Saving Orphaned Shih Tzu Puppies

If you want to save your orphaned Shih Tzu puppies you must be
totally dedicated to them on a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week basis
for the first few weeks of life. Raising orphaned Shih Tzu
puppies is the most challenging and taxing task any Shih Tzu
breeder could undertake. Success is gratifying.

Maintain the Shih Tzu puppies in an incubator environment with a
temperature of at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit to start out.
Reduce the temperature to 85 degrees after three or four
successful days and you see the Shih Tzu puppies are stable.
Slowly decline the temperature by small increments. After a week
the temperature can be slowly declined to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Maintain this temperature until the Shih Tzu puppies are three
to four weeks of age. After four weeks the temperature may be
reduced to 75 degrees.

Orphaned Shih Tzu puppies are prime candidates for
failure-to-thrive syndrome. Under normal conditions, the Shih
Tzu puppy is bumped and shoved instinctively with littermates.
These natural instincts insure that the Shih Tzu puppies use
their body, pushing toward the dam for nursing, pushing in
rivalry against littermates. The dam vigorously washes her
offspring, cleaning the Shih Tzu puppies and bringing about
elimination. This tactile stimulation is crucial to the
development of a strong healthy puppy.

You must effect stimulation by gentle periodic stroking with one
or two fingers, awakening the Shih Tzu puppies directly prior to
feeding. During feeding periods it is necessary to snuggle the
Shih Tzu puppies to simulate the same type of nurturing the dam
would have provided. You become a surrogate dam to orphaned Shih
Tzu puppies.

Shih Tzu puppies are born with sealed eyes. The Shih Tzu puppy
is unable to hear at birth. You as the surrogate dam will need
to artificially stimulate the orphaned Shih Tzu puppy to
defecate and urinate. You can do this easily by using a cotton
swab dipped in baby oil. Gently swab the genitalia and anus area
until the Shih Tzu puppy urinates and defecates. The surrogate
dam must stimulate Shih Tzu puppies to elimination on the same
regular basis as feeding intervals. The orphaned Shih Tzu puppy
must be stimulated to urinate and defecate at each feeding
interval until able to independently perform these functions.

Consult with your vet as to which puppy milk formula you should
use, and the type of feeding method.