|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
12-12-2010, 08:53 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Derby, Kansas
Posts: 1
| when to start puppies on food This is my first litter and I have no idea when to start the puppies on food. Also how much should I feed them and what do I feed therm? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks |
Welcome Guest! | |
12-12-2010, 07:05 PM | #2 |
Yorkie Yakker | Yes - Please - my first litter to and the pups are changing daily so advice would be welcome! In just a few days - the combined weight of my five will equal mommy because one is already over a pound and the others fast approaching and I think, we are easily feeding her weigh per day. |
12-12-2010, 07:13 PM | #3 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: USA
Posts: 798
| Hi Friends, I think you'll find the info your looking for in the breeders section. Hopefully nobody will post mean comments to this thread. Good luck with your new puppies
__________________ MuffinBoomer |
12-13-2010, 03:03 AM | #4 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member | I feed baby rice and goats milk, dry puppy food wetted and Royal canine baby dog weaning kibble. I start around 4 weeks. I try a few times a day. At first they only make a mess but soon get the hang of it I leave the RC weaning kibble and water with them all the time. Just be careful which water bowl you choice they can drown if they have to much.
__________________ Melissa Wvyorkies Last edited by WV~Yorkies; 12-13-2010 at 03:05 AM. |
12-15-2010, 11:46 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FL
Posts: 7,651
| I found water bottles were a Godsend to prevent a lot of the mess. I also bought the puppy feeder. It is a stainless steel pan with a raised cone in the center. That way the puppies can all get around it and no food is far in the middle. That keeps them out of the feeder for the most part. Some will still try to walk around the outside of it but at least they won't tip it over. I also used Royal Canin Baby Dog food because I loved the tiny triangle shaped kibble. Helps them not to choke. I tried grinding up the food and making mush out of it, but they just mde too much mess. Finally I just went to giving them the kibble straight away at 4 weeks old. They did fine on it. Pls read as much as you can over on the Breeder's section. You want to be aware of emergency procedures and learn as much as you can BEFORE you need the info. It is really late to be asking questions once the litter is already here.
__________________ FlDebra and her ABCs Annie, Ben, Candy Promoting Healthy Breeding to the AKC Yorkshire Terrier Standard |
12-15-2010, 11:54 AM | #6 |
Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FL
Posts: 7,651
| BTW -- you all should already have the puppy food as momma dog should be on puppy food from the moment she has the pups. She should also get extra calcium -- you can ask the vet but for mine it was a 1/4 to 1/2 Tums a day.
__________________ FlDebra and her ABCs Annie, Ben, Candy Promoting Healthy Breeding to the AKC Yorkshire Terrier Standard |
12-18-2010, 09:52 PM | #7 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Washington
Posts: 837
| My pups had their teeth (sharp) in by 4 weeks and were vigorous suckers...Mama dog said that's enough and weaned them --- nearly everyone told me their mama's weaned theirs at around 8 weeks, so I think it's different for the individual "family", dependent upon a lot of things (mostly a lot of sharp little baby teeth coming in), I started with R. Canin baby dog put in a baggie and smashed fine with a hammer, added some goats milk, water, and alternated puppy nutrical in a.m. and karo syrup in p.m. until they got the hang of it. Then, over the course of the next few weeks, started smashing the puppy food less and less (generally offering really smashed, coarse smashed, and not smashed in the same bowl that way each puppy could progress eating the size that was best for them (I had a runt, that needed the fine smashed food a little longer). They now (@12 weeks) just get the R. Canin puppy (not baby dog anymore) whole, but when they are out of their pen and running around the house they love to get to their mama's bowl and eat her R. Canin "Beauty Care" --- must taste good - a little high fat, so I just switched to a weight control (she's not happy, wants her Beauty Care - lol) for mama as she's been pigging out after getting so skinny while nursing... we had let her eat all she wanted to fatten her up a bit and now (as the vet warned) she would know think she needs those extra calories all the time...if it isn't one thing it's another! ---- ramble, ramble ---- The point to all that is, I suddenly had questions about feeding puppies due to not expecting her to wean the pups so soon, so I don't think one can prepare for every possible scenario (but hey, now I know that one, thanks to all the help from YT'ers.) Kendra |
12-19-2010, 06:58 AM | #8 |
Yorkie Yakker | Kendra - I am LOL - I thought it may be too early to start introducing other food to puppies - they are really doing fine - gaining weight and becoming active (very active). But mom is eating their weight and hers and looks so tiny and he pups (5) so big. I blog about them on my web site because every day is an adventure. I just gave them their first toy and their antics are hysterical. My Vet told me not to give Zoie anything special because she will not be happy when it stops when puppies are weaned, but the advice hear on this site has been awesome. I think in the long run, I will continue to let Zoie guide me as she is a wonderful mommy. At three weeks all five are over one pounders with two fastly approaching two. Thanks for posting - I like using a baggie - Bev |
12-19-2010, 07:35 AM | #9 | |
Donating YT 12K Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Council Bluffs Iowa
Posts: 12,552
| Quote:
I do not wet the RC baby dog, and I have had them start eating it before they have had teeth. The pieces are so small they can swallow them whole. I still allow them to nurse as long as the mother wants them to. And at times have started to give them food earlier, if i see that the mother is trying to supplement them by regurgitating her food for them. | |
Bookmarks |
|
|
Thread Tools | |
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart