Leerburg | Q&A on Bottle Feeding

Leerburg Questions & Answers
on Bottle Feeding

I have been using your formula recipe, but the pups are barely drinking now. Am I doing something wrong or will they eat when they are hungry?
Does the recipe has enough iron in it. None of the ingredients contain iron except maybe the egg yolks. Do I need to add some liquid vitamin to this formula?
I received my puppies much too early from the breeder that I bought them from and your formula is working great!
My GSD just had 11 pups and I have a few questions.
Can a bottle fed puppy be a good working dog?
I am considering feeding the bitch the formula. We are always struggling to keep weight on her, would help her put on weight and condition?
My dog just had puppies and the vet's recommendations don't seem to be helping. Help!
My store did not have the canned goats milk but did have a carton of cold pasteurized goats milk with added Vit D. Is that fine to use?
After showing the formula to the vet I was told to be careful of the egg because of salmonella is she just being DUMB AND DUMBER?
My dog just had puppies, what should I do - if anything at this time?
We have recently found out that we are expecting a very large litter. Any advice?
I'm using your bottlefeeding formula and I'm having a hard time getting the hole in the nipple the right size. Would one of those nipples with the Y slit in it (for feeding cereal) work?
I want to use your bottlefeeding formula for my litter of puppies but I can’t find corn syrup, can I use glucose syrup?
Our bitch had just one puppy and he’s now 6 days old and hasn’t gained even one ounce. What do you think?
I have a very weak bulldog puppy that I am tube feeding her every 3 hours. I was wondering can I feed her every 2 hours and if so do I split the formula dosage.

1. Question:

Hi,

I have been raising french bulldog puppies from birth. They were born a week early and mom rejected them. Anyway, I started using the esbilac but the were constipated and not gaining much, I found your recipe on formula and I am currently using it. The little guys loved and were drinking about 2 oz at a feeding. They now are barely taking an oz. Am I doing something wrong or will they eat when they are hungry? This is only day 2 with your formula. They weigh 1lb 12oz. Any suggestions would greatly appreciated.

Maggie

Answer:

As long as they continue to gain weight then I would not be too concerned.
Our formula is much richer than Esbilac. You need a scale that is capable of weighing in grams to make sure you get sufficient weight gain.

According to our chart your pups should be eating about 1.5 ozs of formula 6 times per day at their current weight.

Cindy

2. Question:

Hello,

I am a small Labrador breeder. I just had a litter of 12 pups to a mother with 4 injured nipples (hunting accident). I have been bottle feeding them with your puppy formula recipe. This formula is a lifesaver. They would not eat the powdered formula very well, but they love your recipe and are gaining weight like crazy and full of energy. My only concern is if the recipe has enough iron in it. None of the ingredients contain iron except maybe the egg yolks. Do I need to add some liquid vitamin to this formula?

Thank You very much,
Brandon

Answer:

We do not add any liquid vitamins to the formula. We’ve raised countless litters with this recipe and have never added anything extra to the formula except maybe a bit of extra water if the pups seem to be constipated. If your mother dog can nurse the pups at all, I’d make sure everyone gets mother’s milk every day in addition to the formula.

Cindy

3. Comment:

Ed,

I just want you to know how much I appreciate your website. I received my puppies much too early from the breeder that I bought them from. (She told me that I had to take them, as mom did not want to feed them anymore, and had actually killed one of the ones that I had put a deposit on). They are 3 days shy of 5 weeks old. She told me that she had weaned them early, and that they were eating hard food already. Well, when my husband got home from picking them up, they were pretty lethargic, and just wanted to sleep. We knew that something was wrong, as they had slept most of the 4 hour drive in the car, so I tried to feed them after waking them up, but they just mouthed the food and spit it out. Needless to say, I googled puppy formula recipes, as I remember seeing online that commercial puppy formula is not good. After clicking on your site, and trying your formula with the evaporated milk (didn't have goats milk). We put the pan in front of them and they gobbled it up!!! (They are St Bernard female pups). To make a long story short, it has been a long night, with frequent feedings and little sleep, but is has been worth it!!! The difference is night and day!! They are alert this morning and growling and playing with each other. I suspect that they have worms, and I have an appointment for them at the vet today, so I am quarantining them from my other animals, in case of giardia or anything else. I just want to thank you for putting your information out there, so I could save my pups.

Susan

Answer:

Glad it worked for you. Wall Mart sells goats milk in cans and many stores have it in the dairy.

