My newborn puppy won't drink milk replacer. Is human formula bad?

I’m sure there are puppies that can survive when fed human formula but it does not provide optimal nutrition for them. There may not have been commercial puppy milk replacer when your grandmother raised her orphan puppy, but now that puppy milk replacer is readily available it is a much better choice.

You will need to bottle feed or tube feed the puppy if she is not nursing from the mom enough. You also want to weigh the puppy every day to make sure is getting enough milk to grow. She does not need medications, she needs milk. Puppy milk replacer (not just cow or goat milk) will have all of the necessary vitamins, protein, fat, and sugar that her body needs.

While there are some recipes available online they are not nutritionally balanced. Some people also will recommend using goats milk but it is also not ideal for a puppy's nutritional requirements and can cause either constipation or diarrhea. If you cannot find puppy milk replacer like Esbilac at a pet supply or feed store I'd recommend contacting a veterinarian near you. You can also order it online. Emergency veterinary clinics are often willing to sell milk replacer from their stock if you need it on an urgent basis.

These pups will need to be given supplemental heat through a heating pad. They will also need to be bottle fed with a milk replacement supplement. Everything you need should be able available to you through most pet stores or big-box stores. Newborn puppies will require bottle feeding up to every 2-3 hours for the first week or so of their life if they make it. Sometimes, the mother will reject the puppies if she senses they are sick in some way as well. Also, important to note that some puppies just fail to thrive and it isn't the fault of the mother or the person who is trying to care for them. Give it your best shot and best of luck!

There are commercial puppy formulas that are the best option, but there are some homemade puppy formulas as well. I am attaching a handout below on caring for orphan puppies. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576 It recommends the following formula for puppies if a commercial formula is not available. "Makeshift Formula until Commercial Formula can be Obtained Puppies 1 cup whole milk 1 tsp. salad oil 1 drop multi-vitamins (if you have any) 2 egg yolks" Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

First, I would definitely recommend having the litter and mom examined by your vet - there are a number of health problems that could be making the dam reject the puppies. In general a one week old puppy should be eating about 22-30 ml of commercial puppy milk replacer (such as Esbilac) per day, and should be fed every 2-3 hours. This link has more information on caring for an orphan puppy. I would not recommend using a home made emergency milk replacer recipe. https://www.petcoach.co/article/orphaned-puppies-how-to-raise-them/

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If they are 4 weeks old now you can mix the milk replacer with canned puppy food and put it on a plate (not a bowl) for all of them to eat. Hopefully she will be interested in this food and can get her nutrients that way. Good luck and kisses to the pups!