Nipple Guarding
In the perfect world, our management of females is to remove the need for milk replaces! That is not always possible especially when moms are not keeping up with demand due to large litters. The best use of a milk replace is to "top off" a fast growing litter to take the demand off mom and save those small puppies or kittens.
What to do about "Nipple Guarding"
Large litters often lose several puppies in the first two weeks. One of the issues is "nipple guarding" by the strongest puppies. Puppies guard the best milk producing nipple by hanging on to it even though they are not nursing. That eliminates the competition for the best milk. People often hand-feed the small puppy but the small puppy needs mom's milk. Mom's milk is the perfect food for a puppy.
Instead, pull the 3-4 largest puppies away from mom and feed them twice a day with a milk replace. Place the large puppies in a box on a heating pad or with a hot water bottle. They will be content with the warmth and the tiny guys will benefit with mom. This works well in kittens also.
You may have to take the tiny puppy and gently rub their tiny face sideways on the nipple to get him to attach. On the first day you try this, rub mom's mammary gland and tummy to encourage her to let the milk down if that is an issue. If the puppy is slow, I like to give a few drops of Forti Cal™ liquid and get them on a nipple. The sugar surge gets them drinking and the liquid is easy to swallow. Stay away from pastes in the newborn. Be sure the small puppy is getting milk and his tummy is full before returning the larger litter mates to mom. After a few days, you only have to pull the large puppy out and the little guys are ready to nurse without competition. Mom has plenty of milk by week two but breeders continue to pull the big puppy from mom to let the tiny guys eat. No need to feed the big puppies if mom has plenty of milk, just pull them to let tiny guys nurse.
Nurturing the Orphan
Orphans need a colostrums substitute like Nurture Mate in the first week to replace the colostrums protection mom would give. Puppies are born with a sterile gut. Mom seeds the puppy's gut with good bacteria while cleaning them. An orphan pup, after 48 hours of life, needs good bacteria, feed a probiotic. Probios® comes in a powder that you can add to the milk after it is mixed and heated. I like to use Probios® in the milk for the first week and any time a nursing puppy, orphan or not, have a loose stool. GI upset is common in nursing and hand-fed babies. Most diarrhea issues in the nursing puppy are from over eating but a few doses of kaolin/pectin and a probiotic will solve this problem.
Foster Moms Can Help
I hope you never get an orphan puppy to raise, but if you do, enlist a retired female to care for them. I have a friend with a schnauzer that takes any baby and mothers it when bottle feeding. We often use retired moms to help care for big litters or for babies with issues. The baby can be returned to birth mom, if the situation allows it, even after a week's time. If you always put the retired mom in the same kennel she will soon learn she is getting a baby when that happens. Foster moms will ease your labor of caring for bottle-raised babies.
If necessary, you can help orphan puppies survive by fostering them on a mom. I do this quickly and with ease. Most dog and cat moms are amazing in their ability to know when a baby needs to be mothered and will take them without incident. The kindness these moms show to babies is overwhelming the first time you see it!
Controlling the "Sore Bottom"
Sore bottoms are common in bottle raised kittens or puppies. Bio-Mos® is a yeast type product and soothes the tummy as yogurt does. It also changes the stool pH so they do not get the diaper rash fanny we always fight when bottle feeding. Foster Care™ has the Bio-Mos® in it which controls sore fanny's making the baby more comfortable with stimulation to urinate and defecate. Give it a try if you have not. Foster Care™ is great for supplementing or as a total diet and easy on the tummy.
Donald Bramlage, D.V. M.
The materials, information and answers provided through this article are not intended to replace the medical advice or services of a qualified veterinarian or other pet health care professional. Consult your own veterinarian for answers to specific medical questions, including diagnosis, treatment, therapy or medical attention.