How far would you go to save a dying puppy? Would you share your baby's food with it? One mother of a 15-month-old baby did just that — and I'm not talking about sharing a jar of mashed peas. A Colorado woman breastfed a puppy to save its life. The dog was the sickly runt of a litter she'd fostered. She posted a photo of herself breastfeeding the puppy on her Facebook page, and the photo has since gone viral because OMG, a woman breastfeeding a dog!
The woman, who is trying to stay anonymous despite the Facebook posting, admits she did feel weird doing it. She explains why she nursed the puppy instead of rushing it to a vet for formula, which would have been better for it.
I just felt like he just had an hour left. That’s how weak he was, he wasn’t moving and I just did it. I didn’t know what else to do, I was desperate and I just couldn’t bear sitting there watching it die.
Okay, so. As a mom, I can relate to that nurturing feeling extending to other helpless baby creatures. If I saw a sick puppy, I would want to do everything I could to help it live. I'm just not sure it would even occur to me to breastfeed it. I think she made a lovely choice, but after you breastfeed a puppy, what then?
You would want to clean yourself thoroughly before feeding your toddler, right? Because of different kinds of bacteria and risk of zoonotic diseases … ? I don't know, maybe that's being a germaphobe. And would you let your toddler actually watch, or would that cause problems, too? Would your child feel territorial about Mama's num nums, and would that feel like a violation?
Then there's the whole milk supply question. Would you be able to produce extra just on demand, or does that feedback loop happen more slowly? Are you giving milk that should go to your child to a dog? Will your child miss out on nutrients because of that? I guess since the woman's child is 15 months old, he or she isn't solely dependent on breast milk for nourishment — in fact, reportedly the child had just weaned. But that opens up another can of worms, as every mom of a just-weaned baby knows!
We haven't even talked about the teeth yet. Now I've breastfed a toddler before so I know a nursing child usually doesn't bite or involve their teeth at all in their feedings. But I would still be nervous around those dog teeth.
Have we thoroughly exhausted all the issues that make us so uncomfortable with this scenario? Probably not. But I will say this — it was a selfless and kind act, and it probably saved a puppy's life.
Would you be willing to go this far to save a puppy's life, or does this sound too risky?
Image via KRDO/CNN
