When?

[kitty]

When should I start offering food to the puppies? What kind should I start with? My pups turned 4wks yesterday and I have offered them puppy formula in a dish and they are not interested in it at all. Is it too early? I have stopped supplementing with the bottle but overnight I had one pup lose a little weight and when I offered her the bottle this morning she was not interested in it at all.

[feminvstr]

you can offer food now...use baby rice cereal mixed with either pulverized dry puppy food (in a blender or grinder), or with a tad bit of little cesar puppy or chicken pureed baby food.

Serve a runny consistancy (mixed with water, puppy formula or goats milk) with any of the above....Feed them 3 times a day and let mom do the rest feedings.

Once their teeth are budding use the whole dry food let sit in hot water to soften up and cool (make sure its real soft)

hope this helps

[kitty]

Thanks.

[BamaFan121s]

Now is a good time to start.

I use the puppy food I plan on them eating and artificial puppy milk in the blender so that it is kind of runny. They just play in it at first for the most part. The hard part was keeping Trixie from eating it!

[YorkyMommy]

We always use puppy food moistened with warm water, gradually lessening the amount of water for the next week or so. It doesn't take too long before they prefer just the food without the water. We start about 4 weeks and allow the mom to nurse inbetween feedings comforting her and the pups.

[kitty]

I have been offering the pups puppy milk and food mixed together. So far they are not interested in it at all. I have stoped supplementing them with the bottle since I am offering food to them now. Mom is still nursing them too. My problem now is....Do I offer them a bottle anymore or not? I have a puppy that has been slowly losing weight since I stoped offering the bottle. I am so confused on what to do. I have never had pups that weren't interested in food before.

[Jan L.]

Try adding a little nutracal to the food. I also add a small amount of cottage cheese or plain or vanilla yougrt.

[pippin]

My last litter were very hard to wean but i just kept trying everyday and when they were 6 wks old I only let mom in with them once a day and seperated them at night and eventually they started feeding better,I also found after a couple of days they preferred the food dryhttp://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...yorkierack.gif

[YorkyMommy]

Originally Posted by kitty

I have been offering the pups puppy milk and food mixed together. So far they are not interested in it at all. I have stoped supplementing them with the bottle since I am offering food to them now. Mom is still nursing them too. My problem now is....Do I offer them a bottle anymore or not? I have a puppy that has been slowly losing weight since I stoped offering the bottle. I am so confused on what to do. I have never had pups that weren't interested in food before.

I would continue to offer the pup who is losing weight the bottle. The little ones are very delicate and sometimes need a little more time. Make sure he/she does not become dehydrated. Best of luck.