Make sure you don’t let the Vet vaccinate them. Read the article on Vaccinosis.

This person is not a breeder – calling someone like this a breeder is an insult to all of the people out there that try and do things the right way. I wont say what I think this person really is.

We currently release free short streaming training videos that are sent out in our bi-weekly newsletter. The content of the videos is always something interesting. The newsletter also contains select questions and answers from the previous week along with our specials on the dvds and products we sell. I have added your name to this email list. If you don’t want receive our newsletter, please let me know.

Kind Regards,
Ed Frawley

4. Question:

Hi,

My GSD has just had 11 pups, I was wondering what is the best food she can have to keep her strength up and to make sure she is producing enough milk for them. Also quite a silly question, how will she know which pups have fed and which haven't, as she only has 8 teats?

Many thanks,
Rebecca

Answer:

We feed a raw all-natural diet.

Give your mother 2 cans of chicken broth every day – you can mix it with one can of water – the more liquids she drinks the more milk she makes. The more milk she has the more she will want to be with her pups.

We weight our pups 2 times a day with a gram scale (we also sell these scales) We make the pups with colored yarn – record the weights. We then go into the pups a number of times a day and every time we put the smallest pups on a tit. This is the only way you can do this.

Regards,
Ed Frawley

Another Question:

Hi Ed,

I emailed you a while ago when my GSD had 11 puppies. I am slightly concerned now as the mum is not wanting to spend that much time with the puppies. They are now 4 weeks old and have teeth so this is more than likely the reason why. I have been feeding the puppies weetabix with warm milk on advise from my vet. I was wondering if there is anything else I can give them? I am a little concerned they are not getting enough fluids. The mum is feeding them but only for around ten minutes at a time. Is this normal? I'm very worried.

Many thanks,
Rebecca

Answer:

You got STUPID advice from your vet. Find a new vet.

Dogs should NEVER be given cow’s milk. They cannot handle it. It is difficult for me to understand a vet telling you this. My god how basic is this. The guy is an idiot or a fool or both.

At 4 weeks the pups can be weaned., Wean them with my bottle feeding formula. Mix in some raw uncooked hamburger.

I am serious here – find a new vet. You may want to pass along my comments about him

At 4 weeks you can also put water down for the to start to drink

Regards,
Ed Frawley

5. Question:

Cindy,

I have bought many....many of the videos you and Ed have made and love them. Thanks!

How do you think hand feeding a litter of puppies affect their working abilities? If a litter was bottlefed, is the litter more or less likely to be good working dogs? What are the pros and cons. What should a potential owner look for or be concerned about?

Thanks,
Gail

Answer:

If the puppies still have interaction with littermates and their mother, I would not think it would adversely affect their working ability.

If they do not, you run the risk of a dog that doesn’t learn how to properly interact with other dogs. They learn so much from their mom and their littermates.

Cindy

6. Question:

Hi Ed,

Our 2 1/2 yr old boxer had 3 pups on tuesday. One was stillborn the other 2 girls appeared to be doing well. One of them however, is not as strong and got de-hydrated. Have been using Whelpi formula with moderate success, but this morning the pup was pushing it away. So a few minutes internet search for an alternative feed and bottle (the ones I have, have a cone teat, which was not very successful) and I found your site. I had already thought about getting baby bottles (especially with boxer jaw), but read your testimonials about your bottle formula and I thought it was worth a go. Went and got the ingredients this morning and made it up (substituting corn syrup for golden syrup). The pup has just woofed down (excuse the pun!) 1 1/2 oz in one go and loved it! In fact I had to take the bottle away for fear of her over-feeding!. Burping also makes good sense.

So, the first signs are looking very good - thank you for your advice and web site!

I am considering feeding the bitch the formula (she wanted some as I was feeding the pup!). We are always struggling to keep weight on her, and feed her nature: diet, a natural dog food over here, as we think she has a wheat intolerance; but I wondered if this formula added to her normal food in a small amount (say, 10oz a day?) would help her put on weight and condition?

Many thanks!
Anna

Answer:

The formula will certainly not hurt the female.

I would be giving the female a can of chicken broth every day. The more liquids she drinks the more milk she will make.

