my dog just had 5 chihuahua puppies. at what time should i start feeding them. they are 3 weeks & are not interested in food yet. when could i start bathing them?
2007-01-02 11:29:57 · 11 answers · asked by •·.·´¯`·.♥randomchic♥•·.·´¯`·.·• 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
let the mother take care of them until a good 6-8 weeks. then you can start feeding them. you can probably bathe them when they are about 9-18 weeks.
2007-01-02 11:37:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You can put wet dog food out in a week or so, when they are ready they will start to eat it, but they need to continue to nurse even after they have started to show interest in dog food. They also learn a lot of thier social and dog skills form thier mom so make sure if you are going to find new homes for them you wait until they are at least 10 weeks old. That is the law in some states, some states it is 12 weeks.
I would definately not give them baths at that age. Depending on where you live I would not give any puppy a bath this time of year, too cold. And even if you think thier fur is dry moisture can still be trapped under the fur at the skin level and they can catch cold. The mother will clean them, it is her job and her instinct.
Good luck!
2007-01-02 19:42:39 · answer #2 · answered by Hotsauce 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Start bathing them when they start eating regular puppy chow. I wouldn't use any soap just yet, just put them in water, so they can get used to the water. i'd start using like Johnsons baby soap, or some hypoallergenic soap when they're fully weaned. Put up to about their elbows and let them play together. Put 2 or 3 in the bath, instead of all 5. It'll be a total pain to have all 5 in the bath. If one wants to get in with the other, by all means put it in there. That way they won't be afraid of the water.
You can start feeding them puppy chow, when they start heading over to the mothers dish to check it out. Usually around 6-8 weeks, is when they can be weaned without being traumatized. So that would be a good age to start with some soft food. Mix some puppy chow with water, to soften it up so they can chew on it.
Or you can get some soft treats and try offerieng it to them, if they take it, then it's time to offer some food, if they don't, then don't worry about tryin to feed them. Offer it to them about once or twice a week, until they seem interested in it. Babies usually start eating on their own, and half the time we don't even realize that they're eating it, until we wonder why the mother is eating so much! lol
They'll start eating on their own in time. Just wait to see if the mother starts eating alot, then watch the bowl for the puppies.
Just make sure the pups have soft food to eat.
2007-01-02 19:36:13 · answer #3 · answered by Pluto 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They should be started on soaked puppy chow, I use Purina for all my dogs, they may be getting so much milk they aren't interested yet. The won't need a bath until 8 or 9 wks. old, if you think they are dirty take a warm washcloth and rub them with it.
2007-01-02 19:47:55 · answer #4 · answered by Demetria S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can go ahead and start on weaning food. It will take a week or two for them to get the hang of it and mostly at first they will crawl through it and over each other (wipe them off with warm washcloth is easiest). Take puppy food and wet it with warm water (Not Milk) and mush it up a bit. Offer them this in a low dish and let them go (be prepared to laugh and mop later) keep this up once daily till they get the hang of it then offer more food frequently until they are weaned. Usually by 6 weeks they are completely weaned.
2007-01-02 20:25:57 · answer #5 · answered by jungles_fury 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Let momma take care of them. They won;t eat puppy food until they are over 6 weeks old and they don;t even have teeth now. And why would you need to bathe them? They are just babies. You should have done your homework better before you bred your chihuahua---then you wouldn't have to ask us here.
2007-01-02 19:34:31 · answer #6 · answered by Sandy B 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
let them drink their mothers milk ............. You can start bathing them when they walk on their own and are used to wet things ( and are very independent , when you give them a bath dry them VERY good and make sure they are not cold when they come out of the bath also ) , but with the bathing thing and the food thing make sure with their vet that this is the right thing to do
Please make sure with their vet because I don't want to cause anything to hurt your puppies or do any harm !!!!
THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
( Remember make sure )
2007-01-02 19:37:43 · answer #7 · answered by Ellie 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
at 5-6 weeks
2007-01-02 19:34:53 · answer #8 · answered by sandi_ 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
first of all you are not suppose to bathe any dog WHY??? the oils in there skin protects them from all sort of diseases and allergens in the air... the more you bathe the more likely they will get a skin problem... ESPACIALLY PUPPIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please I beg you do not bathe your pets.... if you really need to please a oatmeal base shapoo and for puppies not until they are at least 6 months old and in the winter time do not put any dog outside after a bath they could get very sick JUST LOGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!
2007-01-02 19:36:14 · answer #9 · answered by Nanook 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
well they need to drink milk from mom and you can bath them when they are 1 year old
2007-01-02 19:35:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