Quote:
Originally Posted by GBC  I have a 5 day old yorkie pup that I am bottle feeding. Mom developed severe mastitis an cannot nurse. Puppy currently weighes 6.5 oz. She weighed 6.0 oz at birth on 4/25, on 4/26 she weighed 6.6 oz, on 4/28 she weighed 6.7and now is 6.5oz. I am concerned that her weight is not increasing and appears to be slightly going down. Just started bottle feeding Monday....am feeding her Esbilac milk replacer supplement...is there anything else I can try? |
I’m not a breeder, but I’ve bottle fed a lot of puppies — including newborns — for a rescue group. Definitely ask for your vet’s opinion, but I can give you some general encouragement. First, it’s not at all unusual for a pup’s weight to go down a bit after birth and then start back up again. Second, because rescues are always financially strapped, we usually didn’t have the option of buying the most expensive formula on the market, but I never saw much difference in the growth of an otherwise healthy pup based on which formula was used. The more important factors always seemed to be (1) feeding small meals frequently rather than larger meals less frequently and (2) keeping the pup warm enough so energy isn’t being wasted maintaining body heat.
Good luck!