Good luck

Regards,
Ed Frawley

7. Question:

Hello,

I had my first (and last) litter of pups on Thursday 7/2. I had a total of 6. Today 7/7 I have a total of three left. I am a very emotional person since I can't have kids I consider my dogs my babies, I didn't intend on breeding my dogs but it just happened. I have been to the vet er three times this week and I am 700 dollars in the hole to pups that I am not even keeping (so my husband says). They had there tails docked because they are rottweilers. The vet is telling me the other vet I took them to didn't leave the clamp on long enough so I have them on an antibiotic for an open wound. Also I am giving them injections under the skin every twelve hours to keep them hydrated, they eat 6-9 ml every 2 hours of esbilac and are loosing weight, they seem to have a sugar problem to because the vet keeps giving them dextrose and I have to put kayro on there tongue, I have been doing this twice a day, they have not defecated in almost 48 hours and the vet doesn't seem to worried about this. I have only slept 12 hours since they were born 5 days ago and I am almost loosing my mind, stimulating them isn't working and momma doesn't have mammary glands to produce milk for them so its up to me, PLEASE if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them, they all are around 330 grams of weight and not getting bigger.

Nicole

Answer:

Read the article on my web site on bottle feeding – READ THE EMAILS FROM PEOPLE THIS ARTICLE HAS HELPED.

Espelac is a useless product. I don’t mean a little useless – its dog shit useless. Use my home made formula – then sit back and watch what happens. Do it exactly like I outline. If the pups are dehydrated – add a little more water.

Depending on the dogs current situation you may have to continue sub-que fluids. I cannot tell you to stop this and I have no idea what conditions you are facing.

Regards,
Ed Frawley

Thanks:

You are a life saver, I am on the fourth feeding since 1am when I ran to walmart to get everything I needed, they have all defecated and are trying to stand on their back legs (I guess they don't know there not supposed to yet,) there tongues are pink and skin is falling back down better than it has in 5 days, I added a little more water to the recipe to hydrate them a little more since they were on the IVs and this morning I didn't give them their injection because they looked fantastic. My female that was in the worst shape of her life seems healthier than the other 2, (I am keeping her I just can't part with her we have been through allot this week) I am concerned with one thing, I am feeding every 3 hours know and they are eating 18 ml this is way over the daily amount you recommend for an 8oz pup, is that ok, The vet called me this morning to check on them, once I told them I changed them to a homemade formula, she basically said OH NO put them back on the esbilac, you are not helping them you are hurting them, well I am not going back to that vet again.

Thanks again,
Nicole

8. Question:

I just wanted to say Thank You for your Puppy Milk Replacer Recipe. My Parson Russell Terrier had her 4th litter 6 days early. All 5 puppies looked and seemed full term and weighed in well. However the mom has not been producing milk like she normally does and the puppies began losing weight. I began supplementing with store bought Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer. I had to pretty much force the puppies to take the bottle and dribble it into their mouths. On the 3rd day one of the pups went downhill really fast and I kept it under my shirt and eye-droppered Pedialite every hour through the night. We took him to our vet first thing and he had an abdominal blockage and was euthanized. My vet examined my female and administered Oxytocin and I was instructed to give two more shots over the course of the day. We have had her on a high protein diet consisting of Chicken Soup Puppy Food, Boiled chicken, Cottage Cheese, and Vit B supplements. Still she has very little milk production. So I have continued supplementing the remaining 4 pups and they continually fight the bottle feeding. So I got online and ran across your web site about bottle feeding puppies. I just went to the store and bought the ingredients to make your suggested recipe. After a small drop of it was squeezed into their mouth EVERY puppy latched onto the nipple and drank until their bellies were round and tight. This is the first time I have seen them so content and still. THANK YOU for sharing your great knowledge!!

I do have one question, I think I know the answer but want to confirm. My store did not have the canned goats milk but did have a carton of cold pasteurized goats milk with added Vit D. Is that fine to use? I would much rather use goats milk then the Evaporated Milk.

Sincerely,
Sandy

Answer:

Sandra,

That would be fine – also give your female a can of chicken broth every day – the more liquids she drinks the more milk she produces.

Good luck with the pups.

Regards,
Ed Frawley

9. Question:

Mr. Frawley,

I had to get my two cents in after reading all of the email letters and your replies that you have on your site.

Our Australian Shepard had her puppies August 7th, 2009 after going to the vet because I was getting worried about Lady. She wasn't due until August 9th. The vet did his exam and did x-rays for me. And we estimated about 6 to 9 puppies. Lady was going through Stage 1 of labor since Wednesday night and easing off then, more Stage 1 of labor Thursday. So, on the way home after stopping by the pet store to get formula and bottles she had a pup in the truck en route home. (Not even a ten minute drive!) Lady had a total of 8 puppies and 3 didn't make it. And we lost one more before Xena turned 24 hours old.

