Can I use cow's or goat's milk if I cannot find replacer straight away?

No, except as a stopgap for a few hours and only on your vet's advice. Cow's and goat's milk are very different from the milk of a mother dog or cat: they hold too much lactose and too little energy and protein, and they cause diarrhoea just when the newborn most needs fluids and calories. If you are stuck overnight, still call an out of hours clinic: they will often point you to a safer temporary mix than guesswork. Get the species specific replacer as soon as a shop or pharmacy opens.

How many times a day should I feed a newborn?

In the very first days you usually start with a feed every 2-3 hours, night included, so eight to twelve feeds across the day. As the animal grows the gaps widen and the feeds drop, but the measure is not the clock, it is the weight. If it gains every day, it is eating enough. If the weight is flat or falling, the frequency or the technique needs reviewing with the vet, not simply more milk in one sitting.

How do I tell if I am giving too much or too little milk?

After a feed the belly should be full but soft, not tight and hard. A well fed newborn is settled and sleeps between meals, while a hungry one cries and roots constantly. The most reliable sign is a steadily rising weight. A newborn that brings milk back at every feed, with milk coming out of the nose, is getting the milk too fast or in the wrong position: slow down, check the belly down hold and reduce the amount per feed.

At what age can an orphan move to solid food?

Usually between the third and fourth week, once the newborn walks well, has its eyes open and shows interest in what you eat. Start with a very soft mash of softened puppy or kitten food, keeping some milk feeds until the change is complete, generally over about ten days. Pushing solids too early risks choking and digestive upset, while staying too long on milk alone slows growth.

The first months40 minLevel: AdvancedUpdated on August 20, 2026

Hand rearing an orphaned puppy or kitten

Milk replacer, feeding amounts, nest temperature and toileting: how to raise a newborn left without its mother, and the signs that mean the vet cannot wait.

Audience: Pet owners, Breeders
Species: Dog, Cat
Scope: Valid everywhere, Italy, European Union

What you need before you start

Un latte artificiale specifico per cuccioli o gattini, mai latte vaccino, e un biberon con tettarella della misura giusta
Una bilancia da cucina con la tara e il grammo di sensibilità, per pesare il neonato prima e dopo ogni poppata
Una fonte di calore controllabile, un termometro d'ambiente e il numero di una clinica raggiungibile giorno e notte

A puppy or kitten left without its mother in the first weeks of life is not a small adult: it cannot hold its own body temperature, it does not pass urine or faeces on its own, and it can slide from healthy to critical within a few hours. Whoever takes over is replacing three jobs the mother would normally do, keeping the newborn warm, feeding it and stimulating it to toilet, and doing all of it around the clock. The good news is that these are simple actions, as long as they happen in the right order and are checked every day on the scale. This guide covers how to set up the nest, how to prepare and give the milk, how to stimulate toileting, and above all how to read the weight, the single number that tells you in advance whether things are going well or whether the vet is needed right now.

Warmth first, everything else after

The most common and most dangerous mistake is feeding a cold newborn. A puppy or kitten that has lost heat cannot digest: the milk sits in the stomach, ferments and makes things worse. The rule is absolute, warm first and only then feed. A newborn does not truly regulate its temperature until the first two to three weeks, so the nest has to supply the heat the mother would give with her body.

Indicative nest temperatures by age. Guide values only, to be adapted to the individual and confirmed with your vet.
Age of newborn	Nest temperature	Practical note
First week	30-32 degrees	Keep a warm zone and a cooler zone so it can move
Second and third week	27-29 degrees	Lower it as shivering starts to appear
From the fourth week	24-26 degrees	The newborn begins to regulate on its own

Preparing and giving the milk without slipping up

Ordinary cow's milk from the shop does not feed a puppy or kitten; it causes diarrhoea and deepens the dehydration. What you need is a milk replacer formulated for the species, mixed to the proportions on the tin, made fresh and brought to body temperature, around 38 degrees. Milk that is too hot scalds the mouth, milk that is too cold slows digestion.

Mix the dose exactly as the label says
Keep to the powder and water proportions the maker gives. A mix that is too thick strains the gut, one that is too thin fails to deliver enough calories and the newborn stops gaining even though it is feeding.
Warm to body temperature and test on your wrist
The milk should feel lukewarm, not hot. Warm the bottle in hot water, never in the microwave, which creates invisible hot spots. Drop a little on the inside of your wrist before it goes near the newborn.
Hold the newborn belly down, never on its back
The correct position mimics natural nursing, with the head slightly raised. Feeding a newborn lying on its back sends milk into the airway and causes aspiration pneumonia, one of the most common causes of death in hand reared animals.
Let it suck, do not squeeze the bottle
The teat should only drip when inverted and gently pressed. Do not force milk into the mouth: the newborn must set its own pace. If milk comes out of the nose, stop at once and return it to a belly down position.
Bring up the wind with a gentle rub
After the feed, pat the back softly with a finger until the air comes up. A newborn full of air brings the milk back and takes less at the next feed.
Record time, amount and weight
Log every feed with the time, the millilitres taken and the morning weight. It is the only way to notice early if a feed is missed or if the gain is slowing down.

