27 day old puppies - YorkieTalk.com Forums

kimster · 03-12-2008, 06:28 PM

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to YT so here's my ???
I am looking after a friend's YT and her 3 female pups that are 27 days old today.
They have already had their first trip to the vet with their owner and 2 had their tails docked as requested by the owners they are going to. I requested that mine did not have her tail docked and she is lovely.
I have a feeling that the tail may have something to do with balance as she is much more mobile than the other two and it looks like she uses her tail for balance as she is trying to get walking down.
Could anyone give me some advise on when to start supplementing their mothers milk with softened puppy chow?
I have tried them on it over the past couple of days and they do not seem too interested at this point.
I will have them until March 21st when the owner's return and would like to keep mine at that point but I am concerned that it is too early for her to be separated from her sisters and mother. The owners have 2 large dogs and 2 children and I do not want to subject mine to the possible risk of getting injured. I also think that it would make more sense to keep them in the current enviroment which is very quiet until they are ready to leave their mother. Any advice on how many week until they can go to their respective homes would be appreciated.
I have already started training them on using training pee pads and newspaper...sometimes they find the right spot and sometimes they miss!
Many thanks for any advice.

larsensyorkies · 03-12-2008, 08:56 PM

Hi, did the owner leave any formula to supplement the puppies with? It seems odd they would leave while the puppies are still so young.

First give them some formula if they haven't had any so they can learn to lap it up. At 4 weeks, hopefully they have started to learn that though. Then to start them on food, use a blender and mix the puppy food so it is fine like powder and mix that with formula. You can also mix with water, but I prefer the formula. It should be sort of soupy and easy to lap up. Beware this gets really messy when they learn to eat but its really cute at the same time.

March 21st is way too early to take the puppy home as you though. End of April should be the earliest, preferably early May. Do you trust the owners to take good care of the puppy after they get back? I only ask since you mentioned a concern about the puppy getting injured.

bjh · 03-13-2008, 06:25 AM

When I wean my puppies I just put some high quality dry puppy food in a blender and blend it until it is like cornmeal. Put this ground dry food in a small bowl and the puppies will be eating it in no time. This method has worked great for me for years, it is not messy and the puppies like it better than eating mush. As long as they are still able to nurse from mom I don't feel that it is necessary to add a milk substitute to the food. As they get older you will not need to grind the food as much. Be sure to leave a small bowl of water also. I like to use the small double sided bowls that are sold at Wal-mart. I put water in both sides of one bowl and food in both sides of another bowl.

Now, I know you are concerned about your puppy but the puppy needs to stay with his mom and litter mates until he is at least 7 weeks but preferably 8 weeks or longer. A lot of that would be determined by the circumstances of the owner of the bitch and her puppies. The pups will just be 5 weeks old when the owners return. Maybe you can convince the owners to let you keep all of them for a few more weeks, otherwise, you just need to trust the owners will give proper care to the pups. It is very important that the puppies get the necessary socialization skills they receive from mom and litter mates.

03-12-2008, 06:28 PM	#1
kimster YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: British Virgin Islands Posts: 2	27 day old puppies Hi Everyone, I'm new to YT so here's my ??? I am looking after a friend's YT and her 3 female pups that are 27 days old today. They have already had their first trip to the vet with their owner and 2 had their tails docked as requested by the owners they are going to. I requested that mine did not have her tail docked and she is lovely. I have a feeling that the tail may have something to do with balance as she is much more mobile than the other two and it looks like she uses her tail for balance as she is trying to get walking down. Could anyone give me some advise on when to start supplementing their mothers milk with softened puppy chow? I have tried them on it over the past couple of days and they do not seem too interested at this point. I will have them until March 21st when the owner's return and would like to keep mine at that point but I am concerned that it is too early for her to be separated from her sisters and mother. The owners have 2 large dogs and 2 children and I do not want to subject mine to the possible risk of getting injured. I also think that it would make more sense to keep them in the current enviroment which is very quiet until they are ready to leave their mother. Any advice on how many week until they can go to their respective homes would be appreciated. I have already started training them on using training pee pads and newspaper...sometimes they find the right spot and sometimes they miss! Many thanks for any advice.

03-12-2008, 08:56 PM	#2
larsensyorkies Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 245	Hi, did the owner leave any formula to supplement the puppies with? It seems odd they would leave while the puppies are still so young. First give them some formula if they haven't had any so they can learn to lap it up. At 4 weeks, hopefully they have started to learn that though. Then to start them on food, use a blender and mix the puppy food so it is fine like powder and mix that with formula. You can also mix with water, but I prefer the formula. It should be sort of soupy and easy to lap up. Beware this gets really messy when they learn to eat but its really cute at the same time. March 21st is way too early to take the puppy home as you though. End of April should be the earliest, preferably early May. Do you trust the owners to take good care of the puppy after they get back? I only ask since you mentioned a concern about the puppy getting injured. __________________ Kaylee, Osbourne & Violet Yorkies naps so much because they love so hard.

03-13-2008, 06:25 AM	#3
bjh Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 7,959	When I wean my puppies I just put some high quality dry puppy food in a blender and blend it until it is like cornmeal. Put this ground dry food in a small bowl and the puppies will be eating it in no time. This method has worked great for me for years, it is not messy and the puppies like it better than eating mush. As long as they are still able to nurse from mom I don't feel that it is necessary to add a milk substitute to the food. As they get older you will not need to grind the food as much. Be sure to leave a small bowl of water also. I like to use the small double sided bowls that are sold at Wal-mart. I put water in both sides of one bowl and food in both sides of another bowl. Now, I know you are concerned about your puppy but the puppy needs to stay with his mom and litter mates until he is at least 7 weeks but preferably 8 weeks or longer. A lot of that would be determined by the circumstances of the owner of the bitch and her puppies. The pups will just be 5 weeks old when the owners return. Maybe you can convince the owners to let you keep all of them for a few more weeks, otherwise, you just need to trust the owners will give proper care to the pups. It is very important that the puppies get the necessary socialization skills they receive from mom and litter mates.