COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A photo of a woman breastfeeding a puppy has received conflicting reviews online — with some saying she did the right thing, and others claiming she crossed the line.
On her Facebook post, the woman said, “Yep I’m breast feeding all 5 pups. Some may think its gross. They are 4 DAYS old. Their mother was killed. And I am happy to be able to provide them wit (sic) something better than formula for pups.”
The woman said the puppies wouldn’t eat from a bottle or K-9 formula.
“He just wasn’t taking it. I didn’t know what else to do, I was desperate and I just couldn’t bear sitting there watching it die,” the woman said. “Literally what clicked in my head was like, put him on you, just pray to God he will take something and not die.”
The woman posted a photo on her Facebook page, along with an explanation. The photo then began to spread around the Internet.
Veterinarian Dr. Amber Williams told KRDO TV that she wouldn’t recommend breastfeeding a puppy, although she was less concerned about it breaking any taboo.
“I’m more concerned about zoonotic diseases because there are things that can be passed from puppies to babies,” Dr. Williams said.
Also, human milk just isn’t the best for puppies, Williams said.
“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 K-9 formula,” Williams said.
The mother said that she isn’t concerned about anything being passed to her own 15-month-old since that child has already been weaned off her milk.
