# need a surrogate mom



## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

My daughters friends dog had complications and died during puppy birth, 3 of the pups survived and they have been trying to hand rear them but he works way to much and has no time.... so I am looking for a surrogate mom for them, if not looks I will be hand raising 3 pups and looking to find them homes, they are approx 2 weeks give or take. I will be contacting some of the pit bull rescues I know, but most are so overwhelmed..... I only home I don't become a surrogate/foster failure, 3 pups will be a handful, add in 2 geriatrics pups (one with possible dementia starting) and a 4 year old pup........ I MUST BE NUTS!!!!!!


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

Woah! That's definitely nuts. There is lots about hand rearing puppies though. I've heard of some doing litters as big as eight. Most use Esbiliac or goat's milk and start to wean around four weeks.


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## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

I hand reared a litter of eight pups(along with many other smaller litters before and after) I have had much success with goats milk and will never go back to the formula. I usually mix yogurt in with the goats milk to thicken it and a few eggs depending on the litter size to give them a bit more protein....I do not always use the eggs though, just depends on the health of the litter. Eight pups were a HANDFUL and Im not sure if I could ever do that again, but 2 or 3 is a much more manageable amount. Just make sure they are fed, pottied, clean, and warm.....oh and loved! Nothing more rewarding than raising babies!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

If only this were about 7 weeks later and not on the opposite side of the country, I'll have two lactating bitches then. >.<
I will recommend this homemade formula recipe though. I had a small pup in my last litter that I lightly supplemented and she gained and developed quite nicely. 

10 oz Whole Goat's Milk 
1 raw egg yolk 
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 Tsp Karo Syrup

I also put the food I weaned to through a coffee grinder and mixed it with this when I started weaning. At that point I skipped out on the karo syrup.


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## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

Hey Linsey,

with that recipe, how many feedings for how many pups is that? I lost my recipe that I use to use, although I believe it was pretty similar to what you just listed.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

I also recommend the Leerburg Formula Leerburg | Bottle Feeding

That link will tell you how much you need to be feeding depending on current weight. I personally prefer to tube feed my formula over bottle feeding but I have been shown how to do it. A year and a half ago I hand raised 13 puppies after my bitch got mastitis. It takes a lot of work and needs to be done every 3 hrs or they can become dehydrated. Remember to burp them after bottling and stimulate them to go to the bathroom after each feeding.

Good luck! You have a long road ahead of you.


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## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

you tube fed 13?!! geez, props to you. I had to tube feed my 8 for about 2 weeks because by the time I got them half of them had aspirated and had pneumonia from the owner of the mother trying to bottle feed with a baby bottle. I originally had 10, but lost two the very first night. After the first two weeks all were well and were able to move onto a puppy bottle by the time they were three weeks old. I hate having to tube feed, but will do if necessary for their survival. I hope you had help, 13 pups must have taken forever!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

RiverRun said:


> Hey Linsey,
> 
> with that recipe, how many feedings for how many pups is that? I lost my recipe that I use to use, although I believe it was pretty similar to what you just listed.


That depends HUGELY on size/age of the puppy. Plus, I was only supplementing one pup with it, she was still nursing for most of her nutrition. If I were rough estimating, it makes roughly the equivalent of a can and a half of commercial formula.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

RiverRun said:


> you tube fed 13?!! geez, props to you. I had to tube feed my 8 for about 2 weeks because by the time I got them half of them had aspirated and had pneumonia from the owner of the mother trying to bottle feed with a baby bottle. I originally had 10, but lost two the very first night. After the first two weeks all were well and were able to move onto a puppy bottle by the time they were three weeks old. I hate having to tube feed, but will do if necessary for their survival. I hope you had help, 13 pups must have taken forever!


Yep, 13 big beautiful babies from 2 days old until they were 4 weeks. Took me about 20 minutes from start to finish and no I didnt have any help what so ever. Tubing is far safer than bottle feeding, you dont need to worry about gas or aspiration.


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