Cross Breeds

I am bottle feeding a litter of boxer puppies. After they eat from the bottle they hack and cough, why?

THeir mother feeds them, we are just helping her out because they seemed to be a little small.

Public Comments

1. Breast feeding is hard work for babies. In comparison, bottles are easy. They're made to get milk into babies quickly with little effort. So, babies think they have to suck hard to get anything, get a giant mouthful and choke when they suck on a bottle. Plus, bottle feeders sometimes get excited and feed the babies too fast. Not that you're doing anything wrong, it's just super, super easy to choke a baby when bottle feeding them. Tips for bottle feeding: LET THE MOTHER NURSE WHENEVER POSSIBLE. Unless she had 14 puppies, her body will naturally feed all of them exactly the nutrition they need. In the case of the mother's death, it's always best to find a "foster mom" of the same species before attempting bottle feeding. The bottle should drip when it's upside down. If it doesn't drip, cut more holes in it. DO NOT PUT THE PUPPY ON IT'S BACK. They must be on their tummies to eat. DRIP formula on their tongue. DO NOT squeeze milk into their mouths. Good luck.
2. Its normal. The pups just need to learn to to suck the milk from the bottle.
3. It would be best to call your breed mentor.
4. They need burped, just like human children do. Also make sure the nipple opening isn't too large. If they get formula too fast, they can develop aspiration pneumonia.
5. It sounds like maybe they are getting to much milk at one time from the bottle. I would try and let them drink some then give them a short brake to catch their breath so to speak. Have fun with all the puppies...... Peace....