There have been several instances of maternal instincts overriding barriers between different species, such as cats nursing puppies, dogs nursing kittens, even cats nursing squirrels, just to name a few. So when a woman in Colorado Springs saw a puppy just days old starving to death, she acted on her own maternal instincts and breast fed the pup.
According to KRDO in Colorado Springs, the woman, who has a 15-month-old baby who has weaned off breast milk, saw no other choice, as the Lab mix puppy, who lost his mother in a car accident, wouldn’t bottle feed and rejected formula.
“I just did it,” says the woman who appeared unidentified and in silhouette in the KRDO piece, fearing the backlash. “I never thought I would ever do that, that’s just something that’s taboo to me. I guess you could call it, in a sense, a maternal instinct.”
So the woman breast fed the pooch. Not only did the dog not die, he is no longer the runt of the litter; he now takes formula.
“I just didn’t know else to do, I was desperate, and I just couldn’t bear sitting there, watching him die,” the woman says. “And literally what clicked in my head was just like put him on you and pray to God he’ll take something and not die.
“It really reaffirmed what I did was right, because I was, for myself, quietly, in my mind, embarrassed. I was ashamed, it felt weird.”
Veterinarian Amber Williams of Northwest Animal Hospital is unconcerned about what may be considered taboo; she cautions about the health risks of breast-feeding a puppy.
“I’m more concerned about the zoonotic disease, because there are things that can be passed from puppies to babies,” Williams says. “In an emergency situation, I don’t think it’s a big deal, but for them to grow appropriately, I think it would be important for them to get on a canine formula.”
The dog is named Tubbs.
“I’ve seen the results,” the woman says. “That dog is alive because I took that initiative.”
Source: KRDO
