Having to tube feed any animal has always been a challenge for me, because I worry about “get it wrong,” thus doing more harm than good. I’ve had to tube feed goats and puppies over the years and took the advise of my veterinarian who told me, “Look at it as if you don’t they won’t make it, because they probably won’t if you don’t.” The vet always supplied me with the red feeding tubes, which I found tended to be rather stiff in my opinion, thus not very forgiving. That did not help me feel any more comfortable when it came to tube feeding.
With my last litter in 2021 of Corgis, the dam developed Excess Fetal Membrane Fluid, or (in dogs) Canine Maternal Hydrops. She showed no outwardly visible signs such as edema or being lethargic. I did not think much of periodic urine dribble 6 days before her due date. 24 hours later, she went into labor, then I knew something was horribly wrong. Her labor quickly stalled and I headed for the vet. An ultrasound was done which showed puppies were in distress, but the excess fluid was still not obvious. I was given the option of meds to stimulate labor or do a c-section. I went with my gut and said c-section. It was not until the vet got in there that it was obvious there was a problem. Then, it was even obvious to me that there was too much fluid in her tubes that you really could not see the puppies. The choice of a c-section had been the right one!
If we have to do a c-section, we try to have one person per puppy based on the number expected by the x-ray done 7-10 days prior to the due date. That day we also had the advantage of both vets being on hand, so we had one vet to assist with the puppies after delivery as well. I feel so fortunate for that and the fact the the vet doing the c-section was familiar with “Hydrops” having seen it in horses, sheep, and cows before, so she acted quickly and was able to pull add through Ady and 4 of the 5 puppies survived. The 5th was barely breathing. It was a fighter and almost pulled through. The vet told me that Ady probably would not come into her milk because of delivering so early plus due to the hydramnios/hydrops, so I should “prepare for the long haul of tube feeding and bottle feeding puppies.”
I suddenly very felt ill prepared despite the feeding kit I had waiting at home of red feeding tubes, syringes, the standard puppy/kitten bottles and nipples you can find in stores (which I’d never had much luck with) and Miracle Nipples along with the goat milk I had waiting at home. 20 years of raising goats and 6 years of raising Corgis seemed like nothing facing the task of caring for Ady’s puppies as well as Ady. I’ve learned animal mama’s also tend to know when something is wrong and I knew Ady. I’ve seen the extremes; the ones that refuse to have anything to do with a weak baby and I’ve seen the ones that look longingly at me to help save their baby. I knew Ady would be giving me those sad brown eyes pleading for me to save her puppies and I felt unequal to the task.
It was that sinking feeling that I needed better solutions that had me immediately began an internet search. Thankfully, I came across Life Line Pet Supplies, where I learned about these clear feeding tubes as well as the Dr. Brown’s supplies they carry. It was the reviews that sold me on trying them. I paid for 2nd day shipping and my order arrived quickly as I used red feeding tubes in the meantime.
The clear feeding tubes (I have 3.5fr and 5fr on hand) are so much more flexible than most of the red feeding tubes I've used. Their softness and flexibility make me more comfortable tube feeding. I’m a very visual person, so the clear tube also means I can see the goat milk passing through the tube, which is comforting and eliminates any guess work. Being clear I am also assured I’ve gotten it as clean as possible. I measure the puppy as my veterinarian taught me years ago and place a piece of painters tape on the tube to mark how far in the tube should go.
After several days, I was able to get 3 puppies onto the Dr. Brown’s Accu-Feed bottle with the Ultra Preemie nipple. The 4th puppy resisted everything, even tube feeding was a huge challenge with her. She fought it with all the strength she had! Thankfully and as I expected Ady (she was as determined as I knew she would be) came into her milk it just took 2 weeks.
My newborn kit will never be without these clear feeding tubes, painter’s tape, an assortment of Dr. Brown’s bottles & nipples, Miracle nipples, an assortment of NeoMed syringes and Dr. Brown’s bottle warmer!
Before storing the feeding tubes, I make sure they’re completely dry, then put them in a zip lock bag (getting out as much air as possible) before putting them back into my newborn kit. Then store the whole kit in a cool dark place to help prolong the life of the tubing. I keep powdered goat milk on hand in the freezer to prolong its shelf life as well.