Warm weather brings sunshine, swims, and outdoor adventures — but for puppies, it also brings a wave of tiny, dangerous threats: fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies, and intestinal parasites. Understanding how to prevent, detect, and treat parasites is one of the most important things you can do to protect young puppies during the summer months. Why Puppies Are So Vulnerable Puppies … Read More
Beat the Heat: Protecting Puppies from Heat Stroke
Summer brings sunshine, playtime, and long days outdoors — but for puppies, the rising temperatures can be dangerous. Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency that can escalate quickly, especially in very young, orphaned, or medically fragile puppies. Understanding the risks and knowing how to prevent overheating can make all the difference. Why Puppies Are at High Risk for Heat Stroke … Read More
Stimulate to Eliminate
Caring for orphaned newborn puppies means stepping in for their mother in every possible way—feeding, keeping them warm, helping them sleep, and something many people don’t realize: helping them go to the bathroom. For the first few weeks of life, puppies can’t pee or poop on their own. It’s not automatic. And if you’re not helping them eliminate after every … Read More
Fly Strike in Puppies
They were only days old—eyes sealed shut, barely bigger than your palm. Born outside in a makeshift doghouse to a mother chained in the blazing summer heat, Sage and Scout never stood a chance. Their mother succumbed to heat exhaustion before help arrived. By the time the puppies were discovered, her body lay still beside them—and the flies had already … Read More
How to Handle Singletons: Raising a Solo Puppy Without a Litter
Not all rescue puppies come with a pack. Sometimes, there’s just one. Whether the rest of the litter didn’t survive, the mother rejected a weak pup, or the puppy was abandoned entirely, singleton puppies enter the world at a disadvantage. They don’t just miss the warmth and comfort of siblings—they lose a biological support system crucial to their development. Raising … Read More
Why Does My Dog Have Two Different Colored Eyes? Understanding Canine Heterochromia
Ever seen a puppy with one blue eye and one brown? That captivating trait is called canine heterochromia, and here at Blazin’ Trails Bottle Babies, we’re celebrating it in full color. Several of our recent rescued puppies are sporting mismatched eyes—and they’re living proof that rescue dogs come in the most beautiful forms. What Is Canine Heterochromia? Heterochromia is a … Read More
Miracle Milk: Our High-Calorie Formula for Orphaned Newborn Puppies
Newborn puppies depend on their mother for warmth, immunity, and nutrition. When they are orphaned, every one of those needs must be met by human caregivers. Nutrition is one of the most critical—and most challenging—parts of that care. Standard commercial formulas are designed to match the caloric content of mother’s milk. But without the ability to nurse 18–20 hours a … Read More
The Puppy Parasite Playbook: Deworming, Diagnosis, and Survival
They were just six weeks old when they were found huddled together in an abandoned house—six tiny puppies, six weeks old, cold, hungry, and crawling with fleas. Their bellies were bloated, their coats dull, and their gums pale. With no mother in sight, they had been left to survive on their own—and their tiny bodies were losing the fight. The … Read More
Born Into Battle: The Medical Journey of Cleft Palate Puppies
They looked perfect at first glance—thirteen tiny Great Dane puppies, curled into one another, soft and warm, the size of your hand. But something wasn’t right with three of them. Quinn, Quira, and Quest weren’t latching to nurse. They were fussy, weak, and thin. Worse, milk was coming from their noses. A veterinary exam revealed the diagnosis: cleft palates. It’s … Read More
Understanding Parvovirus
They were just two weeks old—barely the size of a slipper. Their ears hadn’t even opened yet, and they were still blindly searching for the warmth of their mother. But she was already gone, taken swiftly by parvovirus. Her six babies—Roxy, Rori, Rupert, Ruby, Riley, and Rudy—were next. The shelter gave us one hour to save them before they were … Read More