My Boxer Doesn't Have Enough Milk for Her Puppies

Boxer puppies whose dam is producing insufficient milk will need supplementary feeding as soon as possible. These tiny creatures need to stay warm, and it is best to return them to their mother between feeds so she can provide warmth and clean them. Puppies are stimulated to urinate and defecate by their mother's tongue, and the owner will need to take over this task, if their mother shows no interest. Gently wiping the puppy's genital area after each meal with a warm and soft cloth is all that is required.

  1. Fostering

    • Fostering your boxer puppies onto another female is often the most suitable option, provided the new bitch will accept the strange youngsters. Females that are nursing their own young are normally producing a fair amount of milk. The boxer puppies should ideally be wiped down with milk from the foster dam, which can be depressed from her hind teats, which typically produce the most milk. Strange puppies must not initially be left unsupervised with a foster mother, even if she allows them to nurse. These puppies can be returned to their own mother between feeds once the foster female has become accustomed to them nursing from her.

    Replacement Milk Formulas

    • Cow or goat milk is not an ideal replacement milk for boxer puppies. A number of well-formulated synthetic puppy formulas are available from your local veterinarian. These are normally available in powdered form and need to be reconstituted with water. Synthetic milk formulas should be warmed to body temperature before feeding. This is best done by placing the feeding bottle in a jug of warm water and testing the temperature of the formula, by dripping it onto your wrist, prior to feeding.

    Bottles

    • You can feed Boxer puppies using a small bottle. It is important to locate a bottle with a neck of the correct size to accept the nipple or teat that you are using. Teats for puppies are normally available from a veterinary practice, as are the correct-sized bottles. The boxer babies must be allowed to nurse from the teat themselves, as this ensures they are not getting too much formula into their mouths at once. Soft feeding bottles must never be squeezed, as this may force milk into the puppy's lungs. Newborn boxer puppies should be fed five to six times a day for the first week. By week two, the puppies can receive four feeds per day. Puppies can normally be allowed to take as much formula as they require at each feed.

    Eye Droppers and Tube Feeding

    • Day-old boxer puppies can be fed with an eye dropper, particularly if they are small, weak or premature. Milk formula should be dripped very slowly into the puppy's mouth, avoiding depositing it too far back, in case it is aspirated into the puppy's lungs. Caretakers need to be particularly careful if glass eyedroppers are being used, to prevent them from breaking in the puppy's mouth. Care must also be taken not to damage the puppy's mouth with the ridged eyedropper. Tube feeding is often preferred to using an eyedropper, but because the tube is passed directly into the puppy's stomach, this method should only be used by experienced feeders.