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3 week old orphaned mastiff mix

DaveOwen

DaveOwen

Member
very big task you have taken on.. thank you...................... a rule of thumb for feeding formula is 1 CC per ounce of body weight every 3 hours... of course calorie content is a large variance, and as he ages meals will have to be farther apart............. I've never raised a singleton, but littermates teach bite inhibition so this and other socialization will be very important to work on...... toys, anything that wont fall apart, after 5 weeks pups really can tear cheap toys up.
 
ruby55

ruby55

Well-Known Member
We had an entire litter that was orphaned at 2 days old...long story....
It depends on the breed - these were labs - as to how much to feed them plus what you're feeding them makes a difference.
Our pups at work start to receive toys as soon as their eyes & ears start to open, about 10 days old. We use small stuffed toys, very small baby rattles, things that squeak, soft stuffed toys that have parts that move like fleece tug toys, small toys with bells. These have to be monitored and changed out as the puppies grow & develop to avoid possible inhalation, or parts breaking off.
As DaveOwen mentioned, there are things like bite inhibition, postures, etc. that will have to be taught to a singleton.
You're a hero to take this task on. I would keep in constant contact with your vet, who might be the best person to help you with nutrition.
 
ruby55

ruby55

Well-Known Member
Our litter had a surrogate mom from about day 4 until they were about 4 weeks old, when she lost interest in feeding & cleaning up after them.
As far as food, our orphaned litter started on a gruel of Esbilac, fresh goat's milk, & Science Puppy Healthy Advantage pulverized. There were 7 pups; we used about 1/2c of the dry food crumbles, plus enough of the formula mixture to make a very sloppy gruel. They were fed every 4 hours, with a chaser of the formula from a bottle afterwards. It was not pretty...:(
 
B

BAMCB

Well-Known Member
This is copy and pasted from our post in Health and nutrition:

Thank you everyone for your responses. We would like to say that he has been an absolute joy to have! Not anymore daunting, comparatively speaking, than our teens and toddler;) Haha!

We saw the vet yesterday for a recheck and second dose of dewormer. He is a whopping 3lbs 7oz! And looking quite healthy:) so much that we decided to go ahead and give him his first round of vax. We are keeping on track with the puppy gruel and bottle feedings, with the addition of water for him to try, though she would like to see him wean off the bottle over the next 2 weeks(we are thinking he is 4 weeks, give or take a couple days). Still no outside contact(people or animals) until after his 2nd booster vax. It has been very difficult to explain to family and friends why they cannot see him quite yet! So that is on the health front.

A huge concern(for me at least, I have a fear of worms!) are the adult roundworms that are now presenting in his stools. Absolutely freak me out! DH is not fazed and dealt with them last night but I am home with him all day. They appear to be dead, and we have only seen 2 over the last week with it happening after his second dose. How long should we expect to see them? I did not ask the vet because we had not seen any until last night, after clinic hours. Lord I hope you say no more but......at least we know the med is working, I guess.


As far as the toys/socializing aspect you all have great suggestions! We have found a couple chew toys made in the USA but it is proving to be difficult to find much. Everything was from China! We have chosen to not give him any type of chew toy/bone/treats from China but what is the consensus for stuffed toys, balls, squeakers etc? Does anyone have a brand they can suggest with quality toys made from somewhere other than China?


And lastly, does anyone know when it will be possible to tell his breeds and size? We would like to believe he is a Mastiff/St. Bernard because that is what we were told, but not having seen the parents we are still curious. We will adore him no matter what, he has already stole our hearts<3

His personality is really starting to show as he is up and moving, playing and enjoying the time outside his pen. As for a name the oldest son has suggested Beast, but the 3 year old likes Sunshine. I kinda like Sonny for short but not everyone is on board at this time. We shall see.

Please keep any and all suggestions coming, we appreciate all the information/experience we can get! More pics and updates to come as we make this journey. We are so happy to have found this forum:)
 
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