[just had pups]

my bitch(jack russle x chihuha) had pups 4 days ago and had a great labor producing 5 gorgeous pups in 1 hour, she wasnt producing milk so vet gave her oxytosin to help bring milk down, im unsure as to weather she is producing enough as only 3 teats seem to have milk and even then you have to squeeze really hard to get a tiny drop.
4 of the pups seem to be doing ok....warm, full bellys, active ect, but the 5th is very small and weak and doesnt seem to be getting any milk as others push him out the way, so i have been bottle feeding him aswell as letting him suckle mum,
shes a first time mum and hasnt been stimulating them to go to the toilet so i have had to help out with that aswell,

im looking for some advice as to how i will no if she is producing enough milk....i.e visual signs ect, and how i can help the runt pup as best i can,

any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks Sarah x

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by just had pups

my bitch(jack russle x chihuha) had pups 4 days ago and had a great labor producing 5 gorgeous pups in 1 hour, she wasnt producing milk so vet gave her oxytosin to help bring milk down, im unsure as to weather she is producing enough as only 3 teats seem to have milk and even then you have to squeeze really hard to get a tiny drop.
4 of the pups seem to be doing ok....warm, full bellys, active ect, but the 5th is very small and weak and doesnt seem to be getting any milk as others push him out the way, so i have been bottle feeding him aswell as letting him suckle mum,
shes a first time mum and hasnt been stimulating them to go to the toilet so i have had to help out with that aswell,

im looking for some advice as to how i will no if she is producing enough milk....i.e visual signs ect, and how i can help the runt pup as best i can,

any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks Sarah x

There are a couple of threads done in this forum on newborns. I am not sure how much it will help---It is a long thread though so if you read all the posts in it -- you may get some tips. Here is that one: Abandoned puppy

Will be back with more. Hang on!

When You Have To Rear The Puppies By Hand


Newborn puppies are totally dependent on their mother for the first three weeks of their lives. They need her for food, to keep them clean by licking, and to help them urinate and defecate and if the mother does not have enough milk, rejects her litter, or has died, you will need to learn how to properly rear the puppies.



* When bottle feeding the puppies, you must give them the milk formula initially every two hours. Consult a vet for guidance on the exact amounts to feed.



* After you have finished feeding the puppies, wipe away any spilled milk and clean each of their anogenital region with damp cotton. This process mimics maternal licking, which stimulates them to urinate and defecate.



* Clean each of the puppy’s eyes, ears, and mouth daily with cotton moistened in warm water. You may still handle them frequently even if their mother is around; just make sure that you do not upset her.



* You may have to trim their nails to prevent them from scratching their mother and one another.



* To properly keep track of their weight gain, carefully weigh each one daily. This will determine weak puppies and those that are not sufficiently getting enough milk. You can help puppies that cannot gain weight by helping them gain access to the most productive teats

[cigwyllt]

Are you weighing them daily? Constant weight gain will be a good indicator.

[just had pups]

thank you for the much needed advice!!
will update later on how he's doing
Sarah x

[CorkyMax]

How To Care For Newborn Puppies

Once your puppies have been born, the real work begins – making sure they receive the proper care from their mother, and keeping them warm and well-fed in order to maintain their growth and development.



The first thing new puppies need is a warm environment. Their first few weeks should be spent in a confined area that stays around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If the area around the whelping box isn't warm enough, you can place a heating pad or hot water bottle in one corner, to allow the pups to find a temperature they prefer. Alternatively, move the pups and their mom to a warmer part of your home.



The puppies are completely helpless when they are born. They are blind and deaf, their bodies cannot regulate their own temperature, and they need to be stimulated to learn how to urinate and defecate on their own. Their body temperature will gradually increase over the first three weeks of life to a normal adult temperature of 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit.



It's so important that the babies get the first milk, or colostrum, from their mother. This milk contains antibodies that can only be absorbed during their first twenty-four hours of life, and they help to protect the newborns from disease during their first few weeks. If your pups are tiny or weak, they may need your help to latch on to the nipple.



The mom will do her best to keep them clean in the beginning, but as the pups grow, you'll need to change the newspapers in the whelping box more regularly.



The pups need to be monitored closely and weighed regularly to ensure they are getting enough nutrition. In some cases, the mother may need to receive medication from a veterinarian to increase their milk production, or you may need to supplement their diet with formula. After four weeks, they will be ready to start nibbling on soft food like puppy porridge or mince.



The puppies will need to be wormed every two weeks for the first twelve weeks of life, and these babies will also need their first vaccinations when they are between six and eight weeks old. This protects them from viral diseases like Hepatitis, Parvovirus, and Distemper. Your veterinarian can recommend a vaccination program for your pups, depending on where you live and the disease risk in your area.



After three or four weeks, the puppies can be handled gently by people to get them used to human contact. At around five weeks of age their teeth will start coming through the gums, and at this point, their mom will start to wean them. Most pups will still nurse from mom until they are seven and eight weeks old. It is important to keep litter mates and the mother together until then, so the puppies learn how to communicate and interact with other dogs. Pups who are taken from their litter mates too early may develop antisocial behaviors because they haven't had this opportunity to learn dog body language.



