When & what to feed new born Bichon puppies?

Question

4 weeks old..looking luvley..are they now old enough to eat solids..looking nice & chubby..can you recommend some solids..serious answers from non 'holyer than thou'..people..

Answer 1

they can eat puppy food whether the packet food or tinned as long as it says puppy food,
puppies should have a milky breakfast then a small amount of food for lunch and the same for tea

Answer 2

These babies need their mom until at least 7-8 wks old to get all their immunities from mom and the nurturing! No, they are not old enough and that is what a mom's milk is for. But more important is the nurturing with litter and mom for as long as possible. makes for healthier pups.

When you start to feel teeth then you can consider a good quality dry puppy chow. May have to moisten a bit for easier chewing until teeth really come in. Remember that at about 5-6 wks the pups need to be vetted, first set shots and deworm. Make sure the "chubby" bellies are not full of worms. Your vet's office should have valid suggestions for your pups and mom better than we would. Each litter is different and may have special diet needs as determined by your vet. You do want to make sure all are healthy to include the mom.

Answer 3

They should still have access to mom for the next week, week and a half, but offer them very moist (you can blend it!!) kibble.. I use Innova brand. I don't recommend using canned, as it isn't as wholesome, and the pups would need to eat more. When choosing a dry food, get a puppy formula, and look for meat and meat meals as the first ingredient, and stay away from corn, meat by-products, and salt. Innova is great, but a cheaper, widely available brand is Maxximum from Wal-mart. It score about a 97%, whereas Innova is about 110% on a food scoring system.

To wean momma, take her away from the pups, and don't give her ANY food or water for 1 day, then give her full water and 25% of her typical (before puppies) ration the next, then 50%, and then 75%.. and then she should be ok. It sounds cruel, but it will actually save her energy and lifespan in the long run, because nursing takes A LOT out of her!

Answer 4

feeding them 2-3 times a day is usually sufficient. You can give them canned puppy food or just soak/soften the chow the moms been eating(or yo can by puppy chow)in water. It really shouldnt be hot water because it can make the food sour quicker. ANyways just put out how much ever they want to eat. If one gets diarhea that usually means hes either eating to much or is having some trouble adjusting to the new food. then just give like 6 meals a day instead but with less in the dish.

Answer 5

You can start them on some softened puppy food. I usually add some warm water to the dry puppy food (same food that the mom has been eating) and let it sit until it is soft then put it in for the pups. My Shih-tzu pups usually will not touch solids though until they are about 4 1/2 weeks, before that they just don't seem interested in it.

Answer 6

When I had puppies, I started the litter on canned puppy food first. Puppy food has additional nutrients and is good for pregnant/nursing dogs as well, so I began buying the puppy food when I realized my husky was pregnant and fed through the end of her pregnancy and to keep her healthy while nursing, and let the puppies show their interest and choose their time to begin eating. She also was very good about weaning the pups herself as they began to grow teeth and hurt her a little.

Answer 7

You can get puppy food and wet it down a little for them. Also have you taken them to go get shots. If not take them and get that done and you can ask a vet as well. But if you do feed them the puppy food just give them a few pieces at a time to see how their tummies do. Then you can start to give them more later.

Answer 8

ok this is what i do for my dogs at 4 weeks remove mom for the night (so they can get good and hungry) in the morning give them very moistened PUrina Puppy Chow ( almost like a soup consitency). Let them eat this for about 15 minutes ( you may need to stick their noses in it or put some on your finger and put it in their mouth). I usually go to bed at 11 and up by 6 so at night take mom away about 6 pm and feed the pups at 10 and then let mom in to feed at 10:15-11 and then remove for the night
At 5 weeks I add a feeding at about 12 or 1 removing mom at about 9:30-10 am and make the food thicker
At 6 weeks I make the food even thicker and put some dry food in it so they can learn to start chewing. I also leave a bowl of water down and dry dog food to nibble inbetween the moist food feedings.
at 7 weeks just slightly moist and then should be weaned at 8 weeks.
Pups should be wormed along with mom at 2,4,6,and 8 weeks and start shots at 6 weeks

Answer 9

I start my pups at 3 to 3.5 weeks on a bit of live culture yoghurt and/or whole milk cottage cheese followed a couple hours later by ground raw meat which I feed them by hand. By 4 weeks or so I start giving them chicken wings. I also alternate in meals of softened kibble (usually Wellness, Solid Gold or Innova Evo) while being sure to wait at least 12 hours AFTER a kibble meal before I feed them raw again (usually the kibble is an evening meal an hour or so before bedtime).

By the time my pups go to their new homes at 10 weeks or so, they've eaten at least 7 types of raw meat and 7 types of kibble. Generally, they have really tough digestive systems and its interesting when the dogs I keep get to visit their littermates a year later who have been on ONE form of kibble or another... mine are always more muscular but not necessarily bigger.. definately nowhere near as flabby.

Edit: BTW... softening the kibble in my case is done to increase moisture content NOT to make it easy to chew. I have Bernese and Samoyeds... by 4 weeks they'll gnaw through a chicken wing or neck... bone and all.

Answer 10

You can try offering them a small amount of well balanced puppy food a few times a day. Make sure that you soak it in water first to make sure it is soft. Just watch and make sure that they are not showing signs of constipation.

Answer 11

They still need to be with the mom, but they do not need to nurse. Give them solid dry puppy food (I used Science Diet brand) and soak it in warm water (in a cooking pan so they can all gather around to eat) and then drain it so it is soft enough for them to chew. However, watch each puppy and make sure it eats the food because if not they are not ready to be weaned. Also, make sure you provide plenty of water- they will play in it at first but they need to drink it to stay hydrated.

I would suggest NOT using wet food because it can cause diarrhea. Use a good brand dry dog food (Science Diet, Wellness, Innova- all availabe at your local pet store).

After they are fully weaned they should be able to find homes between the ages of 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Make sure you keep them until they are ready though because they need the mother to teach them how to be dogs and socialize properly.
Good luck!