with him/her. They're used to dealing with people that have no clue what to do so I understand why they'd have that policy. But, if you develop a personal relationship with your vet, they'll do all kinds of things for you, as long as you show a bit of competancy with animals. 
For example, I called my vet a few years ago because I was given some kittens to bottle feed and I couldn't get one of them to eat. I told him that I couldn't afford to bring the cat in for a visit, that I wanted to tube feed it. He said, "No problem. Come in and pick up a tom cat catheter." He charged me 2 bucks for the catheter.
(You probably know this but... "babies" and "eating" is a tricky combination. Any baby has to figure out how to eat fast enough that they wont get too weak to eat. Eating takes calories, as well as growing, so the intake has to be apple enough to sustain them as well as give them the energy to eat again.)
Another example...the last time I brought a cat in, I asked him what dose he recommended for Panacur in colubrids, explaining that I had just lost a corn and wanted to treat the others that were housed with her.
My point is, talk to your vet and as long as their primary focus is the animals and not the dollar sign, they'll help you.
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