|
Did the puppy ever nurse off its mother? I read this info when I was helping with a litter that born while with my boxer rescue;
Puppies must get colostrum from their mothers to have full immunity to germs and diseases they will encounter in their first weeks. People used to think this had to occur in the first 48 hours. Now it is thought that only during, at most, the first 12 hours, and more likely the first 2 hours of their lives that this transfer of immunity is possible. The transfer of antibodies occurs only until the puppy's intestine develops the ability to screen out large molecules. This change in the intestine occurs very quickly, in the first few hours of life.
|