by Cole
(Cape Town, South Africa)
Hi There
My baby had HER FIRST litter of 11 pups, 2 days ago. Only 4 left. Seven pups had died since birth. They all have white patches on their chest is that normal, will their colour change (or what does this mean).
Also the vet advised we not bottle feed and to let nature take it’s course.Told me that bottle feeding wasn’t a good idea. I somehow feel they just wanted nature taking its course. What are the pros & cons about bottle feeding.
Thanks
Cole
Hi Cole
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of all these puppies, Rottweilers do tend to have big litters and 11 puppies is really too many for a female to deal with without help.
It’s difficult to advise on the bottle feeding situation as I’ve no idea why these puppies have died and if there is some type of congenital abnormality or an illness that is causing this to happen. If for example the pups were born too soon or have a genetic condition that’s incompatible with a normal life, then I can understand the philosophy of ‘letting nature take it’s course’. Although, I’m not certain I would follow it unless there was no hope.
However, if these puppies were born full term, and seem normally developed, and they’re dying because the mom can’t/won’t feed them, or hasn’t got enough milk, etc. then I certainly wouldn’t advise just letting them die! Bottle feeding puppies can be tricky, especially if they’re weak already, but if you can do it successfully it can give them a chance of growing up.
Tube feeding is more effective in sickly or weak puppies, but does have risks involved and you’d need your vet to show you how it’s done. Whether you tube feed or bottle feed, you need to use a milk formula suitable for puppies. You can buy these in powdered form, or ready made, in many stores or can make your own at home. Here’s a link to what I think is the best information on the web about feeding newborn puppies… Bottle Feeding Puppies. It literally tells you everything you need to know.
As for the white patches on the puppies coat, this isn’t exactly ‘normal’ but it does happen. Usually one, or both, of the parent dogs are carrying the genes for this coat variation, and it comes from some of the oldest Rottweiler bloodlines. There used to be more acceptable color variations in coat than there are today, and you can I mention it on my Rottweiler Dogs page and my Rare Rottweilers page.
A few white hairs is acceptable and often disappear as the pup grows, however white ‘patches’ are a disqualifying fault in terms of show conformation.
I hope this info. helps and that these remaining puppies survive. Best of luck.