How & When To Tube Feed
Every now and then a puppy will be born without the ability to nurse. They may be too weak, they may lack a suck reflex, or they may have a cleft palate. When any of these occur and a puppy won’t or can’t suckle, you will need to know how to tube feed them. What is the process? How much do you feed? How often? Knowing what to do before you are faced with this scenario may mean the difference between a puppy dying, or a puppy surviving.
Every breeder should know the basics
of how to tube feed, and have the
proper items on hand to do so.
We have a tube feeding kit on hand at all times that includes several sizes of feeding tubes, several sizes of syringes, and a good formula ready in a can or powder form. We also use a homemade formula recipe from Leerburg Kennels, but when needing formula quickly having ready made on hand is critical. The items we recommend having in your feeding kit are:
Sterile Feeding tubes - 3.5 French and 5 French are most commonly used for newborn puppies.
Syringes - 6 cc, 12 cc, and 20 cc syringes, Regular Luer or Luer Lock
Powdered or canned puppy formula
Once we’ve determined that a puppy isn’t nursing and has an issue that requires tube feeding, we assemble the items above. The first step is to mark the feeding tube with a black sharpie that shows us how far to insert so we have reached the stomach and not the lungs. It is critical that you do not get the feeding tube into the lungs, or you will drown your puppy.
How do you measure and
know how much tube to insert?
Hold the feeding end of the tube right at the lower stomach level on the puppy and hold it there with your finger.
While holding the feeding end at stomach level, line the tube up the body following the contour of the neck and mouth until you reach the entrance of the mouth.
Mark that spot with a black sharpie or piece of masking tape.
For a video tutorial on tube feeding, please visit our FREEBIES page and scroll down to the video section.
It is highly recommended to watch the tube feeding video, and to understand these steps
below for tube feeding a puppy.
Once you’ve marked your feeding tube, make the formula and pull up the amount you will feed into the syringe and attach the syringe to the proper end of the feeding tube.
Dip the full length of the feeding tube into some extra formula to lubricate it.
Slowly insert the tube into the side of the mouth and slide gently in as puppy swallows the tube. They may fight it at first, but once it is past the back of the throat it is usually fairly easy to slide the remaining portion down quickly. If you sense any resistance before you’ve reached the black sharpie mark, you have likely entered the lungs and you need to back out and try again.
Once the tube has been slid in all the way to the mark, you begin slowly pushing the formula through the syringe.
When done feeding, quickly pull the feeding tube out.
Detach the syringe and pull up hot water into it, reattach to the feeding tube and push the hot water through the tube to clear it of formula residue.
Detach syringe from the feeding tube and set everything aside for the next feeding.
Tube feeding a newborn puppy will need to be done every 2-3 hours round the clock for the first two weeks. After that, you can increase the time between feedings to 3-4 hours. It is easy when exhausted to want to push the time longer during the nighttime, but a newborn puppy or weak puppy will need to be fed at least every 2-3 hours, if you want to give them the best chance at surviving.
If the need for tube feeding was due to a weak suck reflex, you may only need to tube feed for a few days as puppy gains strength. Allow puppy to try to suckle and watch them closely, once they are successfully nursing on their own, you will eliminate the tube feedings.
If tube feeding is due to a cleft palate, you will need to tube feed until puppy can be taught to eat normal food or has cleft palate surgery. Consult with a soft tissue specialist as soon as possible for their recommendations on how and when to try and teach puppy to eat solids. The degree of the cleft and the location of it will determine whether or not a puppy can be taught to eat solids before having the cleft repaired.
The chart here is a basic guideline for how much to feed during a 24 hour time frame. Divide the cc’s below by 12 to determine the amount to feed if you are tubing every 2 hours. Divide the cc’s below by 8 to determine the amount to feed if you are tubing every 3 hours.
Puppy Weight Amount of Formula To Feed Daily
1-3 oz 15 cc (1.25 cc every 2 hours OR 1.90 every 3 hours)
4-5 oz 30 cc
6-7 oz 45 cc
8-9 oz 60 cc
10 oz 75 cc
11 oz 80 cc
12 oz 90 cc
13 oz 100 cc
14-15 oz 105 cc
16-17 oz 120 cc
18-19 oz 135 cc
20-21 oz 150 cc
22-23 oz 165 cc
24-25 oz 180 cc
26-27 oz 195 cc
28-29 oz 210 cc
30-31 oz 225 cc
If you are feeding a puppy long term, continue to increase the amount being fed at each feeding as puppy weight increases.
Understanding how to tube feed and having the proper supplies on hand will allow you to deal with a puppy that is need of help eating, without the stress of trying to figure it all out at that moment. We believe being proactive about understanding the possible scenarios any breeder may encounter is practicing good animal husbandry.
Anyone choosing to breed, should be knowledgeable and prepared.
Breeding is a responsibility. Knowing what common scenarios you may encounter are important, and being prepared to deal with those is critical. Your puppies are relying on you to care for them. It is my hope that you will put together your own feeding kit and have everything ready when it is needed. There is nothing worse than to be faced with a situation and not have the tools needed to deal with it. Be prepared. Be proactive.
For feeding tubes, syringes, & formula:
Revival Animal www.revivalanimal.com
Life Line Pet Supplies www.lifelinepetsupplies.com