 |
New Born Puppy StatisticsTemperature, Age and Weight |
 |
The
first 36 hours after birth are the most critical of the puppies
lives. Puppies are born in a very immature state. Their
body temperature is low compared with that of adult dogs and they can
only keep up their body heat by lying against something warm, either
the mammary glands of the bitch or a heated pad.
Vital Statistics of the New-Born Puppy |
||
| Body
Temperature |
0
to 14 days 15 to 28 days 35 days |
94
- 99F 97 -100F 101.5F (adult temperature) |
| Respiration
Rate |
at
birth 7 to 35 days over 35 days |
average
12 breaths per minute 20 - 30 breaths per minute 15 to 30 breaths per minute (adult rate) |
| Pulse |
at
birth 7 to 35 days at 12 weeks |
up
to 130 beats per minute up to 200 beats per minute aproaching adult rate of 70 to 100 beats per minute |
| Birth
Weight |
should
double in 8 days |
|
| Fluid
Requirement |
2
to 3 oz per pound body weight per day |
|
| Fluid
Excretion |
about
twice as much as an adult dog Newborn puppies are 80 per cent water, a bigger ratio for their weight than adults which are 60 to 70 per cent water |
|
| Calorie
Requirement |
60
to 70 K cal per day per pound of body weight |
|
| source:Book of The Bitch - Jm Evans
and Kay White |
||
Puppy
Feeding
It is important that puppies gain weight, especially in the first fourty-eight hours. Most pups will lose a bit of weight during the first 24 hours after birth, but by the second day they should start picking up again. A healthy new-born should double its birth weight in the first 8 days and then have a consistent daily weight gain of 5 - 10 %. There is evidence that puppies gaining weight, or not losing more than ten per cent of body weight in the first fourty-eight hours, tend to survive. In contrast, puppies losing in excess of ten per cent of body weight have a higher chance of dying. Each pup should be identified by a colour and every puppy should be weighed daily over the first few days of life, to monitor weight changes. Remember that the rear teats tend to be better ones for milk production, so try to share them around and do not let the stronger puppies monopolise them, as they will tend to do. Move puppies around to get uniformity of growth.
In a standard litter of six to eight puppies each pup would be expected to weigh about 1% of the dam's pre-pregnancy weight. This can vary depending on size of litter, genetics, gender and environmental conditions for the dam and pups during pregnancy and whelping.
By eight weeks of age, a GSD puppy should be weighing some 6-9kg (13-20lb), depending upon sex and bloodlines. In general bitches will grow at a slightly lower level than males, and the difference between males and females will increase with time.
A puppies weight is never going to be an exact science so as well as using the charts as a guide it is advisiable to check the puppies over by feel and sight. First of all, you need to take your hands and rub on the sides of the puppy. If you can feel the ribs really well, then the puppy is not getting enough food. Also, keep in mind that if you can see the ribs, then that puppy's weight is too little. If the sides of the puppy bow out to the side too much, when standing over the puppy and looking down, then there is a chance that your dog is overweight.
It is important that puppies gain weight, especially in the first fourty-eight hours. Most pups will lose a bit of weight during the first 24 hours after birth, but by the second day they should start picking up again. A healthy new-born should double its birth weight in the first 8 days and then have a consistent daily weight gain of 5 - 10 %. There is evidence that puppies gaining weight, or not losing more than ten per cent of body weight in the first fourty-eight hours, tend to survive. In contrast, puppies losing in excess of ten per cent of body weight have a higher chance of dying. Each pup should be identified by a colour and every puppy should be weighed daily over the first few days of life, to monitor weight changes. Remember that the rear teats tend to be better ones for milk production, so try to share them around and do not let the stronger puppies monopolise them, as they will tend to do. Move puppies around to get uniformity of growth.
In a standard litter of six to eight puppies each pup would be expected to weigh about 1% of the dam's pre-pregnancy weight. This can vary depending on size of litter, genetics, gender and environmental conditions for the dam and pups during pregnancy and whelping.
By eight weeks of age, a GSD puppy should be weighing some 6-9kg (13-20lb), depending upon sex and bloodlines. In general bitches will grow at a slightly lower level than males, and the difference between males and females will increase with time.
A puppies weight is never going to be an exact science so as well as using the charts as a guide it is advisiable to check the puppies over by feel and sight. First of all, you need to take your hands and rub on the sides of the puppy. If you can feel the ribs really well, then the puppy is not getting enough food. Also, keep in mind that if you can see the ribs, then that puppy's weight is too little. If the sides of the puppy bow out to the side too much, when standing over the puppy and looking down, then there is a chance that your dog is overweight.
| Estimate
of Growth by Age and Weight |
|||||||||||||
| Age (Months) |
|
%
of Total |
|
||||||||||
| 1 |
4.2 |
9.2 |
12.10 |
3.3 |
7.2 |
||||||||
| 2 |
9.0 |
19.9 |
26.18 |
7.5 |
16.6 |
||||||||
| 3 |
14.2 |
31.3 |
41.18 |
12.1 |
26.7 |
||||||||
| 4 |
19.0 |
41.8 |
55 |
16.4 |
36.2 |
||||||||
| 5 |
22.9 |
50.6 |
66.57 |
20.0 |
44.0 |
||||||||
| 6 |
26.1 |
57.4 |
75.52 |
22.7 |
50.1 |
||||||||
| 7 |
28.4 |
62.6 |
82.36 |
24.7 |
54.4 |
||||||||
| 8 |
30.1 |
66.4 |
87.36 |
26.1 |
57.5 |
||||||||
| 9 |
31.5 |
69.4 |
91.31 |
27.1 |
59.7 |
||||||||
| 10 |
32.7 |
72 |
94.73 |
27.9 |
61.5 |
||||||||
| 11 |
33.7 |
74.3 |
97.76 |
28.6 |
63.1 |
||||||||
| 12 |
34.5 |
76.0 |
100 |
29.1 |
64.2 |
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| source:http://www.mygermanshepherdpuppy.com/ | |||||||||||||
