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The Basics of Bottle Feeding a Puppy
If you have a pregnant dog that will be giving birth soon, it is a good idea to be prepared just in case.
There are supplements for pregnant dogs.
Get the equipment ready.
If you have to save a puppy’s life, you should get some supplies in. You should use the milk that you have. Puppy formula can be powder or liquid milk. The exact blend of vitamins and minerals that a newborn puppy needs will be found in this type of milk. Before you use powdered milk for puppies, you need to add warm water. Human milk formula doesn’t have the right nutrition for your puppy and could make them ill, so don’t use it.
There is a post about Puppy Milk Replacers.
A nipple that is small enough to fit in your puppy’s mouth is also required. You can buy these separately, but you can also get a feeding kit with all the equipment you will need. Human bottle nipples that are available for premature babies are very small.
Taking the Decision to Bottle Feed a Puppy
The decision to bottle feed puppies should be taken after talking to your vet. Artificial feeding methods should be delayed until the puppy is several weeks old. The very first milk infections that a Mom dog produces, the Colostrum, is rich in both vitamins and minerals which help puppies to fight infections. The puppy should get this for the first 24 hours of their life if it is possible. It’s not possible for orphans to get an alternative feeding method right away.
It will take a lot of time to bottle feed newborn puppies.
Feeding Very Tiny Toy Breed Pups
Feeding toy breed puppies can be a challenge. The runt is the weakest part of the litter. They are weak and have trouble feeding. They may not be strong enough to suck and even the smallest nipples that you can get will be too large for their tiny mouths. The puppies should be started with an eye dropper. If necessary, you can squeeze it to get the food into their mouth, and then swallow to get some nutrition and hydration. If you point the dropper into the side of the puppy’s mouth, the feed won’t flow directly down their throat where it can cause choking and gagging, and in the worst cases aspiration.
An eye dropper is better for small puppies because they have the option of sucking it to get some feed out. They get the idea that the act of sucking gets them food when they get stronger. It’s easier to put them on a bottle and nipple as they grow.
When there is no other way to get the feed into your puppy, you should only use the syringe. You may be able to find nipples and bottles that are designed for smaller animals, such as rabbits.
There is an article on portable dog water bottles.
Tube Feeding and Sponge Feeding Very Weak Pups
Dogs who are not able to nurse can be tube fed. Once a qualified person has shown you how to do it correctly, you should only attempt to carry it out. If the tube goes down the windpipe, the feed will go into the lungs instead of the stomach, which is very dangerous. You will need to purchase a tube feeding kit for your breed.
Sponge feeding is less intrusive than tube feeding and may be more comfortable for you if you are worried about tube feeding puppies. The pup must be strong enough to suck. A small sponge is all you need to match the size of the Mom dog’s teat. You need a needle.
There is a hole at the other end of the sponge. Feed the syringe and poke it into the hole. Put the teat end of the sponge into the pup’s mouth. The milk in the sponge will flow as the pup sucks once they start sucking. You need to do this at the right rate, otherwise you will flood the sponge but not the pup.
What Should You Feed Newborn Puppies?
The means you have available and what you should feed newborn puppies are vastly different. The puppies should be fed their mother’s milk. Not even intense marketing campaigns led by puppy milk replacers have succeeded in convincing consumers. Female mammals give birth straight after giving birth to produce fluid colostrum that is rich in vitamins and minerals. Colostrum contains large amounts of complement components that function as natural anti-microbial agents, so any infections that are likely to arise in a puppy’s gastrointestinal tract are prevented or treated. The multiple regenerative effects in relation to all structural body cells are simply incredible.
Many newborn puppies don’t have the luxury of getting a mother dog’s milk There are other pups who won’t have mother’s milk available for them. If a mother feels as though there isn’t enough milk to go around a large litter, if she’s dehydrated or stressed, or if she has an illness, you may have to find other means to feed her puppies. Commercial puppy formula is the solution to your puppy feeding problems. What are your options?
