Boxer 7 days old

Question
QUESTION: I have a boxer Pup that is now 7 days old. Her mother was trying to abort the litter of 4 when we had to rush her to the ER for a c-section. she was so messed up inside that they had to give mommie a Hysterectomy from the dead siblings inside her. A female lived but took me 15 min to get her to take a first breath. Mommie refused her the morning after birth, now we are bottle feeding her. She was about 6 oz at birth and now is 1 lb. how much should she weigh and how is a safe way to get her caught back up but not over do it. She is eating 2 table spoons of replacement milk every 3-4 hrs. PLEASE HELP i am new to this and don't want to loose this special baby girl!

ANSWER: Listen to this and listen carefully so this baby girl will grow and thrive...

Get a human baby bottle. A good one; the nipple should be as close to mom's nipple as possible. Do not use a pet nurser. (get more than one so you can fill them and have them ready in the refrigerator like we do our own babies.

Here is an orphan formula that I use when my own bitch doesn't have enough milk for her pups:

In a blender, mix: (not froth, but blend)

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (not condensed milk)
1 raw egg
1 cup plain whole yogurt (not flavored)
1/2 teaspoon Kayro (white) syrup

Once blended, pour into sterile container, and add 4-ounces sterile water. I use bottled water; preferably baby bottled water.

(you have to add the water once it all is blended because the blender won't hold the entire mixture)

Pour into bottles. When heating a bottle to mimic mom's body temperature (no warmer than you would give your own baby) be sure to remove the nipple in the microwave so it doesn't damage it.

Feed this baby girl a bottle every 2 hours minimum, and more if she cries. Offer it to her all the time, no schedule. Get some weight on her.

This pup has to stay warm. They can not regulate their body temperature until 2 weeks old. This is critical.

She must be warm at all times, so even when feeding her, wrap her in a baby blanket to keep her body heat in and drafts off her.

Her sleeping/bed area must be a box-type area, fully blanketed, and wrapped with other blankets to keep drafts out of her bed. I place a heating pad under the blankets and wrap the exposed cord with towels to keep it covered and away from her. You will have to remove the heating pad when she is older, approx. 2-3 weeks old because she will start chewing on things. Once she is older, ONLY give her Nyla bones to play with and chew on, and the KONG baby binky toy. Those are the only two toys that are safe. I also take a new wash cloth and fold it and tie a knot in it to make a tug-of-war, which she won;t tug with due to not having siblings, but will chew on. You will need to play with her a lot when she is older and has some weight, because she has no siblings. If you have other dogs that are gentle and loving and good natured, it would be beneficial to supervise them and introduce her to them so she can learn. Pups learn everything from their moms and dads, so she will need a substitute parent to learn from. Pick a gentle dog in the family that recognizes she is a baby and is gentle.

Change often.

ALSO, THIS BABY CAN NOT PEE AND POOP ON HER OWN!!!!!!!!!!  SHE WILL DIE IF YOU DO NOT RELIEVE HER LIKE HER MOMMY IS SUPPOSE TO!

Each and every time you are feeding her, use a warm, moist wash cloth to stroke her vagina and rectum to stimulate her pee and pooping. Mother licks the genitals as they nurse to stimulate their elimination.

Do this each time she is awake and as often as possible. IF you do not, her bladder will fill and burst. THIS IS CRITICAL.

As I said:

1. WARM, WRAPPED BED AREA, PREFERABLY BOXED AND SMALL TO CONTAIN HER WARMTH, IN A HEATED ENVIRONMENT INSIDE THE HOUSE AND USE A LAMP AIMED AT THE BED FOR ADDITIONAL WARMTH. THE BEDDING AREA SHOULD BE AT LEAST 78 DEGREES, AND HER BODY TEMPERATURE SHOULD BE IN THE 90'S OR 100.

2. FEED HER THE HOMEMADE ORPHAN FORMULA AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE, BUT NO LESS THAN 2 HOURS AROUND THE CLOCK. THIS MEANS SETTING YOUR ALARM CLOCK DURING THE NIGHT FOR 2 HOUR INTERVALS IF YOU WANT HER TO LIVE!

3.DO THE WARM CLOTH STIMULATION EACH AND EVERY FEEDING AND WHEN SHE IS AWAKE RELIGIOUSLY, AROUND THE CLOCK!

