Tips for the care of dog chicks

Author: Dr. Cheran Radu-Florin-Pet Stuff Hospital

Baby dog ​​chicks are considered the dogs that are in the period from birth to up to 3 weeks a maximum of one month. These are special patients because It has different physiological and metabolic characteristics From those of adult animals, which is why they need further treatments.

The chicks of the new dog do not have the ability to perform the vasoconstriction to maintain their temperature and together with the hype (lack of oxygen) they can cause bradycardia, bradipnea and reduced muscle tone, low immunity in favor of infections and with hypothermia. The liver and renal function is not completely developed the ability to metabolize and eliminate drugs or anesthetic substances administered to the mother or chicks that breastfeed in the breast can influence the body.

The main peculiarities of the chicks that can create problems in the neonatal period and the owner must take into consideration are:

• temperature

The normal temperature of the dog’s chicks drops between 35-36 ° C.

Hypothermia (low temperature) is very often encountered in the case of dog chicks because they cannot regulate the body temperature only, being vulnerable to environmental conditions, therefore they need external heating sources such as:

• Gloves or bottles of hot water;
• Electrical pillow;
• Infrared bulb;
• Incubator;
• Hot air heating devices.

Immediately after the birth of the chicks, they must be dried and dried with a clean towel and put to the incubator at a temperature of 32 ° C.

It is very important that the sources of heat are adequately regulated and positioned in order not to cause burns to the chicks.

The place of position of the mother and chicks is important to be inside the house, in an area far from power, probably next to a source of autumn (radiator.) The bed must have an absorbent sheet to provide a dry and warm environment for both chickens and mother.

The temperature of the chickens can be appreciated both with the help of a flexible digital head thermometer that can be introduced in the anal hole of the chicks, and according to their behavior, so if they sleep too crowded they could be too low and are looking for heating sources or if you sleep too far away.

• blood sugar

Hypoglycaemia is an important factor in the mortality of chicks, which represents the decrease in systemic blood sugar due to the lack of glucose reserves and their power deficiency.

The signs of hypoglycaemia in chicken can occur as follows:

• lack of activities of chickens or lower activities than other chicks;
• low reactivity to stimuli from the external environment;
• reduced muscle tone;
• muscle tremors;
• coma.

If there are signs of hypoglycaemia, it is important that dog chicks are brought to a veterinarian as soon as possible to measure blood sugar and administer substances that can increase blood sugar. Honey or glucose in the mouth can be administered until you reach the vet.

• Diet

In the first hours following the secret mother, at the level of mothers, colostrum, a product rich in proteins and antibodies, which will guarantee the necessary immunity in the first months of life until the beginning of the vaccination scheme. The chicks that not breastfeeding, especially in the first days of birth, are vulnerable in the next period and have a greater risk of illness.

Milk milk is the main feeding source in the neonatal period and provides adequate diet for maintaining physiological functions.

If the mother does not have enough milk or you cannot opt ​​for a nourishment with milk substitutes (milk powder), which is diluted with water according to the recipe and heated at a temperature of 36-38 ° C. The feeding of the chicks is made with special nipples or with the syringe. Therefore, it is better that a veterinarian teach you how to feed the chicks to avoid complications.

After about 4 weeks of life, the weaning period begins, in which the chicks will present interest in other types of food, in addition to mother milk or breast milk replaces. The change of food should not be done suddenlyAt first they consume both milk and food.

The power supply must be adapted on the basis of the needs associated with the age of chicks, but also to the breed and life of the adult dog. Therefore, they can consume both wet food, which will guarantee correct hydration until they learn to drink more water, as well as a dry food for the age category, which will guarantee a healthy dentition. Therefore, the two types of food can also be administered in combination.

• weight

Both birth weight and the weight obtained in the first days of life are an important aspect to follow because we can identify the chicks that have a higher risk of neonatal mortality.

At the time of birth, a dog chicken must have between 1-5% of the weight of the adult dog, specific for the respective breed.

The weight earned daily must be 2-4 g for each kilogram of the adult dog in the respective breed or must earn 10% of their weight/day. Then a chicken for dogs must double its weight from birth after the first week of life. For this reason, it is recommended to weigh daily on the kitchen of each chicken.

The behavior of the dog chicks

In the first days of life, dog chicks are based on the smell and on the tactile sense of orienting themselves in order to consume milk from the mother. The dog chicks are born with closed eyes, so they cannot be oriented with the help of visual sense. Their eyes will open 10-14 days after birth. Their ears will be fully developed at 3 weeks of life, but both the view and the hearing will initially be weak enough.

Immediately after birth, the dog’s chicks will spend most of their time sleeping. In the neonatal period the main activity of the chicks will sleep and feed that it will help them develop correctly. For this reason, the chicks should not be disturbed or stressed, but should be observed to feed correctly.

Until the age of 4-8 weeks the chicks will be stimulated by the mother to remove the urine and feces. If the mother does not take care of the chicken, the genital and perianal area can be stimulated with a compress or cotton soaked in hot water.

After the age of 4 weeks, the dog’s chicks are more active and begin to relate to each other or with people. Starting from this period, the chicks feel the need to play, so it is important to provide toys with which to consume their energy.

After 8 weeks of life, dog chicks have a very high learning capacity, which is why during this period, socialization both with humans and other animals, but also learn with different auditory stimuli, it is important for them to get used to and not represent a stress factor in adulthood. Training is very important to make the dog learn what to do and what it is not good to do.

Visit to the vet

In the first days of life, dogs are important that they are brought to a consultation to the veterinarian so that they can control their general condition, but also to see if they have congenital defects. Ideally, they will be transported with a heat source or if possible with the mother.

After the neonatal period (3-4 weeks of life) the switching treatments can be started, therefore from 6-8 weeks of life, the vaccination scheme established by the veterinarian may be started to ensure the necessary immunity against viral diseases.

Call your vet to help you with advice and recommendations that both the chicks and the mother pass in this period safely and start adequately in life.