Tips for successful bottle feeding.
1. Make sure your puppy is not TOO cold to eat.
2. Use a good bottle for whatever your feeding
3. Use the right flow nipple
4. Use good formula and make sure it is well mixed
5. Make sure formula is warm enough
6. Make sure formula is not TOO warm
7. Make sure nipple hole is not clogged
8. Make sure nipple ring on bottle is not too tightly screwed on
9. Make sure puppy is held in a position they like
10. Make sure puppy has not suctioned their own tongue to the roof of their mouth
11. Make sure puppy is not needing to potty or gassy

Elaboration:
1. Puppies SHOULD NEVER BE FED if they’re temperature is too low. In fact doing so can kill them. Puppies need to be in the normal range to digest food properly and while normally they will refuse to eat when its not in the range, if you tube feed a cold puppy, you can kill them.

2. I never use the little tiny pet bottles they sell in the pet or farm store. I have rarely found any puppy no matter how small to easily latch to these bottle. Even teeny tiny ones. Their moms’ nipples just don’t look and feel like those. I use baby bottles and most often these days a silicone nipple type bottle like a Comotomo that I found at Walmart. They are a tad bit expensive ($12) but they’re priceless if you’re trying to get a baby to eat.

3. Use the right flow nipple simply means that there are different hole sizes built into bottle babies. I often use SLOW flow or preemie bottle nipples for newborns. This reduces the risk of aspiration because of getting too much milk at once. Some puppies, however respond well to a faster flow. I keep different nipples handy and even change them as the puppy develops.
4. Recognizing for many people the choice of formula may be based at least initially on what you can get your hands on in the middle of the night when you find that newborn needing help. Yes temporarily you can use things like canned goats milk (NEVER cows milk) or whatever powder or canned puppy milk you can buy in the store. Esbilac or PetLac are most commonly found. You can even make your own formula (Google Myra Savant puppy formula). I did that for years. I now use a product I buy online – Farmacy Dogzymes Puppy-Bac.
5. Formula needs to be warmed and the right temp is just like for babies. What feels like nothing on the inside of your wrist is the right temp.
6. Too hot and puppies will absolutely refuse to suckle and obviously can burn their mouths.
7. Clogged nipples are a common problem. Especially if using a powder based formula and not mixing it properly or well. I always start out mixing the formula with warm (bottle water) to make sure the powder is well dissolved. I mix one part formula with one part warm water, mix by shaking or whisking til well mixed and then add the rest of the water. I try not to mix formula RIGHT before feeding as the mixing process can create bubbles in the formula that can lead to gas. Thus, I try to mix ahead of the feeding at least an hour.
8. Sometimes the problem is not the nipple hole itself or even the puppies latch strength but that the bottle lid is too tightly screwed on and it is screwing up the suction of the bottle. Slightly loosen it…enough to help but not enough to drip. This can make a huge different.
9. Puppies like a certain position. While stretched out on their bellies like they’d nurse from their mom is idea both to reduce potential of aspiration and digestion, it can be difficult to feed a puppy in that position always. BUT NEVER on their backs like you’d feed a human baby. But I find normally puppies do well with their back legs lower than their front and their heads pointing diagonally up. Once they find a position they prefer sometimes they will refuse to latch unless in said position. They get choosy.

10. This may sound like a weird one but it absolutely happens. You may not notice it until the puppy has the bottle in their mouths, appears to be sucking but there is no pressure on the bottle. Obviously frustrated they may even be vocalizing. I remove the bottle entirely, put the puppy down to give them a break and take them out of their normal nursing position and they usually relax and the tongue falls down.
11. And last but not least (there are likely other tips I’ll think about during my next feeding) make sure the puppy is not needing to potty. Sometimes relieving their bowels or relieving them of gas with some burping can be all it takes to get them on the nipple.

Categories: Shelter Facts