what can i feed my 4 week puppy somebody said feed them crackers it that true?

Answer 1

no dont feed them crackers!! where did this pup come from?? they should still be with mom until at least 6-8 weeks... here is what to dounless you can get it back to mom for a couple more weeks:

Keeping newborns warm

From birth until approximately 3 weeks of age, puppies and kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature. Chilling is extremely harmful. They need a constant supply of artificial heat (heating pad) if mom is not available to keep them warm.

Keep the animal(s) indoors in a draft free room. If outside, they are subject to extreme temperatures, flea/tick/fire ant infestation and other animals that could harm them. For their bed, use an animal transport carrier. Line the inside of the kennel with towels. Place a heating pad under half of the kennel (not inside of the kennel). Turn the heating pad to medium. After 10 minutes half the towels should feel comfortably warm, not too warm or too cool. This allows the animal to move to an area which is most comfortable. For the first two weeks of life, place another towel over the top of the kennel to avoid any drafts. When the animal is four weeks of age, a heating pad is no longer necessary unless the room is chilly or drafty. If the animal has no littermates, place a stuffed animal and/or a ticking clock inside the kennel.

Keeping newborns clean

The mom dog/cat not only keep their litters warm and fed, but also keep them clean. As they clean, this stimulates the newborn to urinate/defecate. Neonates under 2-3 weeks of age usually do not spontaneously eliminate on their own. (Some do, but this is not enough to prevent possible stasis which can lead to infection). To help your newborn, use either a cotton ball or Kleenex moistened with warm water. Gently stroke the genital/anal area before and after feedings. If the animal does not go at this time, try again within an hour. Keep bedding clean and dry at all times to prevent chilling. If the animal does need to be bathed, we recommend a mild tear free baby or puppy shampoo. Bathe in warm water, dry with a towel and dry further with an electric hair dryer on low setting. Make sure the animal is completely dry before putting back into the kennel. If fleas are present, bathe as previously described. Do not use flea or tick shampoo as it can be toxic to neonates. If fleas are still present, consult your veterinarian. Anemia caused by fleas can be fatal if left untreated.

Feeding your newborn

Until the animal is 4 to 5 weeks old, bottle-feeding is necessary. There are formulas made especially for puppies and kittens. Human milk or formulas made for human babies are not suitable for baby animals. We recommend Esbilac for puppies and KMR for kittens. Baby animals should be fed every 3-4 hours. To mix dry formula, mix 1 part formula to 3 parts water. Microwave formula. Stir and check temperature. The formula should be lukewarm to warm. Hold the newborn in one hand supporting the animal's chest and abdomen. Do not feed the animal like a human baby (lying on it's back). It should be as if the animal was nursing from the mom dog/cat. You may notice that the animal will try to place its front paws on the palm of the hand which is holding the bottle. It may even "knead" as it feeds. Most animals will pull off of the bottle when full or when needing to burp. Burp the animal. It may or may not take more formula. If the formula has cooled, warm it again and offer it to the animal. Most like it when it is warm versus cool.

If, at any time, there is too much formula being delivered, the animal will begin to choke. Stop feeding, wipe away excess formula from the mouth/nose. Lower the angle of the bottle when feeding so less formula will be delivered. If, when feeding, there is too much air being sucked in, increase the angle of the bottle so more formula can be delivered. Most nipples are not pre-holed. Follow the directions on the nipple box. If it becomes necessary to increase the size of the hole, either use small scissors to create a larger hole or use a hot large diameter needle to increase the hole size. Sometimes, the newborn will not readily take to a bottle. Try to offer the bottle at each feeding. If unsuccessful, use an eyedropper or syringe to give the formula. Slowly give the formula. If too forceful, the formula may be pushed into the lungs. Most baby animals will learn to bottle-feed.

Once the animal is approximately 4 weeks old, teeth begin to erupt. Once the teeth are present, and it is taking a full bottle at each feeding, or if it is chewing on the nipple rather than sucking, it is usually ready to begin taking solid food.


4 to 6 weeks of age:

Bedding

Refer to "Keeping Newborns Warm". By age 4 weeks, the puppy/kitten is able to regulate its own body temperature. Therefore, a heating pad is no longer needed. Continue to use the kennel for their bed. If space permits, place the kennel in an area where they may get out of their bed to play and exercise. (Usually a utility room, bathroom, kitchen). Beginning about this age, baby kittens will begin to use a litter box. Most cat litters are acceptable to use except for the scoopable brands which can be too easily inhaled or ingested. For puppies, place newspaper on the floor outside of their kennel. Puppies do not like to soil in their bed.

Feeding

Once the teeth have erupted at about 4 weeks of age, the animal may begin to eat solid foods.