Sometimes humans are required to act as surrogate mothers for newborn puppies, so it helps to understand their needs and what the mother does to help them grow and thrive. If the bitch neglects or abandons a puppy, you are its only hope for survival. You'll need to not only feed them regularly with formula and keep them warm, but you'll need to gently wipe their bottom with a moist cotton ball to stimulate them to go to the toilet. Raising orphan puppies is a lot of work, and very tiring but it's so worthwhile.




I'm not crazy about this article but maybe it will be something for you to try.
Tube Feeding Your Puppy - Part 1


A safe way to nurse a newborn puppy without the risk of strangulation is by using a feeding tube. The equipment needed for tube feeding an orphaned or abandoned puppy is quite simple. You will need a #8 or a #10 French infant feeding tube, a hypodermic syringe, and a substitute for mother's milk. The tube and syringe are disposable and can be thrown away after each use. On the other hand, there are also reusable equipment such as glass barrel syringes and rubber feeding tubes that are available but must be thoroughly cleaned right after each use. One great advantage of these feeding tubes is that they can be placed in water and boiled, along with any other equipment, when sterilization is required.







After the proper equipment has been gathered, the feeding of a puppy with a stomach tube is performed by applying the following steps:



Step 1: Fill the syringe about ½ full of the warmed mother’s milk substitute and put it aside for future use. Then, determine the proper depth to which the tube should be inserted by measuring, with the tube, the distance between the puppy's nose and a point just behind the elbow or just in front of the last rib. This is approximately where the stomach of the puppy is located. Continue to hold the tube by your thumb and forefinger. ;



Step 2: The next step is to mark the tube at the correct depth measured in step 1. This can be done using a marking pen, or with a tiny piece of tape.



Step 3: With the marked tube still held between the thumb and forefinger, hold the puppy with the opposite hand, placing the thumb and forefinger on the cheeks, one on each side of the puppy's mouth. Use the remaining three fingers of the same hand to grasp the puppy. The middle finger is placed around the puppy's neck, in front of the forelegs. The fourth finger grasps the rib cage just behind the front legs. The little finger is placed in front of the hind legs, either in the groin or around the abdomen, depending on the puppy's length. Once the puppy is held firmly in hand, pry its jaw open with the little finger of the hand holding the tube. Gentle and steady pressure is placed on the sides of the mouth at the same time. By maintaining this light pressure, the mouth can be held agape once it is opened.


This article was put in forum by the Administrator ---Don't understand why there isn't a part 2! Here is the link if you want to look into it: http://www.i-love-dogs.com/forums/la...-part-1-a.html

[Lara's mom]

If the babies aren't getting enough to eat, there is a canned milk replacement that is available from the vet. I've used it many times with my fosters and have had great results from it.

[Todd]

Yogi has actually recommended goat's milk for pups rather than commercial formula. He said that it is the closest thing to mimicking the mother's own milk. Hopefully he can elaborate on this a tad bit more;

As far as the female not producing enough milk, has the vet evaluated her for any physical problems of her own? There are many things that could cause her lack to produce milk. If she hasn't been checked yet or was initially checked with no problems I'd either have her checked or rechecked to see if there may be an underlying cause.

Here are some natural ways to help the mother produce more milk;

Proper nutrition is VERY important to make sure the mother is receiving enough nutrition to be able to produce enough milk for her pups. She may need up to 3 times as much food as she usually eats when she's not pregnant or when the pups r still nursing on her. She needs puppy food or something home made or raw that is high in protein, fat, and calories. How much is she eating in comparison to when she's not feeding or pregnant?

It is also VERY important to keep the mother hydrated with plenty of water. To get her to drink extra fluids give her some chicken broth mixed with water.

(From a longtime breeder I found this online) What I have found works great is to give the mother dog goats milk to drink to help her produce great milk for the pups.

Calcium is also a supplement you can add to help the mother produce more milk. Egg shell calcium is the best form.

I read online that you should also give the mother goats milk. This is suppose to help the mother produce more milk and healthier milk at that!

Here's an answer from a vet and breeder from Ask A Vet;

Yes there is a way to help her produce more good milk for them. Goats milk, canned, fresh or powdered added to her diet should help her a lot. I use it with my nursing dams all the time.
I've found it in varying sources from a Wal-Mart super center store to natural food stores to supermarkets. You can call around and see if anyone near you has it in stock - usually the brand is Meyenberg.

MEYENBERG - Goat Milk Products

You can also see if feeding her the esbilac will help her produce more milk.
Another option is using a calcium supplement such as PetCal tabs. Make sure she is eating a high quality high calorie dog or puppy food too.
You can also supplement pups with the goats milk directly and I've hand raised baby animals including pups on goats milk with a daily dose of liquid vitamins.

Hope this helps you!

*I also read that some breeders use a touch of dark beer to help the mother produce more milk but I wouldn't suggest it. Sounds like too much of a risk to me. maybe Yogi can comment on this.

As far as your runt(s) go you need to provide them personally with extra milk so they can catch up with the others.

Hope I could help! Good luck!

*Here is something I thought I'd pass alone to you as well to recognize issues that can come about in litters of pups;

http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenl...et/fading.html

[Yogi]

At this point the dam should be on goats milk to build up her system which will help her increase her own milk. Just because it is hard to get out of a teet does not mean it is difficult for the pup. Warming goats milk and administer if needed by as cigwyllt noted, the pups need to be weighed daily. This is how you tell if they are feeding properly. If you see a pup has not increased or has decreased in weight from one day to the next, you will need to address this. Good luck.