When To Bottle-feed A Puppy?
When a female has puppies, some circumstances require us to feed them with a bottle. Although it is not common, it is necessary to be informed about certain situations that can happen to our animals. Read on and find out when you need to bottle-feed a puppy.
In which cases is it necessary to bottle-feed a puppy?
You know that for a good imprinting, the ideal is that the puppies are raised with their mothers and siblings until they are two and a half months old. But this is not always possible, for several reasons. Among the most common are:
may be an orphan
The little dog died during childbirth and left the little puppies helpless. Does that mean they’re going to starve? Of course not, especially if you’re around to stop it. This is one of the main reasons that force us to bottle-feed a puppy.
lack of milk
If the litter is large, it is likely that the mother does not have enough milk for everyone. Although puppies should be breastfed until the milk runs out, it will be necessary to supplement feeding with a bottle. After all, puppies cannot be half fed.
poor quality milk
This is one of the rarest cases, but it can also happen. It could be that the female’s breast milk is of poor quality. This problem can be caused by lack of milk maturation or by an undiagnosed infection or illness.
In this case, inferior quality milk can cause dehydration and malnutrition in the puppies, who would then lose weight instead of gaining (which is normal).
How to feed a puppy?
Now that we’ve seen the extreme cases that can “force” us to bottle-feed puppies, it’s important to know how to do it correctly. You must be careful that this type of food provides the necessary nutrients and helps them to develop at the right time.
Use artificial formula milk
This is an extremely important point. The little ones’ stomach is not prepared to digest any milk, much less cow’s milk. So, if you need to bottle-feed a puppy, talk to a veterinarian. But never give puppies the same milk that humans drink.
For that, we need to buy special artificial formula milk for puppies. It can be obtained from pet supply stores as well as veterinary clinics. There are those of greater or lesser quality, but it is possible to raise puppies successfully, even if they are fed only with artificial formula.
choose the bottle
Another important point to be considered, as a bottle for humans will not be suitable. Remember that when puppies come into the world, they don’t measure more than 10 centimeters. Therefore, your mouth will be smaller than a baby’s, requiring a special bottle.
What’s more, the special baby bottles for puppies have measures that will help you to know how much artificial formula milk to give the animal. The veterinarian will determine the amount and will also be able to guide and help choose the best type of bottle for your puppies.
how to give the bottle
This is the simplest step, as you can do it while the puppy is lying in bed ready to sleep. There’s no need to pick him up in his arms, as he thinks he’s actually in the natural position where he would nurse the female. This way, he will accept the bottle very easily.
After feeding the bottle, watch for the puppy to poop about an hour after feeding. If not, gently massage the animal’s belly and anus using a warm, damp cloth. This will help stimulate the puppy’s digestive system.
If your puppies have been orphaned, we are sorry for their loss. But focus your efforts on helping them live. As you have seen, feeding a puppy a bottle is not difficult. But it takes time and effort on your part to keep the animals healthy in the first few months of life.
