
that in many states it is not legal to transfer ownership of a puppy or kitten
until this age anyway.
NOTE
Colostrum is the first milk produced by the mother shortly after giving birth.
It is rich in antibodies which will protect the babies for the first several
months of life.
Without colostrum (if their mother did not nurse the kittens during the first
2 days of life) the babies are virtually without an immune system. Especially
great care should be taken in cleanliness and the babies should be vaccinated at
2 weeks of age. They may require a plasma transfusion to make up for the
colostrum. There is no substitute for a real mother.
For more information on raising orphan kittens see:
http://www.hdw-inc.com/tinykitten.htm
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Animal Medical Center
