What's tube feeding, i know its got something to do with puppies between 1-3 weeks but what is it ?

I have a feeling its something to do with a tube :D

It's where a measured tube is passed into the stomach and bitches milk alternative is injected down the tube. It is faster to tube feed than to bottle feed a hand reared litter but there is always the danger of getting the tube into the lungs unless you know exactly what you are doing. It is also thought that puppies need the exercise they get from suckling. So while tube feeding hand reared litters was quite common in the 60's I don't think it's much done now. The only reason I can think of for using it in preference to bottle feeding is in the short term for a puppy that had become too weak to suckle.

Hey thanks for the information.

I got a new book called " All about Dobermanns" and it mention tube feeding in its chapter about breeding but it never explained what it was ? or what it involed.

Thanks again

I once had a puppy that simply couldn't suck.  The vet could find no reason for it, so gave me a cat's catheter tube, which was the right size for tube-feeding the pup.  I fed her this way for nearly a week, but she still couldn't suck either from her mum or from a bottle.  I spent hours opening her mouth round a teat, but she just lolled off.  In the end the vet was convinced something was very amiss with her, and it would be very wrong to carry on tube feeding her, so she was put to sleep.

>there is always the danger of getting the tube into the lungs unless you know exactly what you are doing.

well, not really. If you were to get the tube down the lungs, you'd have to push against some resistance. When the tube goes down the RIGHT way, it just glides down without resistance. Therefore if you notice any resistance you stop.

<well, not really. If you were to get the tube down the lungs, you'd have to push against some resistance.>

There is resistance even when going into the stomach (with humans anyway) so it would take some experience to know exctly where the tube was going, once it has arrived it can be tested so you can be sure before you put anything down but when it is on its way you have little control. 

Well that's humans. LOL. There really is no resistance with puppies and kittens if you are in the right place. To end up in the lungs you would have to push hard indeed so it is virtually impossible to go wrong. I was taught by a vet at a seminar how to do it and have since done it with both kittens and puppies.

Well I certainly wouldn't like to give people with no training or experience the idea that tube feeding is safe in their hands. BTW why were you tube feeding the puppies and kittens?

There's plenty of times when a newborn for a variety of reasons is too weak to be able to suckle, and if unable to suckle, attempting to bottlefeed would kill as then the milk most likely would go down the wrong way and cause pneumonia. Tubefeeding is then the only option other than PTS, it is very commonly done in cats as it is safer. Certainly unless you have a strong animal that will suckle of its own accord it is always safer than bottle feeding. At times of course the reason for why the baby was weak may be that something is wrong with it and it isn't going to live or isn't going to be healthy and is better off PTS, but equally many times it is just a case of it needing a kick start to gain some strength and be able to suckle, and after a day or two it will be able to at best start feeding off the mother, at worst be bottle fed. So it's simply a way of saving lives, and to find out if the weakling has a chance of survival or not.