Bottle Feeding Vs. Nursing Puppies
When possible, puppies should be allowed to nurse, especially during the first 24 hours of life. In some situations bottle feeding may be necessary, either in lieu of nursing or as a supplement.
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Nutrition
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Like with humans, mother's milk is ideally formulated for puppies. Commercial formulas are available that roughly meet the nutrient profile of mother's milk. Formula should be warmed to (human) body temperature before feeding.
Amount
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Nursing puppies typically self-regulate the amount they eat. Bottle-fed puppies in general get one milliliter of formula per ounce of body weight, four times per day. Do not overfeed puppies, or allow them to eat too quickly, as they may aspirate.
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Frequency
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Newborn puppies are bottle fed every two hours for the first few days, and every three hours for the rest of the first week. Nursing puppies should be allowed to feed at will as long as the mother's milk is adequate.
Weaning
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For both nursed and bottle-fed puppies, mush is introduced at 3 weeks. Bottle-fed puppies are fully weaned by 6 weeks. Nursing puppies may continue to nurse for a few more weeks but derive little nutrition from it.
Growth
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Weigh newborn puppies at least once daily for the first week or two. Bottle-fed puppies grow more slowly than nursing puppies. After weaning, they begin catching up and by about 12 weeks are of equal size to their nursed counterparts.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Gonzalo García Jaubert
