Are puppies, like babies, sometimes born prematurely?
Premature delivery does occur but it is not as common as thought. Often these so-called premature deliveries have been an error in mating dates or a miscalculation in gestation period (period of pregnancy). This is usually 63 days. How can I tell if the pups are premature? Truly premature puppies may be small, thin and have little or no hair. Survival is possible but they require an enormous amount of care and often have to be hand fed since they are unable to suckle. Sometimes they have to be fed by stomach tube (gavage feeding). If necessary, your veterinarian will show you how to do this. Mothers will often reject premature puppies and they soon die of hypothermia (low body temperature). Excessive heat (hyperthermia) can be just as harmful as hypothermia so the temperature of the puppy’s environment must be carefully controlled. Environmental temperature must be maintained at around 30C (90F) and the box must be large enough so that the puppies can move away from the heat source if
