Why are my bottle-fed puppies dying, gasping, and bleeding?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do not think you did anything wrong but that this was a freak aspiration of the milk down the wind pipe (trachea). I would start weaning all the kittens now. Mix the formula in to canned kitten food and offer the bottle less and less. I recommend starting bottle fed kittens on kitten food starting at 3 weeks. I am so sorry this happened

Inhalation of even a small amount of milk in a tiny little puppy like this can be deadly if treatment is not instituted right away. Aspiration pneumonia is one of the most common causes of death in bottle babies. If you are noting significant coughing / choking, I would also keep an eye out for increased respiratory noises. This would include wheezing and raspy hoarse noises. If you hear this, it would probably be a good idea to stop feeding until you get him to the vet. At that point, the doctor will decide if providing additional nutrition orally is worth the risk, versus injectable nutrition. Hope this is help.

Poor puppies. It is hard to say what exactly was the underlying problem but these puppies undoubtedly suffered from fading puppy syndrome. Fading puppy syndrome affects puppies during the first 2 weeks of life and can be caused by a multitude of things including: cleft palate, infection, pneumonia, or other congenital abnormalities to their physical structures. on average we see about a 30% loss of life and puppies during the first two weeks. Although in your case this % is much higher. I don't know what you mean by your statement "the other two couldn't understand"? Unfortunately in most of these situations the puppies cannot be saved despite our best efforts. However you can do your part to give them the best chance of survival, by: 1) Providing warmth but don't overheat 2) Feed every 2 hrs if mama dog isn't nursing well 3) Stimulate to pee and poop every 2 hrs if mama dog isn't doing so 4) Get puppies checked out by the vet if any aren't eating well, appear blue in color (means not getting enough oxygen) or are not active (good energy level). Here is an excellent resource website to help guide you along the way. Hopefully you won't lose any more puppies from this litter and they all grow up to be happy healthy dogs. Best wishes!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Messiah is adorable! Choking is usually from the milk building up in the back of the throat or going down the wrong pipe (food/liquid should go down the esophagus not the trachea which is the tube that leads in to the lungs). He may be taking the bottle too fast, slow him down, hold him up for a while after , even try a different puppy formula. Also be sure to check the roof of his mouth to be sure there isn't a cleft palate (hole in roof of the mouth). I wish you the best!

Oh no. Breathing issue in a newborn are considered critical. Take a pediatric bulb syringe and suction out the nose and throat area for any residual liquid. I suspect that your puppy may have gotten fluid in the lungs. There could be a congenital defect (i.e. cleft palate) that could have caused this or it could have been accidentally done by aggressive feeding from the mother where milk went down the trachea instead of the esophagus. It is critical to take puppy to your ER vet if he continues to having difficulty breathing after you suction everything out well. He may need oxygen support (if tongue is blue or not oxygenating well) and antibiotics if he is found to have aspiration pneumonia. Constipation is also a concern but doesn't take precedence over the breathing problems. Please get puppy help asap because he is considered to be in critical condition and in need of medical assistance.

Hello there, Unfortunately, this sounds like he may have aspirated milk which can quickly lead to pneumonia in a pup this young. I would monitor Carter and his temperature very carefully (99.5-102.0 is normal) for signs of infection which include lethargy, weakness, labored breathing, and decreased appetite. If this occurs, I'd recommend getting Carter to the closest emergency veterinarian as soon as possible. At his young age and size, he can become dehydrated and very ill very quickly. Here are links from a website I trust. The first is on hand rearing pups, the second is on pneumonia. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951456 https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952113 I hope this helps. I wish you and Carter the best of luck.

Yes, this is a very bad sign, it means he has aspirated milk into his lungs, you must take him to the vet urgently, he will need antibiotic treatment. if you are the one feeding the puppy you need to be very very careful, you need to let the puppy suckle from the feeding bottle, never press or feed with a syringe.