Stinker
 

The little stinker can crawl up the play pen sides!!! She crawls right up the mesh until she reaches the top where the padding is and then slides down! I'm sitting here watching her. She just refused eating. She's stubborn! kepted turning her head on me. Well i guess she has energy in her right now!

Not feeding her
 

I'm just wondering what you thought about me cutting back on feeding her and see if she eats on her own if I don't bottle feed her? Like should I stop and see what happens???

Scooter, 1 day old, cleft pallet
 

I hope you don't mind my adding to your thread.

Scooter is one day old. We just discovered the cleft pallet today. I have been feeding him with an eye dropper. If I do one drop at a time and put it in his cheek he swallows it without it coming out his nose. It took all day for me to figure out how to get it to go in his tummy and not out his nose. Poor little guy. Earlier I thought he was breathing his last. I took a washcloth and started rubbing him all over like when they were first born and I was stimulating them. he livened up some and i got him on the heating pad and warmed him up and then he started wiggling around and getting more active so I kept feeding him every couple hours drop by drop. Let me tell ya, that is slow going! But just now when I was feeding him he was licking at the dropper, licking his paws, licking my fingers...my little Scooter is fighting! I have many friends and family praying for him and we are all pulling for him to make it.

One question...how do we keep them warm while feeding them?

Well, I'd say the little girl is doing ok! She seems to have energy! I bet that's a cute site to watch her do that. She's a feisty little girl!

Your doing such a remarkable job with Tia and I disagree with your husband, I would make sure she eats no matter what I had to do. That is the most important thing, especially since the others are just now starting to pick. Tia can’t be expected to be at their level just yet. I think she will though, just like the Joker she will be quite the little prize. Just keep up all the good work and keep following your heart.

Glad to hear the great news about Joker too! “He pounces everywhere and when he walks he raises his front paws almost to his chin, hes very proud. Other then having a funny little lip hes very normal and I think he is completely out of the woods.” What a little champ he is! If I had know that you would have considered letting him be adopted I would have jumped at the chance. I just two weeks ago bought Dennis a sister but I would have loved to have the Joker! He has such charm and personality.

Love to you both and tons of blessings!

Willow I bet Breny doesnt mind at all!!!!!! This thread is intended to help others.

WELCOME SCOOTER.......we are pulling for you kid!!!!!!!!!! We want a success story here!

I kept Joker in a dry washcloth warmed in a dryer for feedings when he was tiny, then just wrapped him in a dry cloth later without warming it. The first week to two until his temp regulated, your right is so improtant to keep him warm since feedings are extremely slow at first. Plus the cloth helped with formula drippings.

Here is Jokers thread...in case there is something in it not mentioned on this thread......I havent posted on it for awhile.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ighlight=joker

Breny,

Sounds like your formula puts the 'ZOOM" in Tia!!!!! Since she has so much energy, I think your hubby might have a point. Maybe fed her her morning ration then skip one whole feeding. She just might find the food bar you have set up for her delicious!:)

My only concern is how skinny she is. I mean, you can see her ribs and now her pelvis bones above her tail. She is sooo skinny. Was joker this way? Did it scare you too?

I did see her take like 4 licks in two different intervals of milk this weekend. Although it really makes her gag and come out her nose. She hates that and stops. What do you make of that? Did joker have a hard time licking the formula?

Breny,

You have to do what makes you comfortable. Your the one who is raising this baby. You are the one who has brought her this far. "Go with your gut!!"
In an earlier thread you had said your vet said the soft palate is the best possible placement for a cleft. I agree somewhat, because there is no bone involved, and with surgical repair, it is much easier to repair. But it also means it is closer to the throat so choking is easier so her eating on her own maybe slower going then for Joker. Maybe you should think of the position you feed her in? Offer her food in that position. (maybe a upright water bottle for formula?) His cleft is all up front, its not close to the throat, it was easier for him to adapt I think. His cleft is all on one side. He eats and drinks from the good side. He has an acrobatic tongue!...........lol.
When Joker was very little he didnt move much and he breathed very hard. But if you introduced him to formula he was like a baby bird with his mouth looking for more, and moved all the time.Then after feedings he tried to nurse from his mother and he couldnt. After awhile he started refusing the syringe after just a couple minutes of feeding. I was exhausted. So I starting doing anything to make him eat on his own. Including a missed feeding after he was 6 weeks. He started eventually eating on his own.

