should a 6 week old boxer still be drinking milk or should he eat soft food?

Question

this is my first dog...i tried contacting the breeder to find out what she had been feeding him but she did not respond...

Answer 1

Six weeks they should be eating hard dog food!!

Answer 2

Hi, your puppy should now be eating solid food. As a breeder, my pups were all in their new homes by 6/7 weeks. (And I am NOT a backyard breeder!) People can raise their eyebrows and exclaim all they like, but pups are weaned from their mothers at four weeks. Keeping pups with the mother until they are 8 weeks is not fair on the Mum. In the wild, a mother has siblings or half-siblings who help her raise the whole litter when they are suckling (that's why dogs have phantom pregnancies, and produce milk....in the wild it would be to help raise and feed the mother's litter) and when they start on semi-solids, the whole pack upchuck for them. Having said that, your breeder is not being responsible in not letting you know what your pup should be eating. My pups all went to their new homes with a diet sheet. I would recommend that you start off with feeding this pup beef mince for two of the meals, for another one make some scrambled egg, and for the fourth some rice pudding made without sugar. You can then change over to a good kibble . All the best!!

Answer 3

Talk to your vet. There may be specific needs for your dog that the vet can address. It seems like people are selling pups earlier and earlier these days. It would have been normal for the breeder to have weaned the dog from milk before it was sold, but that would have taken extra work.

Having a breeder not respond to your questions raises caution flags. You should find your own resources as the breeder may not be trustworthy.

I've stuck on a couple of links about puppy feeding for you to read. I would also suggest you get a book about boxers. We rescued one from the roadside several years ago. It wasn't until we got a book and started learning about the breed that we learned how wonderful and historied the breed is. Look for boxer clubs in your area, too. These clubs can be a great source of general information and a place to go with questions to get expert advice.

Answer 4

Yes, your puppy should have already started solid food . Soak some dry puppy kibble in warm water, so it is mushy, and feed him about 5 or 6 times a day. I don't know what you are feeding him now, but he is too young to be taken away from his mother. He should not have left her until he is at least 8 weeks old. Do not give him milk, he can't digest it.

Call a vet and have your puppy checked out right away, he will also give you further instructions for his care. The "breeder" knows this puppy was too young to leave his mother.

Answer 5

Cats don't digest cow's milk very well, so milk shouldn't be a part of the kitten's diet. Bless you for taking the kitten in. Here's what you can do for her: Feed it canned cat food Prepare a litter box Prepare a cozy little bed Take it to the vet for a health checkup If the vet allows liquids, gently feed her using a syringe, with the needle removed, of course. When kittens meow, it is often because they want human companionship.

Answer 6

Go get some good puppy chow, like Purina or Science Diet and put a little in a small saucer and wet it a bit with some warm water or warm milk. You should be feeding a puppy about 3 times a day, that's what I did for mine. I fed her a little in the morning at lunch and at in the evening. They can't eat a lot at one time, so they need to eat more often. Read the label on the side of the puppy chow bag - it will explain everything to you. Go buy a dog book too!

Answer 7

Soft food is fine. He is still learning to live on his own and should be fed at least 5 times a day. I always use milk too unless it upsets their stomachs, but some people whine about cow's milk and dogs.

Answer 8

No puppy should ever be fed milk. WHen they are small and you wean them from their mom, you use milk replacer. Milk can cause digestive tract issues and acutally bring worms back! Puppies should be eating food by the time they are 6 weeks old.
I wean them with milk replacer at 3 weeks, mix it with ground food at 4 weeks, hard food softened with water at 5 weeks, and regualr food at 6 weeks. This helps there teething and chewing process as they grow teeth.
Soft food is bad for their breath and gives them gas! USe a high quality hard food. Iaams and Eukenuba are higher priced, but the poop less. Pedigree is cheaper, still is good for them, just makes bigger poops.

Answer 9

Chicken soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul is good food. Moisten the food abit so it's somewhat mushy. NEVER, EVER give your puppy milk.

Your backyard breeder should have never let the puppy go at 6 weeks.

Purina and all grocery store brands are garbage foods. Science Diet is also garbage. They contain a lot of fillers and by-products. Stay away from them.

Good luck with your puppy.

Answer 10

She isn't responding because teh pup shouldn't have left until 8 weeks.
This depends on if teh pup was actually weaned.
Geta good quality puppy food ( I use purina puppy chow) and give him a small amount if he doesn't eat it you may have to moisten it at first. if you do just make it so there is a little crunch left in teh food and add about 1/4 cup dry to teh mix and give to him.
leave water done. he should take to it within a day if not you may want to take him to the vets and checked.
also he should get started on shots now so it would be best to take to teh vets soon anyways>

Answer 11

You shouldn't give your puppy either unless you want soft stool or the runs. Dry kibble or semi soft food. Make sure the first two ingredients are meat. I mix a little brown rice and chicken with the kibble to encourage eating if that is your challenge. You can also see if he likes vegtables and fruits (no raisins).