Weaning ? Diva's baby is 4 weeks old. I've noticed Diva not wanting to feed her as much last week so I'm at my next phase...weaning. A few days ago, I began introducing Duchess to puppy food mush. My question is how often should I feed her food during this weaning process? I started out by giving her a small plate of about 1 tablespoon of food at dinnertime. I also gave her a small bowl with a little water in it to see if she'd drink that. Is it okay to give her water or should I give her milk? Also, should I begin leaving water down for her all the time so she won't be chasing Diva down as much? Thanks |
Yes, please give us some advice. Since Diva and Lexie whelped around the same time, I too am wondering about weaning...how soon? How much? How often? I've tried it a few times without much luck; they lap what seems a VERY little??? Any instructions would be appreciate by myself and Yolanda please. |
i always feed mine about 4 weeks and usually a little bit 2 or 3 times a day at first and i mix milk in with the food, and i give them a little water also, but it dont take them long to find the water bowl that i keep water in for the others lol..... everyone does things a little diff and e1 here has wonderful advise |
I would just leave mush down for them 3 to 4 times a day and water at all times. When the pups are ready they will start eating the food and become less interested in nursing. |
I start with a mixture of Esbilac and ground puppy food at bed time when they are about 4 weeks old if mom seems so inclined. After they turn 5 weeks old I increase the meal to morning and night, add a bit of soft food in as well, and substitute goat's milk for the Esbilac. When their teeth are through I make the consistency thicker and start leaving small bites puppy food out for them during the day. I control how often mom is with them once they turn 6 weeks old and we get serious about weaning. Fresh water should be left for them at all times once food has been introduced. |
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I read that the goats milk is really good for the skin and coat, so I will also do the goats milk for the babies. |
Well, I just had a bit of a success. As I mentioned, I had tried giving them a little gruel once or twice with what seemed like very little success. Most of the gruel I had made (which wasn't much) ended up being eaten by Lexie when the pups didn't seem to have much interest in it. In trying to get them to eat it, I tried first dipping my fingers in it and having them lick it off of them to get a taste, then moving them to the dish...they showed little interest. WELL, just now I decided to try again. This time instead of sitting with them trying to get them to eat, I just put the dish in their xpen and stood back. Success! Without me in there as a disctraction for them to want to go play with, they all pretty much lapped it almost entirely gone! I then put a small dish of shallow water in there and they all tried a little of that too. So, I think we've hit a milestone and we're on our way in the weaning process. How's it going with you Yolanda? I guess I still wonder....4 puppies...how much food with each feeding? What I just fed them was 2 TBS dry to 4 TBS liquid. |
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Well I've been giving her some innova puppy food that I feed foxxy and what Diva's been on since she's been pregnant. I take some of the innova and let it sit in a little water to get soft. Then I mush it up really good like oatmeal and feed it to Duchess..she eats a little but as ROse said, what she doesn't eat, Diva and/or Foxxy do.:rolleyes: So I have to make it all over again...and maybe in bigger doses.:) I've been doing it once a day but maybe I'll move to twice a day now and see how it goes...and add goat's milk. I do have some good news...she's becoming familiar with the pee pee pads and has been using them most of the time!! Although, she's not really pooping a lot yet...I think I've seen her do it twice in a week but I won't worry too much about that right now! Thanks for all the advice ladies! |
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