Month 1
Check the mother’s milk supply every 2 days. Keep mother and puppies clean.
– 2 days after birth: dock tails for breeds that require a short tail. Never do this on the first day, since newborns can’t nurse yet, and the pain from tail docking can cause them to stop nursing or nurse less. You can use an elastic band tied tightly; after 5 days the docked portion will dry out and fall off on its own.
– Day 10: bathe the puppies and the mother
– Day 15: start the first deworming with liquid Drontal, given before bedtime, around 11pm, when the stomach still has about half its food left.
– Day 20: start supplementing with formula milk
– Day 21: increase to 2 supplemental feedings a day
– Day 25: second bath for the puppies
– Day 26: feed rice porridge + ground kibble + chicken; adding nutritional powder will also give your pets extra nutrition (3 meals a day).
– Day 28: feed finely chopped raw beef, especially important for colored-coat breeds. Portion size example: cats get a bit the size of a corn kernel, French Bulldogs get an amount the size of a pinky fingertip, Rottweilers get an amount the size of a thumb tip… one meal of fresh meat a day helps keep the coat smooth and richly colored, and supports healthy digestion. Gradually increase the amount a little each day (just a little). If you’d rather not feed your dog or cat raw meat, you can replace the rice porridge + ground kibble + chicken combo with rice porridge + ground kibble + beef instead.
Month 2
– Day 32: second deworming, always given before bedtime just like the first time. It’s a good idea to give an iron and vitamin ADE injection once a month for healthy development — a smooth coat, healthy skin that resists skin conditions, and good support for reproductive health. Breeding facilities should buy these themselves and inject the whole litter together on a set schedule at the start of each month.
– Day 35: start a daily calcium supplement following the manufacturer’s directions. Rule of thumb: supplement for 20 days, pause for 10 days, then resume. Give calcium in the morning. Add cheese and pâté to the daily diet to help puppies fill out.
– Day 36: first vaccine shot — the 5-in-1 combination vaccine for dogs. For very small breeds like Chihuahuas, give the shot on day 38–39 if using the Pfizer vaccine.
*NOTE ON VACCINATION SCHEDULE: if the mother dog or cat was vaccinated 2 weeks to 1 month before breeding, give shot #1 at 42 days, shot #2 21 days after shot #1, and shot #3 28 days after shot #2, for dogs. For cats, give shot #1 at 2 months, and shot #2 28 days after shot #1.
– Day 50: first vaccine shot for cats
– Day 54: third deworming, then deworm once a month after that
– Day 57: second vaccine shot — the 7-in-1 combination vaccine for dogs
Month 3
– Day 65: shave the blood coat for Poodle lines; crop ears for breeds that require it, like Pitbull, Bully, Doberman, Cane Corso, etc.
– Day 78: second vaccine shot for cats, then annually thereafter on a fixed schedule.
– Day 85: third vaccine shot for dogs, then annually thereafter on a fixed schedule.
Months 4, 5, 6
– Next deworming at the start of each month
Months 7–8
This is a good time for spaying/neutering if you don’t plan to breed.
Month 9
– A 4th vaccine booster is recommended for breeding females and key breeding males in the facility, to boost immunity and prevent infectious disease.
Month 12
– Deworm, then continue deworming every 3–6 months