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weaning! So I have a first time mom and the puppy is now 4 weeks. She wants to feed him less to wean him but I make the puppy mush dog food and he doesn't seem to want it. What should I do I'm worried he's not getting enough food but I don't want to force the mom to nurse |
The weaning pups is a slow process. Having raised yorkies for over 17 years I have found the easiest way is to grind up some dry puppy food in a blender until it is really fine like cornmeal. Put a small bowl of the ground puppy food in the pen with the puppies so they can get to it easily. Also put out a small shallow bowl of water. The momma might eat the food but that is okay because she is teaching the puppy to eat it. The pup will slowly start licking the dry puppy food. Also twice a day I take some of the ground up puppy food and I add a tiny bit of canned food to it so it is moist and crumble. I put this mixture in a saucer and leave it in the pen. Is your puppy walking good? Sometimes single pups tend to take longer to wean since they are getting plenty of milk from the momma. Keep in mind that as the pups get older they don't need to nurse as often. Make sure the nails are cut on the puppy because if the puppy's nails start getting pointed and sharp it hurts the momma and she won't want to let the pups nurse. |
Thank you so much! Yes the mom was eating the food and I never understood why. He still stumbles a bit as he walks so I just thought maybe he is not ready although with shadow the mom I feel like she's saying he is. |
When I am transitioning from momma to eating from a bowl, I usually start with Royal Canin Starter Mousse for puppies...it is a whipped puppy food, very tasty for puppies and easily digestable. I will make more of a thin formula by mixing in a little warm puppy formula or goats milk...puppy is just learning to "take a bite" to get food into his mouth....he is still "sucking" from the saucer, then he will learn to lick it up from the saucer, then lap it up....as he gets more profecient in lapping up and actually taking a bite and chewing, dont add as much liquid, just gradually the mousse from the can. Then I graduate to the RC canned puppy food, then to puppy kibble soaked with warm goats milk...it is soft kibble and is easily soluable in any liquid you add to it....then I graduate to the puppy kibble without the liquid.....it is easily chewed by puppies..... Weaning and the transitioning takes a while...let momma give you all the help she will! Everything she does with that baby standing there with her, she is teaching and showing her baby how to do it....I LOVE watching mommas teach these babies!!! |
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