4. KEEP HER BEDDING CLEAN AND DRY AT ALL TIMES TO PREVENT INFECTIONS!

Do not dock her tail until she has gained her normal weight (she should have weighed at least 1 pound at birth) and talk to your vet about docking her tail when she is older and has weight and can be put out during the surgery. Once she is healthy enough and old enough to put her to sleep during surgery, she'll wake up just fine and playful like nothing happened. Stitches are removed 10 days later without hurting her at all.

( I always get my pups tails docked at 4-5 weeks old. Not a day sooner.It is more humane on them.)

Keep me informed, and email me at any time for assistance. I want this little fighter to LIVE!



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: When feeding her how much do i feed her at one feeding? Is it bad to let her suck as long as she wants? or should i be setting a limit on how much at each feeding?  If i am feeding her 3 tbl spoons every 3-4 hrs now which is making her tummy GIANT after each feeding, should i go back to 1tbl spoon every 2 hrs which in the long run on 24 hr perios is more then she gets now? And Thank you so much for all your help!

ANSWER: Use a 4 ounce baby bottle, with full 4 ounces.

Offer it to her (it might be difficult at first with a good baby bottle, and let her drink until an ounce is gone.

Stop and burp her. Always burp.

Put a blanket or towel over you lap and hold her by her tummy in a kinda sitting position, but leaning, and gently pat her back above her tummy and rub it too. She will burp eventually. The reason you should hold her in a leaning position is so you can see her face and see if she spits up so you can keep her from choking.

After a burp, offer her more.

The way to feed her a baby bottle properly is to lay a blanket or towel over your lap, with her in a light baby blanket or covered, laying on your lap with your leg and thigh cocked a little upward so she can suckle as though she is in the nursing position with mother, and she should knead with her front paws. Try to learn to let her little paws knead your fingers and hands as you feed her.

It is extremely important she kneads and gets satisfied kneading. This is an action they do to help get milk from mom's tit, and necessary for her emotional health.

Feed this way, burb, and feed again. The the final burb. Don't forget to use the warm, wet cloth to stimulate her genitals, both vagina and rectum, and be sure she elimates. If she isn't, see your vet asap.

She probably won't take more than 1/2 and ounce to 1 ounce now, but be extremely careful that she isn't so eager or the nipple to flowing, that the homemade formula comes out her nose (sometimes it does, and be ready to wipe and hold her up, head down to help ensure she doesn't drown on it, and use a nipple that you have to punch holes in with a sterilized pin, to find the perfect flow for her.

She is so tiny and fragile, so treat her like any fragile premie and watch her at all times.

She needs loving, and the way a newborn puppy loves on mother is to rub her with their cheeks, so rub her little face with your face a lot. She needs this contact of love and that is all she knows, especially with her eyes still shut.

When her eyes open eventually, (and do not try to help open them or her ears, leave them alone) she will not be able to see yet, and it will take time for her eyes to focus or ears to open and hear.

But, talk to her anyway, she can feel the vibration of your voice, and hold her and talk to her, and stroke her gently.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you The bottle we are using on her the last few days is a Playtex newborn slow flow 4oz bottle that has the bags to reduce air in the bottle. She seems to love that bottle. We learned from trial and error that the ones from the vet were not working so we started right off the bat looking for a regular baby bottle that would work for her after buying 5 different types the Playtex seems to be her best fit. We seem to be doing everything you are advising, with the exception of the 3-4 hr feedings we have went back to the 2 hr feedings like you suggested and taking it from there. We have been doing the stimulation for her to potty since day 1 and she has always been good about it. Now her poop is changing from the runny diarrhea yellowish looking to being abit firm but still soft. and she is starting to go poop before we get to stimulate that area. Is this how that should be? I want to thank you so very much for all your help and interests on helping us keep her healthy and teaching us what we would other wise be learning from trial and error and that alone could cost her her life! That is a chance that i was not willing to take! SO think you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done your a life saver!

Answer
It sounds like you are doing things right.

I'm glad you found a good bottle that she likes.

Feeding her the homemade formula every couple of hours will put weight on her and she will thrive.

Loving her and rubbing her with your face will help her emotionally.

Her poop has finally changed from the newborn poop (even our babies have that) and becoming the formula poop as it should be.

Her pooping on her own is a great sign. Her bowel tract and digestive tract is working alright.

But still continue to stimulate her all the time until it becomes apparent the bedding is poppy and wet from pee all the time. Then you will know she can eliminate all on her own when nature calls.

Keep an eye out for that- it usually occurs around 2 1/2- 3 weeks.