How To Bottle Feed Puppies

How to bottle feed a puppy
Video: bottle feeding puppy!
Hand feeding a tiny/toy breed puppy
Newborn puppy supplies
Video: bottle feeding chihuahua puppies
Video: how to bottle feed a puppy

Here are some excellent reference books that can help.....

Orphaned or rejected puppies (or a `runt` who can`t nurse) need you to give them the nutrition that will keep them alive. Bottle feeding these puppies can do just that.

If you`re faced with a tiny puppy (or a whole litter of them) who aren`t able to nurse from their momma, it can be a very scary situation.

You might be wondering how on earth you`re going to keep them alive let alone thriving!

But don`t panic, many (MANY) other dog owners just like you have learned to bottle feed puppies and hand-raise them successfully.

You can too, the advice and information on this page will help youget together everything you need, and show you how to make sure thepup/s get the nutrition they need.

I`d also strongly recommendthat you get your own veterinarian involved too.

He/she will be able togive you the benefit of their advice and professional experience whichis priceless.

How To Bottle Feed A Puppy

When you`re bottle feeding puppies, it`s important to use a puppy milk substitute that meets their special dietary needs.

Commercialpuppy formulas that are carefully prepared to do just that can usuallybe bought at your veterinarians office or from large pet stores.

If your dog is pregnant, I would recommend getting some puppy milk in advance, so it`s handy if you should need it.

Feedingnew born puppies is very similar to feeding new born human babies inthat they need to nurse frequently!

If you`re trying to feed a tiny, toy or miniature breed pup, they MAY be too small to feed well from a bottle, in that case there is another option you can try.

Click here to jump to a video of a little Doxie puppy being fed with an eye-dropper.

Every two hours during the day and probably once or twice during the night in the very beginning.

This adorable video shows a tiny French Bulldog being bottle fed...

Okay, so let`s take a look at how to bottle feed puppies yourself, and the equipment that you need:

Obviously his mommas milk is the best food for a new born puppy.If at all possible, try to encourage the mom to allow the pups to nursefor at least the first 24 hours, as this is when they can receive thebenefits of the colostrum (powerful anti-bodies and infection fightingpre-milk). Obviously this isn`t always possible, but makes a bigdifference to the puppies.

Dependingon the size of the breed your pups belong to, you can feed them using asmall syringe (3ml), special bottles designed for puppies or kittens,or baby bottles. The baby-bottle nipples that are specially designed forpremature babies often work well.

If thereare no holes in the nipple, use a needle (held over a flame to heat andsterilize) to pierce two holes. The milk should drip out SLOWLY when thebottle is held upside down. If it runs out the pup could choke oraspirate (breath in) the milk.

Puppy milkreplacement formula comes in powder form, or ready-made in cartons. Theready-made is easier to use, but quite a bit more expensive. If you`reusing the powdered version, be sure to mix it well as you don`t want anylumps in it.
Cool formula to room temperature before feeding it to apuppy. You can test it on the inside of your wrist to make sure it`s nottoo hot or too cold, it should feel barely warm.

Always feed a puppy face down on your lap or a table top,never hold it on it`s back or upright, as this could cause it to chokeor breath in the milk. This can lead to pneumonia and possible death.

Newbornpuppies who are being bottle fed usually do well on 6 feedings per day.They should be able to go from 11pm until 6am as long as they arereceiving 6 feeds in 24 hours. Smaller puppies may still need to be fedin the night for the first few weeks.
By the time the puppies are 3weeks old, 4 feeds a day is enough, and weaning can begin at around 4weeks of age. Puppies who are under a month old need approx.3.5 - 3.75 calories per ounce of body weight, every 24 hours. So, forexample, a 6oz puppy would need approx 22.5 calories per day.
Video: Bottle feeding puppy!
Most puppymilk replacers have about 1 calorie per ml, so that 22.5ml of formulacan be divided between the 6 feeds. This pup would then need approx.3.75ml of milk per feed.Of course, this is a rough estimate, somepuppies need more, some less. As a general `rule of thumb`, it`s betterto feed smaller feeds more often, than larger amounts less frequently.

It`salso recommended that you `burp` new born puppies, half-way througheach feeding. Do this the way you would with a human baby - by holdingthe pup up against your shoulder and gently rubbing or patting its`back.

If a puppy is getting enough to eat andis warm and comfortable, he will look plump, feel warm and sleep most ofthe time between feeds. If a puppy is crying a lot, is always wrigglingand squirming, or feels cool/cold and seems lethargic, you have aproblem. In these instances, you should consult your veterinarian rightaway.

To help puppies who are havingdifficulty feeding, or aren`t getting enough nutrition, you can use avitamin and nutrient-rich paste called Nutrical. I`ve used it myself for puppies who aren`t thriving the way they should, and it is definitely something to keep on hand when you are hand-raising new born puppies. In my experience the best brand is `Evsco` (linked to above) and puppies seem to prefer it!

Don`ttry to feed a puppy who feels chilled or cold, or seems to be sick. If anew born pup gets too cold, his organs start to close down and feedinghim will only make things worse. A cold puppy who isn`t eating will getdehydrated quickly which is very serious.
If you can`t get the pupwarmed up enough to suckle fairly quickly, get him to your vet as he mayneed IV fluids and extra help.

After everyfeeding you`ll need to help the puppies to pee/poop by gently rubbingtheir lower belly/genital area.
CLICK HERE
to read more about how to do this, and all the other things you need to do in order to take care of new born puppies properly (including temperature control, tube feeding, weight gain monitoring and more).

Hand Feeding A Tiny/Toy Breed Puppy

Bottle feeding can be difficult for small breed puppies, especially the weaker ones or the `runts` can be extremely tiny and weak.

If you`re in this situation with a very little puppy, you can try using an eye-dropper instead. Even the teeniest puppies are usually able to suck from these.

If they`re too weak to suckle to begin with you can gently squeeze the milk into the side of their mouths at first (into the `pocket` of the cheek, this helps to prevent the pup from choking, gagging or inhaling the milk).

You could also use a syringe to gently `inject` milk into the side of a tiny puppy`s mouth in the same way, but once the pup is strong enough to suckle change over to an eye-dropper as that works better in the long run.

As your pup grows and puts on weight you should be able to `graduate` to a bottle of some type, even if it`s one designed for wild animals, or other pets such as baby rabbits and so on.

Check out this great video which shows a very small Dachshund puppy (`Baby Girl`) being dropper-fed, then take a look at the second video which shows the same pup a few weeks later... still smaller than her litter-mates but happy, healthy and playful.

What an adorable success story!

....... and ........

Newborn Puppy Supplies

Now you know HOW to bottle feed those puppies, you need the right supplies to do it with!

Here are some of the products that I`d recommend. Some of them you may be able to find at your local Pet Mega-store, others you will probably need to order online.

If your dog is expecting a litter of puppies it`s a good idea to make sure you have these handy ahead of time....