Bottle Feed
How to Bottle Feed a Chihuahua
Reasons to Bottle Feed
There may be several situations in which you may find yourself having to bottle feed a Chihuahua Sometimes the dam is not able to provide the puppy with milk. There are several reasons this may occur:
- The dam's body may not be able to produce enough milk
- The newborn may not be strong enough to suckle
- The dam may reject the litter or just the smaller of the litter
- The Chihuahua puppy may be orphaned
In any of these cases, it will be an important responsibility to properly bottle feed the Chihuahua puppy, as he will only have you to provide enough nutrients to stay alive.
This will be done until the weaning process is complete. Weaning will be the time that the pup is slowly transitioned from a liquid diet to a solid one.
Frequency and Amounts
Though each pup is unique, in general, a newborn Chihuahua puppy should be bottle fed every 3 hours.
This is done around the clock, not just during the day. Therefore, the pup should be drinking about 8 times in a 24 hour day.
A fabulously solid white Chihuahua newborn
Photo courtesy of Christy Leach of BonBon Chihuahuas
The best way to know when you have fed your Chihuahua puppy enough milk replacement is to notice his or her tummy.
It will round out and look a bit full when the pup has had enough.
However, it is very important to not feed the puppy too much. He or she will be eating about 8 times per day; there is no need to overfill the pup and it may lead to
health problems.
Once the Chihuahua puppy is 4 weeks old, you can lower the feedings to 4 or 5 per day. By 5 weeks, the pup should be having 2 or 3 bottle feedings along with a soupy mixture of food and water which will be the weaning
process.
By the end of the 7th week, you will be just about done and in the middle of strongly encouraging the puppy to ingest solids as his main food source.
You will want to weigh your pup and then follow these guidelines:
For every 1/4 of a pound (100 grams) a Chihuahua pup weighs, you will need to feed the dog .67 ounces (20 milliliters) per day. For example, if your puppy is 1 pound, an estimate of how much to feed the dog would be 2.68 ounces (80 milliliters).
Do keep in mind that this is an estimate. Each dog is very different. If the tummy rounds out and the puppy seems to have plenty of energy, he or she is most likely receiving enough.
If the puppy seems weak and has difficulty feeding, your dog's veterinarian will be able to tell you if the pup is getting the correct amount of nutrition.
Each week that goes by, guidelines suggest reducing the amount of milk replacement by .2 ounces (5.9 milliliters)
What to Feed
Some people have interesting ideas about what to feed a newborn puppy when bottle feeding. Some swear that goat's milk works wonderful. Others create a homemade recipe that they claim offers optimal health. While you can mix together your own concoction, ones which include yolks, corn oil and yogurt, among other ingredients,some are not proven to be a good replacement and others could be dangerous.
One of the most popular and well-tolerated puppy milk replacement formulas is Esbilac Puppy Milk Replacer
.
. 
Super unique color Chihuahua puppy, alert and happy
Photo courtesy of Chelle of Highland Hills Chihuahuas
Bottle-Feeding Tips
Keeping in mind that you will need to feed the puppy every 3 hours, you will want to prepare at least two bottles at a time. The formula must be mixed extremely well, having any lumps will not only possibly clog the bottle, but can be hurtful to the dog's digestive system if it gets past the holes in bottle tip and into the puppy.
Some nipples will not have any holes, so that you may make ones necessary for your particular breed of dog. For the Chihuahua, it is recommended to use a sterilized needle to make 3 holes. However, the goal is that once the bottle is shaken and held upside down that only 2 to 3 drops come out.
Make 1 hole at a time until you see that this correct amount of milk is coming out.
If too much comes out, your Chihuahua puppy could choke inhaling it, and if not enough comes out, your puppy will swallow air, thus leading to potentially painful stomach gas.
The temperature of the milk should be room temperature. Be sure not to heat the formula up, this can cause great injury to the puppy's mouth and throat.
While you may be tempted to hold the Chihuahua puppy as you would a baby, the dog should be allowed to lay down on its tummy and feed.
After Each Feeding
You will need to burp your Chihuahua since more air is taken in via the bottle than otherwise with suckling the dam.
This is done in the same fashion as with a baby. You will hold the puppy with its tummy against your chest and shoulder. Gently pat the back until you hear a healthy burp come out.
Newborn puppies have no idea of the bowel elimination process. Normally the dam stimulates the anus which triggers the body to expel the bowel movement.
If you are on your own, taking care of a Chihuahua newborn, you will need to do this.
Using a soft, clean wash cloth the outside anus area of the puppy should be gently massaged. This will trigger a bodily response that will cause the puppy to eliminate.
Since this can be quite messy and the pup is certainly not old enough to be house trained, this can be done over newspapers which can then be quickly thrown away.
A Final Word
These weeks of bottle feeding your Chihuahua puppy will be very busy for you and very important to the health of your dog. With love, patience and time, in just 7 weeks or so, you will have a rambunctious Chi puppy running around your home.
If you have any concerns about the feeding of the pup or other health questions, speak to your dog's veterinarian right away. With newborns, a small issue can quickly worsen into a serious one. Don't forget that with The GIANT Book of Chihuahua Care
(in both print & eBook), you can earn all of the details of newborn Chihuahua care & tons of information for the lifetime of your Chi.
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