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Originally Posted by TracyAnn  We saw the vet today. No cleft palate. He is extremely tiny 1 7/8 oz. We are feeding New Born milk replacer and I have some Esbilac from the vet. He said to feed every 2 hours at least 2cc. I welcome any suggestions on how to get this little one to thrive. The canned Esbilac is only good for 72 hours in fridge. Has anyone put it in a sterilzed glass bottle in fridge and kept it longer?
Thanks,
Tracy |
I know the vet said no cleft palate, but i can promise you, there may be a hole too tiny to see, that is causing this baby to fail to latch on.
No worries. It is a lot of work, but you can get him through, even with a cleft.
You might try expressing some of mother's milk, if she will let you. It is obviously the best, and you won't have to worry about it going bad.
If you have to use formula, the powdered will keep longer. Just mix what you need for a couple of feedings at a time. You can bottle feed, or use a syringe with a bottle nipple if you need to push, and the pup cannot suck at all.
With my cleft pup, I bottle fed for the first few weeks, but I was squeezing the bottle gently so all he really had to do was swallow. I was feeding every hour to two hours. Make sure he is warm enough. Shivering uses a lot of calories, and he needs them right now. If he makes it, cleft or not, you are in for a wild ride, my friend. Buckle up, and don't forget a helmet and a tissue. There will be tears. PM me if you have questions. I'll try to keep up with this often.
Diane