The momma might just be cutting back on how often she lets them nurse. Just like human babies will sometimes cry when momma puts them down. Just because they cry does not necessarily mean they are hungry. At 3 1/2 weeks they should only be eating maybe every four hours or so. If the puppies are walking then it would be fine for you to put down a small bowl of finely ground dry puppy food. Grind it in a blender until it is fine like corn meal. I use the small double sided bowls they sell at wal-mart. Put the food in both sides of the bowl. The puppies will come over and start licking it. Be sure to put down a small bowl of water too.
Where are you keeping the puppies? Do they have room to get up and move around? Could it be too hot where the puppies are? Have you cut the toenails of the puppies? The puppies need to continue to nurse their momma for several more weeks. By leaving out the ground up dry food you will make the weaning process so much easier. As they start eating more of the dry food, momma will feed them less and she will slowly start drying up. |