At age 4-5 weeks, offer either canned puppy/kitten food mixed with formula or human baby food (chicken or beef) mixed with formula. Serve warm. Feed 4-5 times a day if not taking a bottle. If still bottle-feeding, offer this at first 2 times a day and continue to bottle-feed at the other feedings. Slowly progress to feeding solid mixture more often, less bottle-feeding. At this age, the animal needs to have its face cleaned with a warm moistened cloth after feedings. Kittens usually begin to clean themselves after feedings when they are 5 weeks old.

At age 5-6 weeks, the animal should begin to lap. Offer either canned kitten/puppy food or moistened kitten/puppy chow. Feed four times a day. Have dry kitten/puppy chow and a bowl of shallow water available at all times.

By 6 weeks of age, most puppies are able to eat dry food.


When to seek medical attention:

-Bowel movement-loose, watery, bloody.
-Urination-bloody, straining, frequent.
-Skin-hair loss, scratching, oily, odorous, scabs.
-Eyes-half-closed, drainage for more than 1 day duration.
-Ears-shaking of the head, black color inside of ear, scratching, odor.
-Cold-like symptoms-sneezing, nasal discharge, coughing.
-Appetite-lack of, decreasing, vomiting.
-Bony Appearance-able to easily feel the backbone, emaciated appearance.
-Behavior-listless, inactive.
-If you see fleas or ticks, do not use over the counter flea/tick shampoo/products unless approved for under 8 weeks of age.
-Able to see any worms on rectal area or in stool, or any portion of the body.
-Limping/lameness.
-Open wounds or sores.

Answer 2

First a four week old puppy should be still with it's mother (hopefully it is and you own the mom..if not be aware that it is illegal to buy, sell, adopt or give away a puppy this young)

as for your question no do NOT feed the puppy crackers!! Feed it a good quality puppy food such as Wellness, Canidae, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Innova, premium Edge, Percise, California Natural to name just a few. Moisten it with warm water or better yet with Esbilac or some other puppy milk replacer (available from vets or from pet stores) so it is mushy and easy to lap. (make sure to stay away from grocery store brands of foods such as IAMS/Eukanuba, Science Diet, Purina,Pedigree, Alpo, etc they are loaded with cheap fillers )

Answer 3

With a 4 week old puppy that is usually the time you start weaning them from their mother so you need to make them a mushy food recipe and teach it how to eat food. Use a good brand of dog food like Iams or Pedigree and make it into a mushy soup. Use about 1/2 a cup of food and add boiling water. Cover the food and leave it for maybe 15 minutes or until the kibbles have soaked up all of the water and are mushy. (Make sure it's not too hot for the puppy!) Then mush up the food and maybe add a little wet food. Now you gotta teach your puppy how to eat it. If it's really hungry you might not have a problem but if not you might need to get down with it and spoon feed it. You need to do this at least 3 times a day. As the puppy get's older and it's teeth grow in you can start to make the food harder. By 8 weeks old it should be able to eat hard food with wet food on top.

Answer 4

A 4 week old puppy is too young to take away from it's mother! Get it replacement milk from a pet store (NOT cow's milk!) and feed it every 3 to 4 hours with a bottle, day and night. Better still, take it back to the mother before it dies.

Crackers be damned!

The answer below me is ridiculous, this puppy is too young for anything but milk.

Answer 5

GIVE YOUR DOG BACK TO THE MOM. Without nutrients in proper dog milk, the puppy will die. Do not feed it cow's or goats milk. It will make it very sick. YOU should NEVER take a puppy away from it's mom until it is at least 8 weeks of age. Take it back to the mom before it dies.
Good luck,
Charlottef

Answer 6

Some of these answers are beyond belief.

Puppy's are SUPPOSE to begin the weaning process at 4 weeks, so the idea that they can't eat moistened puppy kibble is absolutely ludicrous.
Yes, a puppy should be kept in the litter environment until a minimum of 7 weeks, but that in ABSOLUTELY no way implies that they should be with their mother that long. It is normal for puppy's to be completely weaned and separated from their mother (but not their litter mates) at 5 weeks of age.

Answer 7

You got to be kidding me. I think if you think about this you would know this is not the right thing to do. You can blend up puppy chow and warm water in a blender and give that to the puppies. It should be the consistency of cooked oatmeal

Answer 8

no and why do you have a 4 week puppy? pups can't leave there mom until 8 weeks or more. people smarten up do not take a pup under 8 weeks of age. this pup needs its mom or mothers milk. do not give it wet dog food. oh my freekin god.

Answer 9

This is so wrong!!! How could you get a 4 week old pup anyway????
I am so disgusted!

Do what China says to do and maybe your puppy will survive.

Answer 10

you can also feed them vegetables that arent hard on the stomach like give them some chopped up carrots and simple things like that. Chocolate can kill them.