Stimulating urine and stool at every feed

A newborn does not urinate or pass stool on its own: the mother triggers it by licking the perineal area, and without her you have to do it. Skip this step and the bladder and bowel back up and the animal becomes toxic. After every feed, gently dab the area under the tail with a piece of gauze or cotton just moistened with warm water, until urine and stool appear.

Always stimulate after the feed, never on an empty stomach, with light circular movements.
Urine should be pale and plentiful: if it is dark yellow or scanty, the newborn is drinking too little and needs rehydrating.
Stool in the first days is pasty and ochre yellow: green, liquid or absent stool for more than a day is a sign to report to the vet.
Stop stimulating once the newborn has finished, so you do not irritate the already delicate skin.
From the third or fourth week many newborns begin to toilet on their own and manual stimulation tapers off.

Weight is the true thermometer of health

With a newborn everything looks fine until it is suddenly too late, because the warning signs are subtle. The one figure that gets ahead of trouble is the weight, taken at the same time every day, before the first feed. A healthy newborn gains steadily from the first days: a weight that stalls for a day deserves attention, a weight that drops is an emergency.

Weigh the newborn every morning at the same time, on the same scale, and write the number down before you forget it.
Compare with the day before: in dogs the expected daily gain rises with size, in cats it is often just a few grams a day in the first weeks.
If the weight is flat for twenty four hours, increase how often you check and review warmth, feeding technique and toileting.
If the weight falls, do not wait for the next day: contact the vet at once, because a newborn losing weight is already in trouble.
Keep a weight chart or graph, so you see the trend and not just the single number.

Towards weaning and a normal life

Around three to four weeks the newborn opens its eyes fully, walks and shows curiosity about food: that is the moment to begin the move from milk to solids, without rushing and without dropping the bottle all at once. Socialisation should not be put off: a newborn raised without littermates needs gradual experiences so it does not grow into an anxious adult.

Offer a soft mash of puppy or kitten food softened with milk replacer, in a shallow dish.
Cut back the bottle feeds as the solid food increases, over about ten days, not overnight.
Introduce fresh water always available once the newborn eats solids regularly.
Handle the newborn gently every day, so it learns that hands are safe and future veterinary handling is easier.
Agree the first worming treatments and the vaccination schedule with the vet, which in orphans follow real growth rather than age alone.

Raising an orphan is not about heroic gestures: it is about small, steady ones, measured every day on the scale, and asking for help early rather than late.
Guiding principle of newborn care

Frequently asked questions

Can I use cow's or goat's milk if I cannot find replacer straight away?: No, except as a stopgap for a few hours and only on your vet's advice. Cow's and goat's milk are very different from the milk of a mother dog or cat: they hold too much lactose and too little energy and protein, and they cause diarrhoea just when the newborn most needs fluids and calories. If you are stuck overnight, still call an out of hours clinic: they will often point you to a safer temporary mix than guesswork. Get the species specific replacer as soon as a shop or pharmacy opens.
How many times a day should I feed a newborn?: In the very first days you usually start with a feed every 2-3 hours, night included, so eight to twelve feeds across the day. As the animal grows the gaps widen and the feeds drop, but the measure is not the clock, it is the weight. If it gains every day, it is eating enough. If the weight is flat or falling, the frequency or the technique needs reviewing with the vet, not simply more milk in one sitting.
How do I tell if I am giving too much or too little milk?: After a feed the belly should be full but soft, not tight and hard. A well fed newborn is settled and sleeps between meals, while a hungry one cries and roots constantly. The most reliable sign is a steadily rising weight. A newborn that brings milk back at every feed, with milk coming out of the nose, is getting the milk too fast or in the wrong position: slow down, check the belly down hold and reduce the amount per feed.
At what age can an orphan move to solid food?: Usually between the third and fourth week, once the newborn walks well, has its eyes open and shows interest in what you eat. Start with a very soft mash of softened puppy or kitten food, keeping some milk feeds until the change is complete, generally over about ten days. Pushing solids too early risks choking and digestive upset, while staying too long on milk alone slows growth.

What to do next

Always warm the newborn before feeding, use only species specific milk replacer brought to body temperature and given belly down, stimulate urine and stool after every feed, and weigh the animal every morning at the same time. Log feeds and weight so you can read the trend, and treat a flat or falling weight, repeated refusals or a cold newborn as a reason to call the vet at once, before the next attempt at a feed.