YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post - Advice for fostering a nursing mama and 5 puppies

addevo · 03-14-2018, 01:49 PM

We are expecting a new Yorkie family to foster within the next week. This will be our first experience fostering a whole family. I've only seen two photos of them. The mother appears to be a purebred Yorkie, and is about 10 lbs. The puppies are three weeks old. A couple of them appear to be a solid tan color so they are probably a mix. I've got a list of questions for the rescue, but was hoping I might get some advice from the many experts on this forum in advance.

What should I feed the mother? Any recommendations on brands? Dry or canned or a combination? Will she need any supplements?

When should I start offering the puppies solid food?

I'm planning on keeping them in an ex-pen lined with disposable pads. In the past, I've used produce boxes from Costco as beds when overnighting litters of puppies. They are higher on 3 sides and one has a lower edge so that mama can come and go, but puppies can't get out. But would those be safe to use for these tiny little ones? Or should I use the bottom half of a hard sided plastic crate? Something else?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

03-14-2018, 01:49 PM	#1
addevo Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Alexandria, VA, USA (near Washington, DC) Posts: 312	Advice for fostering a nursing mama and 5 puppies We are expecting a new Yorkie family to foster within the next week. This will be our first experience fostering a whole family. I've only seen two photos of them. The mother appears to be a purebred Yorkie, and is about 10 lbs. The puppies are three weeks old. A couple of them appear to be a solid tan color so they are probably a mix. I've got a list of questions for the rescue, but was hoping I might get some advice from the many experts on this forum in advance. What should I feed the mother? Any recommendations on brands? Dry or canned or a combination? Will she need any supplements? When should I start offering the puppies solid food? I'm planning on keeping them in an ex-pen lined with disposable pads. In the past, I've used produce boxes from Costco as beds when overnighting litters of puppies. They are higher on 3 sides and one has a lower edge so that mama can come and go, but puppies can't get out. But would those be safe to use for these tiny little ones? Or should I use the bottom half of a hard sided plastic crate? Something else? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.