Replacing mother's milk is serious business. No formula can replicate natural milk perfectly. Sometimes there's no choice. When a bitch has no milk, refuses to feed her pups or we are trying to cope with orphaned puppies, we can choose to buy a high quality formula like Esbilac or make our own. Frankly, I like Esbilac. It's convenient, consistent, and provides proper nutrition at a very critical stage of life. However, if you prefer to make your own, here are a few options:

From Dr. Pitcairn's book Natural Health for Dogs and Cats:
1 cup half and half (milk and cream)
2 medium egg yolks
2 tsp. protein powder
1/2 tsp bonemeal
1/4 cup water (boil it first if not of high quality)
liquid vitamins for children - a few drops

From Central Animal Hospital, Trindad, West Indies:
1 (one) cup whole (full cream) milk.
1 (one) teaspoon of corn (or other vegetable) oil.
1 (one) egg yolk (NO white).
1 (one) pinch of salt.
1 (one) drop of infant multivitamin supplement.
Blend the mixture. Warm to body temperature before feeding (in warm water ie. DO NOT HEAT DIRECTLY) Refrigerate unused portion. Discard any unused mixture after 24 hours.

Goat Milk Formula
I usually ask breeders who are my clients to keep some goat milk ready - just in case. When a client is faced with the challenge of needing a quick milk replacer before s/he can get to a store, I use the following:
1 cup goat milk
1 cup cream
2/3 cup boiled water
1 1/4 tsp bone meal powder
about 6 drops of corn syrup
When this is at body temperature, add about 6 drops of a children's multi vitamin (in liquid form). Over time, I've found that some newborn pups don't tolerate the addition of an egg yolk right away. However, if this formula is to be used for more than 24 hours, the addition of 3-4 egg yolks becomes necessary. If this isn't tolerated, protein powder (4 tsp) along with oil (I usually start by adding 1 tsp of safflower oil to the blend)can be helpful.

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