Hand rearing a puppy?

Fe2O3Girl

Our black labrador bitch had a litter of five puppies on Monday. Sadly, one died soon after birth, leaving four pups. Yesterday evening my husband noticed that one of the remaining pups was cold and lethargic. I decided to step in.

We kept the pup warm in a towel wrapped around a hot water bottle and fed it baby formula from a bottle, and it started to perk up. We felt it was best to try to re-introduce it to mother dog and the rest of the litter if possible, so he went back in at 11pm. My husband checked them at 5:30am and brought him back to me. He seems quite well again now.

On the plus side, he is wriggling and squeaking between naps, he wee'd on me this morning, and he has urinated when I wiped under his tail. He is starting to feed enthusiasticly from a bottle, and "knead" with his paws when I feed him.

My main worry is that I have to prise his mouth open to get the teat in. I think his problems started because he isn't latching on to mother dog's teats, which leads me to think we will have to hand rear him.

I would like to know:

Could his latch problems indicate any long term health problems? I don't want to rear him unless he will be fit and healthy in the long term.
I am sure that my local vet could sell me an expensive puppy formula milk, but will it be OK to carry on with baby formula?

What do you think?

Sirona

http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=753

The link provides info. It says they can't regulate body temperature. Why don't you try buying some puppy milk on the net?

I bet they're REALLY cute. Please post pictures!!!

Sirona

jgnat

Boy that link describes a ton of work! Good thing it only lasts for a few weeks. All I can offer is my best wishes for success.

carla

There should be recipes for dog mother's milk on the net somewhere. I once raised a wild animal (our neighbor had a license to do so and had a book of all the recipes) and had to feed it every two hours. Isn't there canned puppy forumula at pet stores? The wild animal I had required an egg, cream and puppy formula. Good luck!

juni

Congratulations mom!

You're doing a good job, but for one thing. You MUST get the pup on animal formula and not human. The nutrient needs are different. I know this for a fact.... as you want the pup to form properly so he/she can lead a healthy adult life.

Also another good way to "nurse" the pup. Don't lay him back like a human baby. Have him on his tummy so he can knead your arm while you introduce the nipple. Let his chest area rest on your forearm.

I've learned this from rehabbing wild animals.

And good for you for stimulating him to pee.

Best to you and your new "family",

Juni

Fe2O3Girl

Thanks for the link, Sirona!

Well, I put the pup back in with the rest of the litter a couple of hours ago, and he seems to be OK. I may have to keep feeding him, but as long as mother isn't rejecting him I would prefer him to be with her. The more he is away from her, the more attached I become and the more likely she won't accept him again.

To be honest, as we can't tell them apart, I can't be absolutely sure that it was the same poorly pup last night and this morning, although it seems likely.

Fingers crossed he'll be OK.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

Good luck with it, you seem to be on the right path, reading links and all for info. My wife and I recently attempted the same thing for a runt kitten (only 2.5 ounces, when the others were nearly 4.5 and 3+). Sadly for little "Tiny", it didn't work. The websites we consulted for info stressed that failure is always a possibility, and not to feel too bad if you can't bring the wee one around, but it still affected my wife pretty hard, she's got a kind heart (plus being pregnant herself, her emotions are on the surface).

The stuff we bought was 'Just Born', from the local PetCo. I think they had the same product for puppies, I don't remember. And no, you can't give them cow's milk, they can't digest it. The websites my wife and I looked at for kittens said you can try goat's milk, however-might hold true for pups as well, but I could be wrong. Also, dunno about puppies, but the info we found for kittens warned that if you exclusively rear the young by hand, there can be behavioural problems.

One last thing...every one of the websites I saw about kittens, and a few I just now looked up for puppies, stresses the importance of weighing them on a small scale, to measure their progress.

http://leerburg.com/bottlefeeding.htm

juni

Yes. Weighing them is important. You might need the vet's help with this as they have the proper scales.

Also you can use a colored grease pencil to mark the top of his head to ID the little guy. As much time as he can spend w/mom would help his emotional growth. They need to have this w/mom to grow up mentally healthy and adjusted.

Juni

talley

Just a thought; if the pup is having trouble staying latched unto mom, check the roof of his mouth as far back as your little finger can go for a cleft pallate/partial cleft pallate. Hope pup continues to do well. Judy

asleif_dufansdottir

You can also clip a little bald spot (you can usually do it with scissors if you're real careful, and they're asleep) in a different place on each puppy. It grows out but you can redo it if needed (I once had a litter of 5 identical black kittens).

This is important, *along* with weighing them *all* every day, to track their progress and make sure the same puppy is getting supplemental feeding if needed. It's certainly possible that pupper just needs a little bit of help getting the idea for a day or two and he'll be fine. Some have a rough time during birth or something, or are just slow to learn to feed.

If he seems to have gotten the idea of what to do once the teat is in his mouth, next time (when he's good and hungry and motivated), 'tease' him a bit with the nipple on the outside of his lips. *Eventually* after a few feedings he should get the idea he has to *take* the nipple. He may never learn to nurse, but will *surely* be able to open his mouth to eat by the time they start eating soft food. Plus, he's a lab, so it's likely he's not the brightest bulb in the box (sorry, couldn't resist)

From http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_puppies_orphans.shtml

It is best to feed the puppies one-by-one, and on a counter-top - this allows them to feed with all four feet on the counter, and their heads level, much as they would if they were nursing from their mom. Some puppies prefer to nurse standing on their hind legs while holding the bottle. They will require a little support from you in this position. Gently open a puppy's mouth with one finger and place the tip of the nipple on his tongue. If he won't eat, try stroking him. Pull lightly on the bottle to encourage vigorous sucking. Be sure to tilt the bottle up slightly to prevent the puppy from inhaling too much air. Do not force the puppy to nurse, or allow him to nurse too fast. Avoid feeding a puppy while he is cradled on his back - if the fluid goes down the wrong way, it may end up in his lungs

To reiterate (to make sure everybody sees it): NEVER FEED A PUPPY OR KITTEN LYING ON ITS BACK -THEY COULD ASPIRATE THE MILK DOWN IN THEIR LUNGS AND GET PNEUMONIA.

Hand rearing a puppy?

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