Now mind you I have two females and this wasn't my first litter of pups. The father is also an Aussie and he is the father of this litter also. Lady's age, size, and the size of the litter didn't help! But I have had large litters before, should be no problem, boy was I wrong. We almost lost another pup. I had been weighing the pups so I knew he was losing weight and he was off to the side of Lady and he was cool. I knew I needed to start bottle feeding and had no idea on how much to give or how often. So I started looking on the Internet and your sight was the first one I went to. I really would like to Thank You for all the information that you have provided. Because of that extra help the remaining four puppies have been thriving and only three of them have to be "helped" with eating. I had talked to my husband and told him I was running to the store to get the ingredients and started feeding them your formula when they weren't even 48 hours old. (And coming home and having to give one of the pups Karo syrup to help him survive!)

After bottle feeding them Lady is doing just fine nursing them and we don't have to feed them too often. I am very pleased with their weight gain and they are still nursing from mom and being bottle fed with the formula after that mad to the store really early in the morning. I wanted to personally Thank You for your life saving tips!!

I do have a couple of questions for you, my problem was Lady was getting up and with her nails sliced open one of the puppies. I took her to the vet and she was stitched up and is on antibiotics. Monday Lady cleaned the pup and took the stitches out after two days (took the pup on Saturday to the vet for the stitches). I called the vets office and took her in to be restitched up but because of an infection in the wound they couldn't stitch her back up. The wound is close to her back leg and is getting bigger. I am using 0.9% Sodium Chloride Irrigation, USP to clean the wound as I was told two to three times a day. Actually I am cleaning it every three to four hours. What can be used to cover and help it from getting bigger? Any suggestions or ideas? My other question is after showing the formula to the vet I was told to be careful of the egg because of salmonella is she just being DUMB AND DUMBER? I figure that if you have been using this milk formula for years was the vet just being closed minded.

I wanted to add my praise for all the help that I have received from you and your years of experience and once again tell you Thank You!

April

Answer:

The question on the wound is a question for your vet.

The issue of the eggs is an example of a vet who needs more education on dogs diets. Dogs are not affected by salmonella like humans – have you ever seen the disgusting things dogs will get into and eat – or what wolves and foxes eat outside. They don’t get salmonella poisoning.

Go to my web site and read the Q&A on feeding a raw diet – the article my wife wrote. It should be required reading in Vet school. The article in on this web page.

Good luck with your pups.

Regards,
Ed Frawley

10. Question:

Cindy,

I have a german shepherd that gave birth to 3 pups 8 days ago. 1st born male weighed 366 grams and the girls were 508 and 520. The girls now weigh1040 grams and1056 grams. My concern is with the male. Yesterday he weighed 836 and this moring 846. The girls went from 960 to1040 and 968 to 1056 grams. What should I do- if anything at this time? Also, since the male was smaller at birth than the females, does that mean that the male will be a smaller dog when he gets older?

Thank you for your time,
Sonja

Answer:

You can always give the small pup a supplemental bottle feeding if you are worried about his weight gain.

I'd refer you to our bottlefeeding page.

As long as he seems strong, and is gaining every day then I try not to interfere too much.

The size he is while nursing won’t have any bearing on his size as an adult dog, I’ve had many tiny puppies grow up to be totally normal or sometimes even large adults. Once they begin to eat solids, I think you’ll see him catch up quickly (as long as he doesn’t have any hidden health reasons for being smaller)

Cindy

11. Question:

Hello My Frawley,

We have recently found out that we are expecting a very large litter (15) English Mastiffs. We have searched and searched for a proper supplement, figuring momma is gonna need some help. Any advice? :) We think your formula looks the best and appreciate all the testimonials posted on your website. Thank you.

Robyn

Answer:

I have bred close to 400 litters in the last 35 years. The formula is good or the best I have seen. It's not as good as mom.

If you want my advice – identify the pups with colored yarn. Get a gram scale. Start weight charts from day one. Weigh the pups twice a day. Write it down. Rotate the pups onto nipple at least 10 times a day. Put the smallest on first every time. If you over do the bottle feeding the pups lose their sucking instinct. Be careful.

Cross your finger and prepare for the worst. Welcome to my world. It’s not easy and only those who have walked in my footsteps understands those words.

