looking after new born puppies

[liskeardgirl]

when do i start introducing solid foods to puppies, and what do they need to eat.

[lankeela]

Depending on what the mum eats (and where you feed her) they will probably try sharing her food.

If not, at about three weeks you can start to introduce some solid food, by giving them some finely chopped beef mince offered to them on the back of a spoon. The next step is to give them a small saucer or flat dish of some sort of puppy weaning porridge, either special porridge or complete food soaked until it is mushy. Hold them over it and let them stick their noses in it and they will start licking. They will crawl all through it if you leave them to it, so until they have got the hang of lapping it up, hold on to them. Allow mum to clean them up, but be warned, once they start eating proper food she will begin to stop cleaning up after them and you will have to start picking up the poo!

[liskeardgirl]

thanks for your answer and for being so prompt.

[lankeela]

Depending on the breed and how many you've got, I'd let mum still feed them if she wants to until they are about five weeks by which time they will be virtually fully weaned anyway. As long as she can get in and out she will let them feed until she has had enough of them, she will soon let you and them know when they are getting too much for her.

You can introduce any sort of puppy food. I always like them to try all sorts, dry, tinned, raw tripe, so that they willl be used to anything their new owners want to feed. Be careful with cows milk, it is very rich but if you can get goat's milk that is the nearest to their mum's milk.

If you are going to give them a complete food, start off soaking it, then gradually feed it less and less soaked until it is completely dry, but make sure they always have access to water.