In the Pet Care (PC) column of July 26, 2020, we offered some basic information on the diet needs for newborn puppies. Let us today continue with some more relevant data.
Newborn puppies/kittens, like all mammalian newborns, need to suckle on the first milk produced by the mother. This milk which is produced just after the pups/kittens are born, is called Colostrum. It contains all the nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, fats, etc.) needed by the newborn; but more importantly, the Colostrum contains the antibodies against those disease agents (germs) which the mother would have encountered during her life. These antibodies go over into the puppies/kittens, via suckling, and help defend them against those germs that could kill them in their first few weeks of life.
In addition, it must be understood that the newborn pups and kittens have not much subcutaneous (under the skin) fat. The breakdown of fat releases energy. Since the newborn pups/kittens have little fat, they need the mother’s milk to supply needed energy. Even while the pup/kitten was developing in the womb, their little livers were storing an energy source called Glycogen. Later, with the milk being consumed by the newborn pup/kitten, the Glycogen (energy) which is being used up is replaced in the liver. It is important that the newborn suckles and replaces this source of energy, because the liver in the newborn does not enlarge quickly, and therefore does not have a large Glycogen reservoir capacity. The brain of the newborn, by comparison, not only grows faster but uses up a lot of energy. It stands to reason then, that if a puppy or kitten has a brain too large in proportion to its liver, then the energy (Glycogen) reserves in the liver can’t cope with the needs of the brain, and the puppy/kitten survival capability might be severely compromised. Veterinary pediatric researchers have established that the weight of the liver should be at least one and a half times that of the brain. Two to three times more (liver to brain ratio) is even better.
Bearing the above in mind, it is therefore important that the Glycogen (energy giver) must be sufficient at all times. This means that the newborns must suckle as often as possible. Of course, one great problem arises when the mother has given birth to a large litter (sometimes even more pups/kittens than she has breast/nipples). In this case, some of the pups and kittens may die, unless you intervene and exchange them at the nipples, or remove them totally and hand-rear them (see “PC” 26 July, 2020 on this subject). Hand-rearing alone is not good, because they might not have received any or enough Colostrum.
The Colostrum contains the antibodies in large molecules. Only at the early stage of the gastro-intestinal development can these large molecules be absorbed. That is why it is so important for the mammalian newborn to receive the Colostrum within hours/first 2 – 3 days of birth.
The kidney function in the newborn is 12 to 25 per cent of what it will be later in life. These immature kidneys are unable to concentrate the urine, which means that it is necessary for puppies to excrete large amounts of dilute urine. This obligatory water loss of the kidneys must be offset by sufficient intake or their mother’s milk, or, in the case of puppies raised by hand, by a formula containing adequate amounts of water (see “PC” 26th July, 2020).
I apologize that so much science has been involved in today’s column. It does not and will not happen often. However, it is felt that reasons must be given, if we want to emphasize the importance of the feeding regime/protocol for newborn pups and kittens.
