For the first 3 weeks of life, newborn puppies are completely dependent on their mother in keeping them clean; helping them urinate and defecate by licking. But most importantly they are dependent for food. It may not happen often, but there are times when bottle feeding a puppy is necessary.
There are sometimes situations such as the mother does not have enough milk for feeding, or rejecting her little ones, or worse, the mother died after the puppy’s birth. These may pose a big problem to you in caring for your newly born pups if you don’t know the right thing to do in bottle feeding your pup. To avoid encountering this dilemma you need to learn the basics in bottle feeding your puppy.
But before you start putting the bottle in your pup’s tiny mouth, you should first contact your vet and ask for medical advice and guidance on administering feeds. Remember that it is always better to be on the safe side than being experimental when handling these delicate newborns.
To prep you up for bottle feeding your puppy, here’s a few basic bottle feeding tips you need to remember:
Always boil water before using – allowing time to cool.
Milk formulas are initially given to puppies every two hours. But depending on your puppy’s breed and size, some puppies need more feeding and some less. As a general rule, it’s better to administer smaller feeds more often, than larger amounts less frequently. To ensure that you are giving exact amounts and frequency of feeds, you can consult your vet for guidance.
Milk replacement formulas come in powder form, or ready-made in cartons. If you’re using the powdered form, since ready-mades are expensive, be sure to mix it well to avoid lumps in the mixture. Ensure the formula has cooled down to room temperature before giving it to your pup.
Baby feeding bottles with nipples that are specially designed for premature babies often work well in bottle feeding your newborn pup.
When feeding your pup, always feed your puppy face down on your lap or a table top. Never hold your pup on its back or upright while feeding, for this may result to choking or breathing in the milk that can lead to pneumonia and even death. Do not forget to ‘burp’ your new born puppies, after every feeding or even half-way through each feeding.
You may notice little bubbles on your pup’s mouth, this is just normal, but there should not be milk running out of his mouth while you are feeding him.
Wipe away any spilled milk after your puppy has finished bottle feeding. In the absence of maternal licking, clean your pet’s anogenital region with damp cotton to stimulate them to urinate and defecate.
Even if the pup’s mother is present, perform daily cleaning of the puppy’s eyes, ears, and mouth with cotton moistened in warm water. Just make sure not to upset the mother in doing so.
Perform a daily weighing of your puppy to properly keep track of his weight gain. It will also help you to determine if your pup is weak and not sufficiently getting enough milk.
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