Supplementary Feeding of Puppies

Why Should You Supplement Feed Puppies?

There are several reasons why you might need to supplement feed a newborn puppy, such as:

• the mother dog does not have enough milk for the number of puppies

• the mother dog develops a mammary gland infection (mastitis)

• the mother dog passes away

If the mother does not produce enough milk to feed all the puppies, you will need to supplement with puppy milk. In cases of mastitis, the mother may be in so much pain that she refuses to let the puppies nurse. The inflammation can also reduce milk production. Unfortunately, it may also happen that the mother dog passes away.

Young puppies are not yet able to drink from a bowl. Puppy milk must be given using a feeding teat. A condition for this is that the puppies are able to suckle on their own. Is this not the case? Then contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. It may be necessary to feed the puppies via a feeding tube.

If the puppies are unable to nurse from the mother in the first 24 to 48 hours, it is advisable to feed them colostrum. Puppies are born without immune protection. Normally, they receive their first antibodies through the mother’s initial milk. Feeding colostrum still provides them with these essential antibodies and helps stimulate the development of their own immune system.