Oh I am so sorry for you and Isis!

Pet Smart
10501 Gateway West
El Paso, Texas 79925

(915) 594-1696

Milk replacer, http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp?f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767076&categoryId=2767168&lmdn=Dog+Health+Care&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767168&fbc=1&fbn=Taxonomy%7CMilk+Replacers&fbx=0

Here4thePics wrote:

Pet Smart
10501 Gateway West
El Paso, Texas 79925

(915) 594-1696

Milk replacer, http://www.petsmart.com/family/index.jsp?f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767076&categoryId=2767168&lmdn=Dog+Health+Care&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767168&fbc=1&fbn=Taxonomy%7CMilk+Replacers&fbx=0

+900billion for Len!

Got some of this for now, Im curious how long it will last, how often/how much and such do I feed them?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=665

"Directions for Mixing Powder: Gently stir or shake 1 part powdered Esbilac into 2 parts warm water (a part may be a teaspoon, tablespoon, or cup). Do not mix more Esbilac than can be consumed in 24 hours. Do not use a blender. Reconstituted Esbilac should be kept refrigerated. One 12 oz. can of powder makes approximately 60 oz. (1800 mL) of liquid mixed 1:2.

Directions for Feeding (Powder or Liquid): If possible, puppies should receive their mother's milk for the first 24 to 48 hours. The first milk, known as colostrum, gives extra nutrition and temporary immunity against some diseases. Warm reconstituted Esbilac to room or body temperature before serving. Feed puppies 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of mixed Esbilac per 4 ounces (115 g) of body weight daily. The daily feeding amount should be divided into equal portions for each feeding. Puppies' needs will vary and this amount may have to be increased or decreased depending on the puppy. Young and/or weak puppies should be fed every 3 to 4 hours Older puppies can do well being fed every 8 hours. Weigh the puppies 3 times per week to ensure adequate feeding. Consult your veterinarian with feeding advice.

Storage: Reconstitued Powdered Esbilac must be kept refrigerated (up to 24 hours). Opened powder must be refrigerated (up to 3 months), or can be frozen for up to 6 months to preserve freshness. Liquid Esbilac must be refrigerated after opening. Discard after 72 hours. If freezing, do not freeze in original container. "

I'd call your vet and ask them for sure how often they should be fed just in case.

good idea

I try not to be too much in other people's business, but I can't believe that your vet let you leave there today with so little knowledge of how to care for these precious puppies!

I know that I have no knowledge of bottle feeding pups! I rescued a pregnant cat once and I was SO nervous that something would go wrong. I believe that the mother also has the responsibility of stimulating the kitten/puppy to poop and maybe to pee also. I think a bottle fed pup should be weighed daily and I'm sure there is a certain amount of weight gain you need to be looking for.

This is crazy! Again... If you were not given all this information by the vet who told you that the mother dog was incapable of caring for her pups, then I am VERY disappointed in that vet!!

@Lisa, well at that moment I had gone in to find out what was wrong with her and then we found out it was due to lack of milk production so they told me to just go to any pets store or walmart and buy puppy milk replacer and use it as directed on the can. I then realized after buying the can, I didnt see a part that said how often or what type of nipple to use.

You're right, Lisa. The mother is responsible for feeding, cleaning and stimulating the pups to go to the bathroom as puppies will not actively start going on their own for a few weeks (no control over when they go but they will eventually start to go on their own without the mother's stimulation) - if she truly is refusing the pups, Christina will have to take care of that herself.

Niraya wrote:

You're right, Lisa. The mother is responsible for feeding, cleaning and stimulating the pups to go to the bathroom as puppies will not actively start going on their own for a few weeks (no control over when they go but they will eventually start to go on their own without the mother's stimulation) - if she truly is refusing the pups, Christina will have to take care of that herself.

for some she does, for rest ive been getting a baby wipe and using it to stimulate their lil bums

By the sounds of it she hasn't refused the pups completely, if you can get her to stimulate the pups bowels as often as possible. We used to get Halli to do it, when she wasn't doing it on a regular basis like she should of been, by Holding the pup either gently on its back with its bum facing her, or holding it normal way up with its bum facing her, whichever way was easiest for her, and holding it up to her and getting her to lick the pup so it could go to the toilet. It's not fun, but until they open their eyes and start to open their ears they are 100% dependent on mum.

Try and get isis to do as much as you can if she still willing to be around the pups and get involved, will she let the pups lie with her, say once they had a feed, and are ready to sleep?

I found a couple sites that give some pretty good info on looking after newborn pups, lets you know feeding intervals and average weight gain.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-care-newborn-puppy-care.aspx
http://www.2ndchance.info/orphanpuppy.htm

I hope this helps, let me know if not. I am very sorry to hear about the situation, but as long as you still have 8 healthy pups, and a healthy mum then that is all that counts at the end of the day. It is a long road and sometimes a tough one hand raising pups (I'm not going to lie and sugar coat it) , it can also be rewarding, but you have a great community here to support you and give you any advice you need when you run into problems, we are all here for you, Isis and the pups. You are doing a great thing looking after them the way you are!

You can always lean on us for support, even if some of us are on the other side of the globe!

After having six kids, trust me, I am used to poopy things, and waking up every two hours to nurse them, lol this is something that just comes easy to me now :p

They are doing really well though, the vet says its just because she was malnourished her whole pregnancy pretty much and with increased food and water and giving her some time for her nipples to heal up that she will start producing milk, So what we have been doing is letting her try to nurse them a few times a day so that she still gets that stimulation from them, and bottle feeding the rest of the times so that she can rest and her poor nips take a break and give her body time to produce milk, she will make them go potty a few times a day, and we take over when she doesnt want to.

I cannot stress how lucky Isis is to have you in her life. I know it's been said a bajillion times before, but YOU ARE AMAZING!!!

how is it going with the puppies!

They are doing just fine, they are gaining weight as they should so far, they havent had any touble bottle feeding, poor guys though when we first fed them they just went crazy on the bottle, you could tell they had been so hungry.

awww well good that you are taking such good care of them! Aww can't wait to follow them through pics!

Bottle feeding 8 puppies takes a lot of time! I hope your kids are helping! lol. If not, you may want to ask the rescue if they can find foster homes for a few of them to take some of the bottlefeeding pressure off of you. At the shelter I foster for, they only give out 2 to 3 puppies to foster homes if they need to be bottle fed, cause if you have more by the time you're done feeding them once it's time to start feeding them again!

Glad to hear they are doing well. They are so lucky to have you looking after them.

Poor things! Just know that without stepping in and taking her there's no way they could have survived! You saved them all! Mom included!

You're doing great, Christina! Keep up the great work, those puppies and Isis are soooo lucky to have found you! Great job!