Tube feeding a puppy

When there is a need to feed newborn animals, the ability to feed a puppy through a tube can come in handy. How to feed a puppy through a tube?

Rules for feeding a puppy through a tube

1. A ready-made probe can be bought at a pet store or veterinary pharmacy. If this is not possible, you can make it yourself. You need a syringe (12 cubes), a urethral catheter (40 cm). Catheter diameter 5F (for small dogs) and 8F (for large dogs). Tube feeding your puppy will require a milk replacer.
2. It is important to correctly determine the right amount of the mixture. To do this, you have to weigh the puppy. Calculate that 1 ml of the mixture falls on 28 grams of puppy weight.
3. Add 1 extra ml of the mixture and warm it up. The mixture should be slightly warm. An extra ml of mixture will ensure that there are no air bubbles in the probe.
4. With a syringe, draw the right amount of the mixture, press the piston and squeeze out a drop of food. Check if the mixture is hot.
5. Attach the catheter to the syringe.
6. Measure the desired length of the catheter – it is equal to the distance from the tip of the baby’s nose to the last rib. Make a mark in the desired place with an indelible marker.
7. To feed a puppy through a tube, put the baby on the table on the tummy. The front legs are straightened, and the hind legs are under the tummy.
8. Take the puppy’s head with one hand (forefinger and thumb, so that they touch the corners of the baby’s mouth). The tip of the catheter is placed on the puppy’s tongue so that he tastes a drop of the mixture.
9. Confidently, but slowly insert the catheter. If the puppy swallows the straw, then you are doing everything right. If the puppy burps and coughs, then something went wrong – remove the straw and try again.
10. When the marker is at the puppy’s mouth, stop passing the catheter. The puppy should not whine, burp or cough. If all is well, fix the tube with your index and middle fingers.
11. To feed your puppy through a tube, press down on the plunger and gently inject the mixture. Let the puppy rest for 3 seconds between cubes. Make sure that the mixture does not spill out of the spout – this is a sign that the puppy may choke. It is better to hold the syringe perpendicular to the baby.
12. Gently remove the catheter while holding the puppy’s head. Then let the puppy suck on your little finger (up to 10 seconds) – in this case it will not vomit.
13. With a cotton swab or a damp cloth, gently massage the puppy’s tummy and belly so that he can empty himself.
14. Raise the baby and stroke the tummy. If the puppy’s stomach is hard, there is probably bloating. If this happens, lift the puppy, putting your hand under the tummy, stroke the sainka.
15. Feeding a puppy through a tube for the first five days occurs every 2 hours, then the interval increases to 3 hours.

What to look for when feeding a puppy through a tube

1. Never force a catheter into a puppy! If there is resistance, then you are sticking the tube into the airway, and this is fraught with death.
2. If you then feed other puppies through the same tube, clean the tube after each pup.