There are many reasons why you may have to resort to hand rearing a newborn puppy. Some of these are:
Generally, a bacterial infection (Staph, Strep, E, or B Coli) will make itself apparent by 5 days of age. They become quiet, stop nursing and will often have a bluish or red abdomen. This is one you can win with Antibiotics, tube feeding and careful nursing. Viral infections are difficult. These pups are usually affected after day 5.
The symptoms are crying (piteously and for long periods), diarrhoea and constant circling movement. The Canine Herpes Virus is the most common. In the case of a suspected CHV infection, it is worth while to get a titre level run on the dam. If this is the cause of the infection, you may make the decision to EXPOSE all your NON pregnant and anoestrus bitches. This would result in some immunity for them and stop this tragedy occurring in your later litters. All young pups, however, should be kept strictly away from the infected dam. The virus is incapable of replicating above temperatures of 99 degrees so you keep the pups at 100 degrees, using a plastic aquarium as incubator. Their oral hydration is kept to the maximum and the top of the aquarium misted with water.
Let us now get
onto the mechanics of successful hand rearing.
EQUIPMENT: You will need tubes for tube feeding (#5 French), syringes for tube connection and teats and bottle for suckling as a pup improves. In addition, a gram scale and a notebook for recording weight twice daily. Make sure your set-up is high enough to rest your elbows on comfortably as tube feeding requires this position.
TIMING AND AMOUNTS: Chihuahua newborns need to be fed every 2 hours in the first week of life. The time to extend the feed interval to 3 hours comes when the pup had doubled its birth weight.
This usually happens by day 7 but in the case of hand reared pups it is closer to day 10.
If the pup is strong enough to suckle do not tube feed for convenience sake. A puppy with a sucking reflex that is tube-fed will satisfy it's sucking urge on its littermates. This can have a disastrous effect on male pups! The amount to feed a pup is determined by its weight and increases weekly. A 4 oz. (113.4 gram) pup will need approximately. 15-18 calories a day in it's first week. Most formulas have 1 calorie per ml. or cc. So each feed would contain 1 and a half ml. or cc. Never feed a chilled pup milk. Their digestion has shut down and the feed will be regurgitated resulting in a dead pup. They should be fed glucose and boiled water (2 parts glucose to 8 parts water) with electrolytes added if you have them on hand. This will need to be done every hour and a half for 3 hours giving 1½ mils. A chilled pup needs slow warming and constant rubbing to keep its circulation going. This is easy to accomplish by placing the pup under your clothing and in direct contact with your skin. Continue rubbing against the lie of the fur and turn the pup often so fluid does not accumulate in its lungs. After 3 hours of slow warming and glucose feeds you will have a squirming puppy that can start his milk feed at his next meal.
FORMULAS: I use either Carnation Milk mixed at 50% milk and 50% Water, or Goat's milk exclusively. However, there are many Puppy formulas marketed at the moment that are reliable. It is important not to swap and change your formulas. If the pup needs to be taken off one and switched to another do this by gradually combining them.
CLEANLINESS: All equipment needs to be dismantled and sterilised after use. Milton is easy to use and effective. If you reuse your feeding tubes, it is important to draw the sterilising solution through the tube using the syringe. Nails should be kept short, to minimise the risk of damage to puppies. Hands should be scrubbed before handling the pups. All water should be boiled for 10 minutes and cooled before using. All bedding should be changed daily.
INCUBATOR: I have used small plastic aquariums as they are inexpensive, easy to clean and very portable. They are also easy to heat and a suction type thermometer is always placed on the side for quick reckoning of temperatures. A quick spray of water on top of the aquarium will help to humidify the air. The heating pad is laid under half of the aquarium only, so the pups can easily select their own comfort zone. Cardboard boxes may be used in a pinch but make sure they are thrown away every few days and a new one used.
HEATING: Heating pads are my choice to regulate a constant temperature in hand reared pups. Lights are too drying and they dehumidify the air. The temperature must be kept at 85 degrees the first two weeks and then gradually lowered. Make sure the pup has room to move off the pad if he wants to cool down.
WEIGHT GAIN: It is of utmost importance to record your pups weight gain on a gram scale. Weigh each pup twice a day at the same time everyday. As stated before, you are looking for a doubling of their birth weight by day 10.
It is handy to chart their weights as well. The pups with a steady incline are doing well. Those that show a choppy effect i.e. big highs and lows are suffering from a low level of ongoing dehydration and may stabilise with slightly more water added to their formula.. A large drop of over 5 grams means dehydration due to diarrhoea or improper feeding. Did you accidentally sleep through a feed? As a general rule of thumb a 4 oz. (113.4 gram) pup out of a 4-5 lb. bitch should gain roughly 4-7 grams daily.
TUBE FEEDING TECHNIQUE: I assume most readers are familiar with intubating a puppy. For those of you new to the breed or inexperienced - get a seasoned breeder or vet to show you how. It is easy once mastered and a true life saver. A few tips in either case. Always oil the tube with edible oil such as corn oil. This makes the tube easier to insert and withdraw. Oil will also stop too many stomach acids from adhering to the tube and causing the pup pain when withdrawn. A dog's stomach acids are amongst the strongest in the mammalian kingdom and they hurt when in the throat. NEVER use Olive oil! There are many bacteria in Olive oil and this could undo all your good efforts. If the litter you are raising has a disparity in size provide each pup with it's own tube. Hold each puppy so that the line drawn travelling down the side of the puppy between the front of the muzzle and the last rib is a straight line as near as possible. The tube should reach the last rib and be marked at the muzzle tip. Check this every few days because as the pup grows the tube will have to be inserted a little further than your original mark.
Use an indelible ink pen or laundry marker to mark each tube with each pup's measurements. Tubes may be reused but when stomach acids make them loose their pliability, throw them out. They are cheap enough to do this with a clear conscience.
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