bottle feeding a puppy

Question
I have quite unexpectedly found myself bottle feeding an almost 4 week old dachshund puppy.  I purchased the formula and bottle and have been feeding her every 2 hours (got her 8 hours ago, it is now 0412).  The first feeding she took in 3/4oz, the second feeding she took 1/2oz, and the last two feedings she took in a little over on ounce.  She doesn't suck on the nipple but kind of chews on it.  So I kind of help her by squeezing the bottle gently while being careful not to squeeze too hard so that she gets too much at once.  She has been going pee for me but has not yet gone poo.  Before I got her the other people had only been feeding her every 4 hours so I am wondering if she hasn't gone poo yet is because there isn't enough in her system yet?  What is the best way to stimulate her to go poo?  Momma wouldn't take her back (tried to take her head off so they called me to see if I wanted her).  Any assistance you could give me with this subject would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you and have a great day!

Answer
Well first of all, a 4 week old puppy should almost be ready to start on solid food mixed with some formula.This puppy doesn't need to be eating formula every 2 hours, that is too much. Once every 4 hours or longer is fine and you should be putting in a bowl and letting her lap it up instead of using a bottle. This is the reason she is chewing on her nipple.


If she still needs a bottle then feed her after she has been given some wet food mixed with the formula first.

You can tell how much she has eaten by her tummy being a little rounded, but not hard or taut.

She would be eliminating on her own at this point. They start doing that on their own around two-three weeks. When she has enough food in her system she will have a bowel movement.

Get a few cans of Science Diet puppy growth and a bag of Science Diet Puppy growth Small Bites*. Mix about a 1/8 can of the wet with some formula to make it soupy and give it to her.  Let her smell it and if she doesn't understand what it is then put a small amount in her mouth.
She will get the hint eventually and start lapping it up.
Once she starts to eat it you can start backing off the bottle formula.

So give her one bottle feeding no more than 4 times a day and feed her the wet/formula mix as often as three times a day.
Eventually you want to have her on dry food (with a little wet mixed in if you want) three times a day, feeding no more than 1/4 each feeding. The bag of Science Diet has the feeding instructions on it.

If you have any other questions please feel free to write back.
Let me know how it goes in a few days.

* Do NOT buy her store foods like Purina or Nutro. These products are not made with quality ingredients and have caused a lot of gastric distress in dogs of all ages.