When my puppies were born, I noticed around day 2 or three that one of 5 was not gaining weight. I tried to bottle feed, syringe, eyedropper. I found he could not do any of those. He could however latch on to mommy if I held his shoulders and head still.
I put her on the bed with him, would hold him until he latched on and hold her still while he suckled. I did this for a full day around day 3. He gained 1 oz. I continued feeding him this way about 4 x per day for a few more days. His mom would lick him off, the siblings would push him off, and he had a hard time holding on as he seemed to use the tip of the teat. The vet was going to teach me to tube feed on day 5 if he didn't gain weight, but he did fine.
He is almost 6 weeks old now, I feed him canned puppy food now, he is my best eater (I think he is always starving, still). He is only about 1 pound, but so far-so good. YOU CAN DO IT! |