They are 5 week old shih tzu's . They seem hungry all the time and healthy, but she feeds them about four x's a day.
2006-12-28 16:32:50 · 6 answers · asked by miraclerun123 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
at this age you should be giving them solids now with them feeding on mom at least 2-3x a day. you need to shorten the feeding that mom does to get them to eat solids. they should be completely weaned at 6 weeks and then you can sell them at 8 weeks. make sure that you get them their 1st shots now and then next set at 8 weeks,12 weeks,16 weeks,20 weeks (this one get rabies done). when you feed them solids feed them 3-4 times a day because they need all the vits they can get. get dry and mix some canned with it. stick to one food and don't change because you will give them diahrea and it is not fun cleaning up after a pup that has that. good luck
2006-12-28 16:39:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If she is feeding 4x a day that is pretty good as most of your small breeds will wean by the time they are 5 Weeks old. Now would be a good time to start supplementing their feed with soft puppy food while they are still suckling their mom. This way they do not go hungry, but do learn how to eat, and gives Mom the opportunity to wean when she is ready too...
2006-12-28 16:59:03 · answer #2 · answered by fourpawsg 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At 5 weeks, they need to be on a soft food. This will hold them longer. Check with your vet to see what he/she recommends for Shih tzu's. We have always had ours weaned between 5 and 6 weeks. They will continue to try and nurse whenever they can catch their mom :) Good luck!
2006-12-28 16:41:48 · answer #3 · answered by maceron 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You'll know when she's weaning them. She'll seem like she's going to attack them, sometimes she will, sometimes she won't. As long as she doesnt' draw blood or hurt them to badly, they'll be ok.
You do have them eating regular puppy food, right? And drinking water??? If they don't eat the food you give them, try giving them some wet food They should be eating more dog food then mother's milk at that age. But they won't be fully weaned till at least 8 weeks.
Our cat didn't wean her kittens till they were way to old! We had to help her wean them! But they were eating solid food when they were around 5 wks.
Just like with our kids, sometimes they jsut want to suckle. It's a comfor thing for them. Just because they want to be on the tit, doesn't mean they're hungry. It could be time to introduce really soft toys. Nothing like rope, as it can cause their teeth to snag on it, and it may hurt them. But get them some soft, rubbery, gel-ly toys. Nothing that can pop, burst, leak, or explode.
2006-12-28 16:41:09 · answer #4 · answered by Pluto 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you supplementing them with puppy food yet? They are old enough to be eating on their own with a little extra from mom.
A high quality puppy food is important and if you feel it's necessary you can soften it with a puppy milk substitute like Esbilac and that helps them because it soften it up. You can also just add warm water...which is quite fine since they are still nursing. Time to move them up if you aren't though.
www.vetreviewsonline.com and you can get products and good puppy food from there!
2006-12-28 18:17:09 · answer #5 · answered by frenchlady94 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
start introducing them to bowls of new puppy mush, you have a small dog, depending on the number of puppies she might not be producing enough milk for them, ask the vet.
2006-12-28 16:36:02 · answer #6 · answered by fancyname 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