Liquid Life Aid - Made by Norbrook available from vets [if not in stock can usually be ordered within 24 hours]. Must be liquid and not powder. Dilute Life Aid 8ml -100ml with cold tap water [2ml - 25ml water].

Mix made up Life aid ie: 75ml of the diluted Life Aid to 25ml Carnation Evaporated Milk. [ie: one quarter Carnation to three quarters Life Aid].   Move onto half Carnation half Life Aid when puppy gets to a week old. If puppy is only bottle fed with no milk from mum at all, add 3 drops of ABIDEC [available from any baby food stockists] and 3 drops of liquid Calcium [available from chemist or vets] per bottle.

If tube feeding use F4 Nasal Tube give 1ml milk for every once puppies body weight every 2 hours. If a puppy is dehydrated, you can tell this by pinching the skin at the back of the neck, andif it doesn't immediately return to shape then you must re-hydrate puppy BEFORE you give any milk. Life Aid and water is also used to re-hydrate a puppy.

Similarly if a puppy is too hot or too cold. If puppy is too hot, the inside of the mouth and pads will be dark red/purple and you must remove from heat source. If a puppy is too cold the gums and inside of the mouth and pads will be pale pink/grey. Warm up on a heat pad by turning every 15 minutes. Normal colour should be rosy pink and puppy should feel warm to the touch.  Do not feed milk until the puppies temperature is normal.

If an infection is suspected, the glands will be up. Run finger from back of puppies ear to to underneath the jaw, if the glands are up you will feel a bump either side. Treat with liquid antibiotics from vet.

We would like to thank Caroline Tipper (Tiganlea) for sharing this recipe with us.