Regards,
Ed Frawley

12. Question:

I have a litter of Shepherd pups that need to be supplemented. I have used your formula in he past and was very happy with it. he pups are 4 days old & just haven't been gaining much weight. I fed half of them a bottle last night & they gained anywhere from 50g to 90g! compared to 0g to 15g for the pups I didn't give a bottle to! (pretty convincing for me to help he mom feed them all).

My question is about bottle nipples. I know that you use Playtex bottles & those are the ones I use, too. but, I am having a hard time getting the hole in the nipple he correct size. I saw hat Playtex offers a silicone nipple specifically for cereal, a 'Y' slit in it, and wondered what you thought about using that one.

Thank You for your help!

Renee

Answer:

That nipple probably has too big of a hole in it. All you can do is try putting different size holes in the nipples until you get one right. I know it can be kind of frustrating. I've had good luck poking several small holes in one of the Playtex nurser nipples.

13. Question:

Good Morning,

Thank you for your puppy formula. My APBT just had 12 puppies 2 weeks ago and we are using your formula on the 6 largest ones so that the smaller ones can get a full tummy of moms milk. We tried the powder formula first and they hated it. We thought we would struggle until I came across your formula on the net. My questions is "I can't find Corn Syrup but I did find Glucose Syrup which says its corn based, is this the same and is it ok to use?"

Ivan

Answer:

A replacement for Karo or Corn syrup is listed on the bottlefeeding page

****If you cannot find Karo or Corn syrup where you live, you can do a Google search for “substitute for Karo syrup” and get some options.****

When I Googled “substitute for Karo syrup" here is what I came up with- 1 c Karo can be subbed with 1 c white sugar and 1/4 c hot water (cook it to dissolve in the water best you can get it to. Depending on the recipe, if you need the sugar to be completely dissolved you might need to add a bit more water).

14. Question:

Cindy,

I ran across your website and have learned a TON. We have a situation w/ an English Bulldog puppy maybe you could help me out with. Here's the situation:

Our bitch had just one puppy. The first two days he fed very energetically. He would stay on the same nipple for up to twenty minutes and was a great little eater. We were thrilled, but a little concerned because after two days he stilled weighed the same as he did at birth (6.5 oz). In the past our puppies started gaining almost immediately.

Then after two days he would nuzzle a lot on our females teets, but wouldn't latch on well or for very long. We started him on the bottle, but it was the same result. He got progressively worse at feeding and wouldn't suckle. He acted hungry, but wouldn't latch on. I ran across your website, made the puppy formula, and we started tube feeding him every three hours. That has been going on for a few days now with good results. He's eating, urinating, his feces looks like it should, and he's hydrated (no tenting of the skin, etc.), and he looks pretty chubby. He seems strong, moves around his little box, holds his head up, and even stands on his feet for short periods of time. He sleeps well and doesn't whine much now that we've got his food situation under control.

The problem is he is now six days old and is still at his same birth weight (6.5 oz). We've been weighing him regularly and he's never lost or gained an ounce. Have you seen a puppy like this that seems healthy in every other way, but won't gain weight? We're continuing on w/ the formula from the website and hoping he'll start gaining, but I wanted to pick your brain and see what you thought.

Thanks so much for all you do.

Chuck

Answer:

I’ve never had a pup that didn’t gain weight at all develop normally. Unless you are weighing the pup in grams you may be missing a weight gain or loss. There are 30 grams in an ounce so the pup could be making very small gains and unless you can measure that small increment you’d be missing it.

I’ve recommend investing in a scale that weighs in grams, they are relatively inexpensive and you may be able to find one locally.

I hope this helps.

15. Question:

Hello my name is Barb.You seem to be an expert at raising puppies.I have a very weak bulldog puppy. She is 8 days old I am tube feeding her every 3 hours. I was wondering can I feed her every 2 hours and if so do I split the formula dosage. She weighs 12oz and I am feeding her 11cc. She was feeding on the mother and then she just stopped sucking after 5 days.She is hardly moving at all. I hope she does not die.

Thanks for your help,
Barb

Answer:

Barb,

The probably reason there your puppy has a problem is because commercial formula is total crap – I mean and bad as bad can be.

The solution is not to feed the puppy more garbage but rather feed it good homemade formula – use the formula on my bottle-feeding web page.

So the answer to your question is an absolute NO. You should use a gram scale and start a weight chart - weigh the dog twice a day and then feed it the way its explained in the article.

Good luck.

Regards,
Ed Frawley

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