Early weaning.

DesO'Neile · Early weaning.

The background to this thread is that Bess' pups are a week old and making fine progress. The bad news is that Bess has a womb infection that fits all the descriptions for the sort introduced at the mating. It festers away for nine weeks and then quite often appears when the normal birth discharges have dried up. Bess is on antibotics to control the infection and prevent mastitis. She also had two injections, one an anti inflammatory to reduce her temperature and the other to help her expel any detritis. She is due back at the vet's tomorrow. This can usually be treated by antibotics but worst case scenario is speying.

Just how soon could you start to wean pups and exactly how? What milk formula could do the job?

tashap

the books I've got suggest:

1lg (15 oz) can evaporated milk
2 egg yolks
1 (8oz) carton plain yogurt with active culturesfor bottle feeding add 6oz boiled water

or

1 litre (2.2 pints) of goat's milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon of glucose
1 teaspoon of cod liver oil

as a supplement to mum milk:

1lg (15 oz) can evaporated milk
2 can water
2 packages unflavoured gelatine (dissolve in cold water, heat and blend)
2 beaten egg yolks
1 tablespoon cream (half half)
1 tablespoon honey (reduce if stool lose)

if prior to two weeks old you also need to do the pee and poo bit as they can't do it for themselves.

These days the vet does a puppy formula that can be used and the evaporated milk can be swapped for goats milk, the honey for Karo Syrup or Corn Syrup.

This site seems to have a few of the different products you can get:

http://www.petvetcare.co.uk/acatalog/Foster_Feeding.html

NutroLac and Welpi seem popular

josie

Hi Des, that sounds like a nightmare. Good luck.

I was just browsing around the net and found this site - I don't know if it's any use but I had it bookmarked so thought I'd post it here:

http://www.peteducation.com/artic...=1&cat=1651&articleid=863

Ghilliegumdrop

I always used Lamblac as it's the same formulation and a damn sight cheaper than all these things made up for pups. You get it at farm suppliers and it's made by Volac. If you want I could nip up the road and get you some and post it to you.
Jan
PS You don't have to pay VAT either.

DesO'Neile

A work colleague breeds Miniature Schnauzers so I asked him if he had ever fed pups. So happens he had to feed the last litter from day old due to a caesarean and womb removal, which deprived the bitch of her milk. He gave me the stuff so for now it's Whelpie. I tried the bottle but I mustn’t have the holes right so very carefully I used a syringe. I tried several approaches and the one that seems to work the best is for the pup to be more or less upright and I pass the milk into the side of the mouth only after the original drop has been sucked in and swallowed. Some took to it right away while some resisted. Round two about seven tonight and eleven if I can keep awake. I get the impression that they are not that far away from being able to lap.
To all intents and purposes Bess has an Open Pyometra if it closes she could be tatty bread in 48 hours. The plan is to have the pups feeding by Monday and Bess operated on early next week unless her condition deteriorates.

Mike

Des, sounds like a nightmare. Nothing useful to add I am afraid, hope it works out for you and Bess.

josie

Des, I've just remembered that I have a DVD from Leerburg GSDs in the US about raising puppies, and he goes into some details about feeding orphaned pups and supplementing pups' food. He is a strong advocate of tubing them, putting the tube right down their throats and into their stomach and says it is much faster to feed them like this than by putting it into their mouths. I'm not sure I would have the confidence to do it, but he does demonstrate it on his DVD, shows the equipment required and how to do it. I've got no use for the DVD at all (can't actually remember why I bought it but I think it was to see if it had any info on puppy aptitude testing, which it doesn't), so you are welcome to have it if you want, just PM me your address.

DesO'Neile

Tubing is done on a regular basis as a first aid measure with the hawks so I probably have the equipment in the garage. Thanks for your offer I have sent address by pm. I am most grateful and will return DVD when I have gleaned the necessary info. Thanks again.

weima

I have weaned pups at 10 days old before either because the bitch had no milk or the bitch had an infection. I weaned onto Pedigree Puppy Porridge & never looked back. If you want to top them up with milk I can highly recommend the milk formula from Waltham/Royal Canin which your vet should be able to get hold of.

It isn't easy weaning pups early but I have done it for lots of litters over the years.

Good luck.

windem bang

I have nothing useful to add to this but I do wish you and your dogs good luck Des.

Bill T.

tashap

hows she getting on???

Greyghost

Good luck Des. I have some matchsticks for your eyes if you need them Confused

Helen S

Thinking ahead Des.

My bitch was hand reared and on speaking to one of the other owners of that litter, we may have identified some behavioural quirks which could be linked to hand feeding and not being with a matriarch for discipline.

I would be interested to hear if you have a plan to counter any such problems?

Helen S

DesO'Neile

The short answer is I don't. It looks as if I drew a get out of jail card as for now the discharge has ceased and Bess' womb is still it's normal size. The smallest of the pups is lapping milk substitute so it won't be long until they can all start on solids.

Helen S

Will you put Bess back in with them once her milk has dried off properly? Or is that a complete "no, no"?

I think part of the problem with my pup's litter is that not only did the bitch have to be removed from the pups because of a torn teat and mastitis but the pups then contracted a tummy bug and the litter had to be split up. So they not only had no matriarchal discipline, they didn't learn to establish pecking order amongst litter mates.

Helen S