If you have found an abandoned litter of puppies and have decided to take care of them for the time being, here are the most vital tips you must try to follow.

Take the entire litter to the vet for an immediate check-up

Before feeding or bathing the puppies, you should take all of them to the vet. There are many important reasons why you must do this. First and foremost, after examining the litter, the vet should be able to estimate how old the puppies are; it is essential that you get this information, as you will need it when you're deciding what to feed them. For example, puppies who are less than a month old may require a canine milk formula, whilst ones which are older than this may need solid puppy food.

Secondly, this visit will ensure that any health issues that the puppies may have developed as a result of their previous owner neglecting them (like ringworm or mange) will be eradicated as quickly as possible. Thirdly, if the puppies were left sitting somewhere for a day or more after they were abandoned, then they could be very dehydrated. If this is the case, then the fastest way to rehydrate them would be to have the vet give then IV fluids.

Do not start looking for new homes for them until you have used a puppy vaccination service

If you cannot keep the litter permanently, then you will need to re-home the puppies. Before you start looking for new owners, however, you must utilise a puppy vaccination service. Unvaccinated puppies are generally harder to re-home than those who have had their injections. This is due to the fact that many people who want new pets prefer to minimise the cost of getting them, and they know that if they take in an unvaccinated puppy, they will have to pay for their vaccinations soon after getting them.

Potential owners who see an ad offering unvaccinated puppies may also have concerns about these animals already having diseases because they not have had their injections yet, and so these individuals might be hesitant to take one of them because doing so might result in them having to take care of a very sick puppy. In short, if you want to ensure that you have plenty of potential owners to choose from, it is essential to get the entire litter vaccinated prior to giving them away.