thats good to know, I thought it was 1 week and we were behind. Ok, I'll put the tube up and just let them nurse.

Heather

so keep feeding them. I would not top them off with a tube, you dont know how much is in the stomach and you can give them to much then they get pneumonia from aspiration or over flowing.

Let them nurse 15 to 20 minutes then, potty and back to bed.

Vicky,
Bosco, Bella, Breve' & Holly

www.LangagerBulldogs.com

PHOTOS ARE PROPERTY OF LANGAGER BULLDOGS, YOU MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR ANY USE OF THESE PHOTOS FROM LANGAGERBULLDOG.

I stay sitting right next to them, she isn't careful enough with her feet to be left alone. I just meant that I don't pull them away as soon as they are done nursing, mom and pups both fall asleep and someone once told me that they imprint at that time. I'm not even sure what that means, but they said it was good. LOL. My babies sleep in their box next to my bed at night and I keep mom downstairs because she "frets" when they are close by and can't get to them.

~Heather


PS-Good advice though, never leave bully pups unattended (and that includes with mom)!!!

I'll tell you you better be careful leaving the pups with her at night when you are not watching them 24/7 because it only takes a second for her to smother the pup. Be careful. I usually don't let them stay with her till they are at least 3 weeks old and are bigger. Congratulations on the litter and good luck.
Roanne

Thanks so much for the replies. Yes, mom is now cleaning them and they are allowed to fall asleep with her (we stay right there though). Right now they are eating about every 3.5 hours. I am not tubing them anymore except when I "top them off" after they nurse mom before bed (around midnight). We get up again around 4am and I tube them and let them nurse too.

I am concerned that they haven't "doubled" their birth weight, but from yesterday to today they gained 2-3.5 ounces overnight. So maybe they'll start putting more weight on. Thanks for the advice, it is really great to be able to benefit from everyones experiences.

~Heather

then they should be feed every 4 hours but you can go 6 hours at night. They should be feed every 4 hours until they are on grewl at 3-4 weeks. Then they can go 7 hours at night, but should be feed every 4-5 hours until they are 6-7 weeks then they can go 5-6 hours but should be feed no less then 4 x per day.


I put as much food down as they will eat, left over food goes in the fridge until the next feeding. I dont measure the food just put alot in the dish for them to eat. They will stop, poop and sleep

Vicky,
Bosco, Bella, Breve' & Holly

www.LangagerBulldogs.com

PHOTOS ARE PROPERTY OF LANGAGER BULLDOGS, YOU MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR ANY USE OF THESE PHOTOS FROM LANGAGERBULLDOG.

I would nowt be allowing them to go through the night without a feed. At most I would be leaving them 4 hours if they are sleeping.

I agree, that the pups should gain an average of 1 to 1.5 ozs per day, but they don't always gain in that steady of a line, and as long as they gain more than half that amount they should be doing well. Its been several years since my last litter but the info remains constant...and my pups' birth-weight was much like the ones described, close to one pound each (litters usually 6 pups).

Are you beginning to space out the feedings, to every 3 or 3.5hrs and are they getting cleaned up by mama? Sounds like you have a good rhythm going.

When we had our first litter someone told me the pups should gain a pound a week. I thought this reasonable at the time since the pups arrived 15, 16, & 17 oz and those pups gained the pound per week. Then a couple litters later we got a litter of premies-6-10 oz pups-failure to thrive pups averaged 3-4 oz a week, at 6 weeks weighed 2 lbs-by 12 weeks were 10-12 lbs and finally caught up. So I guess my point is, there may be a chart-but it's not set in stone and as long as they are gaining you are making headway. My basic expectations on my litters is if they gain their birth weight each week-then we are fine and I've not had problems doing it this way.
L

PS-I've never had very young puppies wake me up-you are lucky!!

Laura
Thunderstruck Bulldogs
http://sitekreator.com/thunderstruckbulldog/index.html

To those who understand no explanation is needed. To those who don't no explanation is possible.