Hi Everyone!
My friend's maltese had puppies a few weeks ago. One of the puppies was not gaining weight, and she asked me to take a look at her (I am a nurse). Apparently she has a hare lip (cleft lip)- but no cleft palate. Her palate is normal.
Because she requires 24 hour care (I have been feeding her every 4 hours), she gave me the puppy. Mom was not feeding her because she was the runt of the litter. I found some homemade puppy formula recipe that has 10 times more caloric intake than commercial puppy formula, and she has been thriving. She is now almost 6 weeks old and the vet is amazed she is still alive.
She is a bit timid, but is healthy, and a happy little baby. Now it's the time to be starting to wean her off, but I know she cannot be placed on gruel (soft puppy food) since it will go into the cleft- and can cause pneumonia to develop. The vet isn't help at all, since he said that usually they just put these pups down. :angry:
Long story short- she is not able to chew on the hard puppy food yet although she does have some teeth, and I don't know what age I should introduce it. She is my first puppy, and it's very different than taking care of a human patient.
I love her, and I know every day she is on the formula is a chance that she can develop pneumonia from snorting the milk up her nose.
Any of you have any tips on weaning (even a normal pup)? It would help tremendously.
Here's a pic of her winking at me.
My friend's maltese had puppies a few weeks ago. One of the puppies was not gaining weight, and she asked me to take a look at her (I am a nurse). Apparently she has a hare lip (cleft lip)- but no cleft palate. Her palate is normal.
Because she requires 24 hour care (I have been feeding her every 4 hours), she gave me the puppy. Mom was not feeding her because she was the runt of the litter. I found some homemade puppy formula recipe that has 10 times more caloric intake than commercial puppy formula, and she has been thriving. She is now almost 6 weeks old and the vet is amazed she is still alive.
She is a bit timid, but is healthy, and a happy little baby. Now it's the time to be starting to wean her off, but I know she cannot be placed on gruel (soft puppy food) since it will go into the cleft- and can cause pneumonia to develop. The vet isn't help at all, since he said that usually they just put these pups down. :angry:
Long story short- she is not able to chew on the hard puppy food yet although she does have some teeth, and I don't know what age I should introduce it. She is my first puppy, and it's very different than taking care of a human patient.
I love her, and I know every day she is on the formula is a chance that she can develop pneumonia from snorting the milk up her nose.
Any of you have any tips on weaning (even a normal pup)? It would help tremendously.
Here's a pic of her winking at me.
