Colostrum Substitute for Dogs and Cats: What Every Breeder Should Know

As a cat or dog breeder, you are sure to have puppy milk ready before every birth in case of emergencies. But have you also thought of a colostrum concentrate? It provides newborn puppies with vital antibodies and should not be missing from any birth checklist!

Even if our northern German drizzle weather looks as if it will never end: Spring is already in the starting blocks and with it, many little kittens and puppies will soon tumble into the world again.

If everything is going it’s a natural way, the little rascals start drinking their mother’s milk as soon as possible after birth because this very first milk – the colostrum – really packs a punch!

What is Colostrum?

The first milk called colostrum (or colostrum) is only formed around the time of birth and differs significantly from the later “mature” breast milk. It not only provides the newborn with energy but also with a cocktail of antibodies that protect them from many pathogens and with growth factors for their still immature digestive system.

Why is Colostrum so Important for Newborn Cats and Dogs?

When puppies and kittens are born, they have energy reserves for the first eight to ten hours. After that, they start to have hypoglycemia and can no longer maintain their body temperature. So getting energy as soon as possible is very important for little ones, and colostrum is an absolute energy bomb.

The really unique thing about colostrum, however, is its very high content of maternal antibodies, the immunoglobulins (especially IgG, IgA, IgM). Small cats and dogs are born with an immature immune system that is not yet able to protect them against the pathogens in their environment. The blood of newly born puppies contains just three percent of the number of antibodies that their mother has in their blood. They only get enough protective immunoglobulins (also called maternal antibodies) from the colostrum.

In order for the oral vaccination to be effective, the puppies’ intestinal wall must be permeable for the immunoglobulins from the colostrum so that they can get into the puppies’ blood. This only works freely in the first 24 hours of each puppy’s life. After that, the permeability of the intestinal wall continues to decrease.

The amount of immunoglobulins is also highest in the very first sips of colostrum from each teat. The longer the puppies suckle, the “mature” the milk becomes and the fewer antibodies it contains.

The mother’s antibodies absorbed with the colostrum protect the puppies during the first one to two months of life. During this time, their own immune system can mature.

But colostrum can do even more: In recent years, scientists have been working intensively on the various ingredients contained in first milk, such as immune messengers (e.g. cytokines) and growth factors. The immune messengers stimulate the newborn’s defense cells so that the immune system can really get going in the event of an infection, while growth factors from colostrum are crucial for the maturation of the digestive tract, among other things.

Important vitamins, endorphins that make you happy, and several substances that disrupt the proliferation of germs have also been found in colostrum in recent years. Reason enough for the scientists to now also use colostrum to strengthen the immune system and increase performance in adult animals and humans.

What Can I Do Against Colostrum Deficiency?

In a perfectly normal birth, the puppies will provide their own colostrum – sometimes with the help of their mum if they are having trouble finding their way to the milk bar on their own. It is best not to interfere with the natural interaction between mother and puppies. By the way: When looking for a source of milk, the little ones use the temperature as a guide, because the well-perfused teats are particularly warm. A heat lamp hung up with good intentions can distract them from their path.

If it is a very long birth or a very large litter, it may be that the firstborn is very well supplied with colostrum, while the last ones receive significantly fewer antibodies from the mother. If possible, pay attention to which teats have not yet been suckled and place the stragglers on these teats in a targeted manner. If all teats have already been sucked extensively, an additional dose of colostrum substitute can be useful for the newborns who have been exposed to the stress of birth for the longest (see below).

If the bitch cannot suckle her puppies (sufficiently), you as the breeder must take over the supply of replacement colostrum on the first and second day of life.