The young pup should be nursing the mother’s milk until it is 3-4 weeks old. It is extremely important for the pup to suckle its mother’s milk for the first 3 days.
I use the “rule of thumb” which advises that the pup should not be introduced to solid food until one week after its eyes are open. Note that the pups eyelids are closed until 12-14 days. Please do not try to pry the eyelids open.
So, after 5 weeks, you could commence offering the puppies solids – small quantities of a minced meat mixed up with a bit rice or bread. I know that the new science is advising that we should keep milk and dairy products away for dogs. I will not conflict with those scientists (not lastly with those who may be associated with commercial dog food producers), but dogs have been given milk (which has quite a balanced nutritive value) with no obvious deleterious effects at an early age and even thereafter.
I should mention that as you introduce puppies to semi-solid food, they will walk in the bowl and scatter the contents over the floor – not really knowing how to handle this new food container. Pick each one of them up and place the pup’s mouth into the bowl. Optimally, each pup should have its own bowl. Well, I think that this is not going to happen when you are dealing with a litter of 10 pups, nor is it absolutely necessary. Actually, once the smartest pup gets to understand how to get at the food in the bowl, the others will follow suit.
I should also mention that at 4 weeks of age the puppies teeth are getting sharp and can injure the mother’s nipples. She herself will keep them away. However, mothers with a great maternal instinct will accept the pain and continue to nurse their pups. You have to help the mothers by removing the pups and introducing them to the partially solid food in the bowl. Also, I know that many of you reading this might have gone to “Mr. Google” and read that the puppies can be removed from the mother at 6-8 weeks of age. Well, if she has 10 pups to feed, that becomes a great stress for her, and her nipples will be very sore, even inflamed. And you don’t want to introduce antibiotics on to the nipple. This antibiotic will find its way into the pup at too early an age.
As an aside, I will share with you my doubts relative to advertisements of chemical with fancy scientific sounding names which the producers tell us can cure everything under the sun. I recall during my Africa days, seeing a huge child food conglomerate advising mothers that the manufacturer’s product was better than the mothers’ milk for their babies. This thrust was carried out globally not only in developing countries. When the WHO called the Company into question for false advertising, the manufacturer promptly changed the advertisement to “Next to mother’s milk, our product is the best”.
[Please note that at 3 weeks of age the puppies should be dewormed. At about 6 weeks of age (at just about the time when you are preparing to give away/sell the puppies, and the first vaccination and second deworming have been administered) the pups can leave your home and their mother].
Now let us pay some special attention to the answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) which have been posed to me over the decades of practice relative to puppy nutrition.
Q. #1: What is the best food to give the young puppies?
Really, in an indirect way, what the pet caregiver is asking is:
What should be in the diet, in terms of proteins, fats digestible carbohydrates, minerals and trace elements?
A. (i) Well, of course, I cannot endorse any commercial Puppy Formula. The scientists in the respective laboratories of the Mega Dog Food Companies will be producing tested and proven “Chow”/“Kibble”/ “Bits”.
For your puppy, you will introduce that food which your dog enjoys the most and which allows him to put on weight, grow well, and be frisky and playful and alert.
(ii) Please note that no food is “good”, if the pup will not eat it. In such cases, I always suggest mixing the puppy’s food with some (a teaspoon) canned cat food. For whatever reason, the method unfailingly seems to work.
(iii) It is imperative that whatever food you offer your growing puppy, the food must contain proteins, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and trace elements. (see above).
Having said that, the caregiver must understand that one size does not fit all, and at all times. For example, the protein required for a puppy needs to be more as the animal is growing (from weaning up to at least 8 months of age). After the puppy has visibly stopped growing, you may wish to give less protein by proportion. This is a matter for you to discuss with your veterinarian, if you think it is necessary.
(iv) Again, please note that the “dog food” sold by roadside vendors is not for puppies. It probably is not too good for adult dogs either. We’ll discuss that later.
Q. #2: How often should I feed my puppy per day?
A. I usually answer that question as follows:
3-4 times daily – ½ cup of “Puppy Chow” every 6-8 hours. You may continue this feeding regime until the pup has reached 6 months of age. Between 6-10 months of age; 2-3 meals daily. After 10 months: 1-2 meals daily.
Please bear in mind that any suggestion I make has to be contextualized. Clearly, the mass of Chow/Kibble/Bits given to a growing Chihuahua is not the same as that which is given to a growing Great Dane.
Q. # 3: Can I make my own puppy/dog food, not lastly because of the relatively high costs associated with commercial puppy chow?
A. Clients coming into my Clinic over the many years all know of my “formula” food for growing young animals.
I suggest the following:
• Brown rice.
• Meats (chicken, beef, fish) – never raw (not because raw meat is bad, but here in the Guyana for all sorts of reason , it is just not advisable)
• Eggs – never raw.
• Carrots.
• Green peas.
• Spinach/bhagee/calaloo (not Eddo leaf).
The quantities will be increased proportionally, as the dog gets older and heavier.
N.B:
Try to ensure that your young growing animal gets enough protein (in the meat and other sources). Too little protein in the diet could result in underdevelopment of muscle mass and bones and lead later to joint problems.
When you were deciding to get yourself a dog as a companion animal, you must have factored into the equation a discussion with your vet about your dog’s nutrition, especially if you are a vegetarian or one who does not eat beef.
Next week, we’ll continue answering more (of the many) FAQs pertaining to Puppy Nutrition (e.g. Does one need to feed vitamins and mineral supplements to the growing puppy? What can be done if the pups’ mother dies or abandons them early in life? Etc).
