mother died after birth

Question
Thanks in advance for any help you may give. I have 6 babies left out of 12. They are american bulldog and black lab mix. Both parents are full blood in their breeds. Accidental pregnancy. Mother passed away immediately after birthing and now pups are 1 wk old. I have been feeding goats milk every 2-4 hrs with a normal baby bottle. In the past 24 hours it seems they have started 2 urinate more often and its very smelly, ammonia like. It didn't seem to be that bad up until last night now I'm changing pads evry hour just to keepthe smell down. Also what is the best way to clean them after peeing all over eachother! I have switched to the goat milk, yolk, yogurt, corn syrup today and they really seem to like it. Should I be using a heating pad or heat lamp? Do you have any suggestions for the cleanliness problems I am having?

Answer
Hi Becky. First of all, I'm sorry for your loss. it's really hard to loose a girl to whelping.

You need to take these guys to the vet for a check up. They may have an infection, or they may just not be handling their formula that well. If they get dirty, from pee or whatever, take you a warm, damp wash cloth, and scrub them down. It's super important to keep newborns very clean. This is what I do, I take an empty two liter bottle, and fill it with really warm water. Then, wrap it in a towel. This way, the puppies can cuddle up to it when they're cold, or crawl away when they get too warm. I like this method better than a heating lamp. This way, I know I'm not scorching the pups. This is going to be a full time job for you, especially since mom isn't around to help out. You're just going to have to keep cleaning them until they're a little bit older. That's really all you can do for now. Good luck!