Joker was a rail. He had no body fat. Just some hair and skin over his bones. Everyday I thought this is his last day, YES it was very scarey, I had worked hard to save him. He never had Tia's energy until he ate on his own.
SInce Tia is energetic, leaving her with a banquet of "fresh" food and a missed feeding might do her some good. Maybe just a couple kibbles of dry food, a scrap of canned, and a bit of formula at CHIN LEVEL. That way you know if she took one bit of it.
If one missed feeding doesnt work..............then back to her regular feedings. I think it will be okay.
Unlike Joker ( at Tia age) she has tons of energy and isnt having severe seizures so one missed feeding for her, may worth the worry.
Joker is still a live wire, and I do believe always will be.
Kiss Tia on the nose for me!

Tia Update
 

Wow - after reading your last post I got pretty emotional. It sure has been one heck of a ride. We've been thru alot of the same things. As much as I love Tia to death......I just don't know if I could do this again. I just don't know!

I skipped a feeding last night. I felt bad!!! She didn't touch ANYTHING! So when I came back with her bottle she had licked some from her bowl. I fed her breakfast - she was starving, as I skipped her 3am feeding. I left more formula with her when I left for work, came home at lunch to feed her and she had licked that too! Mind you I use tiny gerbil dishes and only pour in a layer of formula but I'm hoping this is a start???!!! She gags when she drinks on her own and she hates that. I hope she learns to handle it. So I left more for her. We'll see if she drank that when I get home. Still not touching food yet. But I guess, 4 licks of formula are better than none, right?

You explained it perfect......skin and hair over bones. She's so scary looking! She's crazy skinny. Then she has these big dark awesome eyes. I love them. When she laying agains my stomach while I'm feeding her and she looks up at me while she's eating I just melt!

The pups are 7 weeks now. Should I wait to vaccinate her? I'm scared to get her shots. How long can I wait for everyone?

Where she gets this energy is beyond me. She's so funny. She trys to play but she's alot different than the others. I don't let her play with them. They are seriously 4 times if not more her size. She doesn't bark like them either. Actually she doesn't bark. She whimpers and it sounds like a munchkin from the wizard of Oz. I read somewhere that human babies with this it can cause speech issues. I wonder if its the same in animals. The other pups bark and whine all the time. She's quiet.

She likes to bite at my face and nose. Its funny to see how serious she looks about it.

I give her special time with her mom. I let her out to run in the room with her since she's completey seperated from the other pups. If she see's me though, she comes right to me. She has to be right on you, at all times! She's never tried to nurse mom either. I thought when she got older she may try. But nope. I'm the food source :)

Well, I think thats all I have to report......

OH! I tried honey. No big change. She didn't go crazy over it but I'll still use it. I'm putting nutrical in each bottle of my high cal formula.

Oh, it sounds like she's finally trying a little! Keep up the awesome work!

A couple of licks is better than nothing. Just know we are all praying for you both.

It's a great story, so very touching! Thanks for the update and your wonderful writing style and especially for being Super Mom!

:D Thank you so much! That was so nice :D

Yes 4 licks is a start! Hopefully it will increase thru the week. Shes only 7 weeks so shes still young and naturally behind everyone else too.
I didnt immunize Joker with his first vaccine until he was 11 weeks. I did worm him though at 7 weeks.
All my dogs were up to date on shots and he wasnt exposed to any other animals or people with animals, plus he didnt go out side much at first so I waited. He just didnt have much there to give a shot to, so I felt okay waiting.

I forgot to add, his siblings did get their typical vaccines at 8 weeks though.
.........ANd I also forgot to add........I hope I never have to do this again, I dont know if I could do it either. But if your an animal lover you just always have the strength to try.:)
Once I add had a failure to thrive puppy, it was the first I ever had. I tried everything to help them. I posted on here too and people jumped in to try to give me advice. They were so nice. But that lil puppy died. I was very upset..........and I even posted I would never try to save a failing puppy again. I think I said something along the lines it was part of breeding and you shouldnt even try!!!! But I sure did lie!!!!..........lol
.........So after many failed attempts since saying that, you do have the silver lining at least once...Joker is my only success story.
May TIa be yours. HUgs to you.