Feeding of Puppies

Mother Milk

Mother milk is necessary for newborn puppies as it contains immunoglobulins proteins and different useful antibodies which help to boost up the immune system of the newborn. Mother milk also contains omega-three fatty acids, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid ), a nutrient that is important for the development of puppy brain and eyes. After Whelping\giving birth the mother may not want to eat for 24- 48 hours but she will regain her appetite in 2 days. It is recommended to feed her frequently as her feed may double or triple her regular feed. Feeding and watering utensils of the mother should be kept clean so the transmission of pathogens will be minimum and fewer chances of infection in puppies. Newborn puppies need proper care puppies should be kept warm. Provide clean and soft bedding for newborn puppies. The sleeping area should be quiet and dim.

At the age of 2 to 3 months four times meal a day at the age of 3 to 6 months 3 meals per day and at the age of 6 to 12 month of age 2 meals a day is enough.After feeding massage on the stomach of pup this will be help in proper digestion.The balance diet of dogs consists of protein, fats, vitamins , minerals and water. The pup should be along with her mother at least for 6 weeks . the ideal age to adopt puppy is 8 week of age.

In case of orphan puppies

In case of an orphan puppy you need to take care of the puppy’s feeding,cleaning and bedding, Newborn pups need a feeding every two to three hours.The frequency drops to four times a day between 2 weeks and 3 weeks of age. You’ll need a special bottle with a nipple and puppy milk replacement formula. Don’t feed cow’s milk directly as this can upset your puppy’s digestive tract.

Puppy milk replacement

When considering puppy milk replacement formulas, vets and breeders recommend well-known brands like Royal canin milk replacer,Breeder’s Edge, Pet-Lac, Farnam, Nuturall, Just Born, GNC Pets Ultra Mega Premium Milk Replacer, and All Star Universal Milk Replacer. Some are made with goat’s milk (which is easier for puppies to digest), and most are available as either a powder (which you reconstitute with water) or as a canned liquid formula. Pay attention to those that have colostrum added – colostrum is a natural element found in the mother’s milk that helps boost the puppy’s immune system.

Homemade puppy milk formula

Mix 1/2 cup of evaporated cows milk or goats milk with 1 cup of boiling water.

1 teaspoon of corn oil or karo syrup.

1 drop of pedatrics multivitamin.

2 raw egg yolks.

1 tablespoon of plain yogurt.

Cool the formula at room temperature

Add a few drops of gripe water if the puppy stomach is disturbed.

How often should I feed the puppy?

Age of puppy (weeks): 1 2 3 4

Feeding per day: 8 5 4 4

How to feed a puppy

The best position for them to feed is them laying on their stomach as they feed naturally from their mother now the important point is that newborns for about 3-4 weeks need a massage on their stomach to help digest there food for the massage just drench a soft towel in hot water and gently rub on the sides of their stomach after every feed at least for 3-5 mins.

A well fed puppy will be content and restful and does not typically cry until just before feeding time. A puppy that cries consistently is not doing well and should be taken to the Veterinarian for an examination. Typically a puppy or kitten will eat about 1 oz (30 mls) of commercial puppy formula for every 8 oz of body weight (1/2 pound) in a 24 hour period. So using the table below, divide total amount of formula needed for 24 hours into the number of feeding listed based on age.

For example a 1 week old puppy that weighs ½ pound (8 oz) will eat 30 mls of formula in 24 hours. 30 mls of formula ÷ 8 feedings = about 4 mls of formula per feeding

Crate and whelping box

A whelping box ,also known as a nesting box or whelping pen is used as place for the dog to give birth in feed her puppies the important part of making a crate like this is have the sides and corners have a gap from the base of 4 to 5 inches depending on the mother dogs size with PVC pipe or wood so if the mother sleeps or sits right next to a corner she doesn’t lay on her puppy or if she does the pup has a way to climb out from under her

Weaning Period of Puppies

Weaning means the transition of the puppy’s diet from mother milk to the solid growth diet of puppyhood. Weaning should begin when the puppies are about three to four weeks old. The sooner the puppies are weaned, the less the strain on the mother and the sooner she will return to normal condition.it is worthwhile to begin offering soft food as soon as their eyes are open.

How to start Weaning of Puppies

Start by placing one of the reconstituted puppy milk formula in a flat saucer. A 50:50 mixture of milk formula and water is recommended. You can dip your finger in the formula and wet the nose and mouth. Repeat this process two or three times a day until they begin to drink the milk formula on their own. This usually takes one to four days. Next, try offering canine puppy food crumbled and mix with milk formula daily until they eat canned food with little or no moisture added. This should be completed by four to six weeks of age.

General behavior

Dogs are highly social animals and are well adapted to living in groups. Licking, biting, chewing, chasing things is the normal behavior of every puppy. Dogs interact with each other and people through body postures, facial expressions, tails and ear position raising of hair or vocalization and scents. At 3-8 weeks dogs tend to focus on other dogs. At 5-12 weeks, they shift to focus on people and at the age of 16 – 20 weeks of age dogs are more receptive to learning how to deal with new situations. After this age, the dog does not stop learning but the rate of learning is slower.Teething is normal for young puppies so during this age you can get them chews toys or chewy jerky although be careful the toys that are too brittle or made of plastic as they may try to eat them.

Counseling of undesirable behavior

Mostly if they puppies are raised by their mother she will teach them basics like bite inhibition etc and they won’t show many undesirable behaviors. But if your raise a pup on your own you may need to teach these things yourself start at an early age like 4 weeks and do reward training. Do not yell and never hurt the puppy as these can badly affect the pup’s mental growth and it would be more difficult to teach him. There are tons of youtube channels that can guide you to how to train your dog and they are easy to follow. Channels, like it’s me or the dog, are great to learn how to get rid of undesirable behaviors in dogs. However, your first focus should be to have them socialize with other people and dogs and to potty train your pup

Bathing of puppy

The first bath of puppies should be after weaning not before that . For bathing the puppies some points should be kept in mind.

1.First bath given to pup after weaning period.

2.Provide a warm ambient atmosphere.

3.Use a proper dog shampoo human shampoo isn’t advised as it can lead to hair fall and other skin conditions.

4. A warm water bucket used for washing.

5. Sponge and soft comb used for washing.

6.Towel and hair dryer.

Vaccination and deworming of puppies

At 6 -8 week of age first vaccine , at 10-12 week booster vaccination and at 14-16 week of age final vaccination and repeat every year.

At 4- 6 week of age the puppies should be dewormed against internal parasite and deworming protocol continue along with vaccination and repeat every 4-6 month in a year