Ok, so there's this girl on another forum I'm on. She's .... dim ..... to say the least. Last night, her mother-in-law's Pomeranian, which she didn't even know was pregnant (!!) had a litter of puppies. I don't know WHY in high heaven, but she posted that she was feeding the puppies her own breast milk! She recently had a baby herself, god help it. I can only assume that the puppies weren't feeding from their mother, but is this OK?? She's not the kind of person to take advice or respond to any questions, but I'm so worried about the puppies :/
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! hmmm....quite mad, I would have thought. True or not, still a mad thing to post.
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! My word!! The mind truly boggles!! On a sensible note.....if cows milk isn't ok for human babies without modification I would suggest that milk isn't necessarily transferable between animals. She should get puppy milk, probably from a vet!!!
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! I know! I've asked why she was doing it, suggested that it might not be the best idea and that, if the puppies aren't feeding from their mum that they should be calling a vet immediately. She's completely bonkers though and won't reply to anything that isn't people cooing over her telling her what a hero she is :/
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! Maybe she's a troll? On another weird note, I knew a lady years ago that made rice pudding for her family from her breast milk, just nuts. x
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! On a purely nutritional note, no it isn't ok, breast milk is high in sugar and designed for creatures that grow slowly and aren't weaned until two or three years old. Bitches milk is designed for rapid growth and is completely different with regards to proportions of sugar, protein etc.
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! [quote author=editor link=topic=9291.msg133472#msg133472 date=1420028864] On a purely nutritional note, no it isn't ok, breast milk is high in sugar and designed for creatures that grow slowly and aren't weaned until two or three years old. Bitches milk is designed for rapid growth and is completely different with regards to proportions of sugar, protein etc. [/quote] Thanks Pippa, I'll pass that along, although I'm sure it will fall on deaf ears [quote author=charlie link=topic=9291.msg133470#msg133470 date=1420028715] Maybe she's a troll? [/quote] Sadly not, she's just incredibly immature and stupid in every way! That's my polite words. [quote author=charlie link=topic=9291.msg133470#msg133470 date=1420028715] On another weird note, I knew a lady years ago that made rice pudding for her family from her breast milk, just nuts. x [/quote] I know it shouldn't be, but to me that's so wrong! Bleurgh!
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=9291.msg133476#msg133476 date=1420029404] I know it shouldn't be, but to me that's so wrong! Bleurgh! [/quote] I agree and I never accepted a dinner invitation again x
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! [quote author=snowbunny link=topic=9291.msg133476#msg133476 date=1420029404] I know it shouldn't be, but to me that's so wrong! Bleurgh! [/quote] No, I think it's fine to think that's bleurgh! As we grow up we need to move on nutritionally from breast milk to solid food, and I think adults not wanting to drink breast milk is all part of that inbuilt thing which stops us eating things that are harmful to us, or look or smell like they might be. Sometimes, intuitive reflex is right!!
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! I'm sticking up for the breast feeding girl. Sometimes we are forced into decisions we would rather not take. If you were suddenly presented with a litter of tiny puppies who were not feeding and couldn't get hold of a Vet, would you simply let them starve or do your darnedest to keep them alive?
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! Yup, that's fair enough - if she's in the middle of nowhere, really in the middle of nowhere in a huge country. Like a place so remote you can't get Amazon prime deliveries. If she is within a drive of a city or moderately lage town, in a first world country, she can find an emergency vet.
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! [quote author=Mollly link=topic=9291.msg133554#msg133554 date=1420050883] I'm sticking up for the breast feeding girl. Sometimes we are forced into decisions we would rather not take. If you were suddenly presented with a litter of tiny puppies who were not feeding and couldn't get hold of a Vet, would you simply let them starve or do your darnedest to keep them alive? [/quote] True.....I'm not sure I'd tell everyone on the interweb though unless I was genuinely after some advice and couldn't get to a vet
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! So, she says the mum rejected two of the pups, so she used her milk to keep them going. Maybe fair enough overnight (although I would still have called a vet immediately - she lives in the middle of a large town and isn't living on the breadline), but she continued doing so the next day, when, IMO, she should have DEFINITELY called the vet! They lost one, which may or may not have been saved by immediate medical attention. I'm afraid I can't stick up for her because she's an idiot and doesn't think of the consequences of anything she does.
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! I wasn't suggesting she actually suckle them. If she has recently given birth herself her hormones will be all over the place and she will be feeling that all life is truly precious. It is an absolute fact that the milk of each species is tailor made to raise its young. Most humans are raised on cow's milk which is designed for rapid physical growth, but they seem to prosper. Yes, obviously a Vet's intervention would have been preferable, but over the holidays that has not always been possible. My 3½ year old Granddaughter had to be taken to Accident and Emergency over Christmas because she had an ear infection, All the Mum's on the site will know that ear infections are tremendously painful and are allied with high temperatures and so easily fixed with a quick trip to the Docs for antibiotics. Despite living in a modern town there was no GP cover. To digress slightly...lets hear it for antibiotics (not the Universal panacea that some people regard them as) but pretty marvelous. When I was at school (I am in my late 60's) there were girls in my class whose hearing had been damaged by ear infections.
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! Oh Goodness......think you've been very diplomatic and restrained Fiona.....my take on it is emergencies require emergency response and thinking out of the box .....but then when the time of crisis has passed you seek appropriate help x
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! Oh what a silly woman. My mother a midwife , always says babies are not to be fed milk designed for a cow, it makes sense, speceis appropriate feeding. Maybe she got really desperate and had a mad moment, but to continue with this ridiculous behaviour and not call a vet is mad mad mad .
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! I think she's been badgered enough and has got some puppy milk from her vet, but a more knowledgeable friend of hers has been around and re-introduced pup and mum... mum has now accepted her and she's feeding normally. So, a 50% happy ending. I don't know enough about breeding (dogs or humans!) to know, but isn't that first suckle from the mum really important? Colostrum or something? Anyway, I'm pleased she (eventually) saw sense and allowed some intervention. I know inter-species feeding can work on occasion - did you see that amazing story of the cat who adopted the ducklings a few months back?! But, that's the exception rather than the norm.
Re: Feeding puppies human breast milk?!?!?! Colostrum is important and mums milk is best (whatever species that might be) but as a very well thought of paediatrician told me when we were struggling....formula milk isn't poison and plenty of babies do perfectly well on it I would hope the same is true for puppies and this little one will go on to thrive!
