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04-29-2009, 03:48 PM | #1 |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Michigan
Posts: 344
| Questions on nursing and food for pups.... Hi Everyone. I have a question about my mom and her 3 1/2 week old pups. I am pretty sure all of this is normal but I just want to ask so I know for certain. She is spending more time away from her pups, she does not avoid them or anything, but I just want to make sure all of this is normal. When she feeds them should it only take 3 or 4 minutes ? I am sure their teeth are probably coming in and it might hurt her a bit. I just sat with them all and they ate for 3 or 4 minutes, a few pulled off and looked happy, but a few weeks ago they stayed latched on longer. They also aren't crying or anything, they are starting to wander out of the bed area a little, that is truly adorable, they walk and sometimes roll around when they lose their balance, it is too cute! ( I am not wondering about them moving around, just the feeding part) Thanks for any advise comments. P.S. When do some of you like to introduce mushy food? Water? (There are 5 pups, so that is a pretty big litter, should I introduce the food sooner because there are 5 pups?) I have read to start w/ mushy food 1X a day at 3 weeks but that seemed too soon to me.
__________________ Melissa: Alpha female to: Shiva Marley Ranian Rosie and (new boy) Little Rascal |
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04-29-2009, 04:00 PM | #2 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: ny
Posts: 761
| As long as the pups are gaining weight it is perfectly normal for mom to be spending less and less time feeding.I introduce my pups to puppy mush between 4-5 weeks old.Water not until their fully weened around 5-6 weeks. Theres usually enough liquid in the puppy mush to satisfy them.But you could always put up a water bottle and show them where it is by brining them up to it and tapping it gently until the water comes out.
__________________ Danyell yipyapyorkies.com Getting a Yorkie is our only chance to choose a relative |
04-29-2009, 04:01 PM | #3 |
Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas
Posts: 7,959
| Her behavior is perfectly normal. Just make sure their toenails are trimmed because they can get very sharp at that age. As soon as my pups are walking I introduce them to finely ground up dry puppy food. I put the dry puppy food in a blender and grind it until it is fine like corn meal. I sift it through a colander to make sure there are no large chunks. I put the dry mixture in a small double sided bowl like what they sell at Wal-mart in the pet department. I put the dry mixture in both sides of the bowl. The little pups will come over and start licking it. I also put down a double sided bowl with water in it. This method always works great for me. Of course mom will continue to let them nurse but as the puppies eat more dry food and less milk, the mom will slowly dry up. |
04-29-2009, 04:10 PM | #4 | |
Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: California
Posts: 14,776
| Quote:
I start offering Gerber's rice cereal at about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks mixed with a bit of goats milk, enough to make it soupy, offering it 3 times a day. With a litter the size of yours, it's probably a good idea for your mom too. You can also offer a dish of Plain ole canned Goats Milk. Remember everything should be served at room temperature. They are draining so much calicium from her. As they get older and get their teeth I begin adding kibbles and making the gruel less liquidy...By the time my pups are weaned anywhere between 8 and 10 weeks, they're on puppy kibbles mixed with a bit of wet food, sometimes adding grated cheese, cottage cheese, boiled skinless boneless chicken breast shreds. Sometimes, when I have a pup that is not taking to their food readily, I'll add Parmasean Cheese, don't ask me whey they love the stinky stuff.
__________________ Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers | |
04-29-2009, 04:36 PM | #5 | |
YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arizona
Posts: 425
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04-29-2009, 05:28 PM | #6 |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Michigan
Posts: 344
| Thanks for all the great advise! I was so happy to get back on here and see all of the comments, I really appreciate that.
__________________ Melissa: Alpha female to: Shiva Marley Ranian Rosie and (new boy) Little Rascal |
04-29-2009, 05:31 PM | #7 | |
My Tiny Treasures Donating Member | I do the same exact thing with Life Abundance kibble at anywhere between 4 to 5 weeks old depending on the litter as each one is different. I also mash up the Lifes Abundance canned food with a little formula. They do very well. Quote:
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04-29-2009, 08:05 PM | #8 | |
Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas
Posts: 7,959
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04-30-2009, 04:16 AM | #9 |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Michigan
Posts: 344
| I have a nice supply of frozen, raw goat's milk from when I had dairy goats. I have them frozen in ice cube sized peices, I am glad I have a use for them.
__________________ Melissa: Alpha female to: Shiva Marley Ranian Rosie and (new boy) Little Rascal |
04-30-2009, 06:17 AM | #10 | |
Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: California
Posts: 14,776
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vet (Canine Nutrition and Reproduction Specialist) scolded me and told me to use Goats Milk (95% closests to Mother's Milk). He informed me that Just Born was the cause of premature cataracs. I start on with Royal Canin Puppy 30, specifically made for weaning small breeds, then swithc to Puppy 33 at about 8 weeks of age. Tried the grinding down method, but my puppies love crunching down, so I quit doing that and have had better sucess.
__________________ Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Last edited by Mardelin; 04-30-2009 at 06:20 AM. | |
04-30-2009, 08:09 AM | #11 | |
Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas
Posts: 7,959
| Quote:
I only use the finely ground food when I first start weaning at around 4 weeks. By the time they are 6 weeks old I do not grind it as fine and in some cases by then I don't grind it at all. I always leave down the dry food but once the pups are around 5 or 6 weeks old, twice a day I put down a little dry mixed with the canned Pedigree Lamb and Rice puppy food. I had read before what you said about the Just Born puppy formula. I wonder if the Esbilac would cause a problem also? Luckily over the years I have had to do very little supplementing of puppies. | |
04-30-2009, 08:25 AM | #12 | |
Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: California
Posts: 14,776
| Quote:
I'm not sure about the Esbilac. With my last litter, my mom went down when puppies were a week old. She went on heavy antibiotics and doc said to bottle feed, I told him I started doing the Just Born and that's when he told me to put them on Goat's Milk since it is the closest thing to mom's milk. I was doing the Just Born because of the colestrum. The other reason I quit grinding is, that I'd catch those lil buggers with their heads in their mother's dish....chomping on her food with no problem.
__________________ Mardelin Yorkshire Terriers | |
04-30-2009, 09:32 AM | #13 | |
Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas
Posts: 7,959
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Feeding the ground food can get messy but for me is it easier then the mush because they get it all over themselves. | |
04-30-2009, 09:36 AM | #14 |
Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Southeast Texas
Posts: 7,959
| So how long ago did you get rid of your goats? Did you have a lot of them. I would love to have a few goats but I doubt I will every talk my dh into building fences. |
04-30-2009, 09:44 AM | #15 | |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Michigan
Posts: 344
| Quote:
I sold them to a friend last spring. I had a buck and 2 does and one little baby from the one doe. They were the mini kind (nigerian dwarfs). Talk about having an animal that loves you unconditionally, those goats were the best! But the fencing is truly needed! They say if your fencing doesn't hold water, it won't hold a goat, and that is just about true. Carrying 90 lb. hay bales in 10 degree weather isn't the funnest thing either though. Nonethless I do miss them, maybe someday I will get back into the livestock.
__________________ Melissa: Alpha female to: Shiva Marley Ranian Rosie and (new boy) Little Rascal | |
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