Fussy 5 Week Old Litter

[Heidii]

I have a 5 week old litter of German Shepherd puppies who have decided to become fussy with there food. They have been weaning off mum more and more every day and the first night mum wasn't with them was when they started going fussy so much they started loosing abit of condition. I have been feeding puppy milk, soaked dry supercoat, mince and abit of sardines all blended together, making sure its nice and warm but they just arn't eating much of it. I tried tempting them today with supercoat canned food but they didn't want it...I'm kinda stuck on what do to to make them love to eat as I am not used to fussy eaters. Anything anyone can recommend?

[persephone]

have the pups been vet checked?

5 weeks is very early IMO to be spending nights away from their mum, IMO. Why so early?Are they with her during the day?

I wean any pups here straight onto LARGE bones with lots of meat on at 4-5 weeks .and have never had a refusal . After a couple of days sucking/chewing meat off bone , they then get plain dry puppy kibble (supercoat), ad lib. plus their big meaty bones, and whole chicken wings..- and mum's food gets reduced accordingly- ..they are still with mum (but she is prevented from accessing their food) ..and they gradually eat more, and suckle less .I never actually remove them from the mother overnight until not long before they are 8 weeks , when her milk is almost dried up, and they are chewing everything in sight :)

PS..( I don't ever feed mushy stuff to anything healthy and with teeth)

Edited May 5, 2012 by persephone

[dancinbcs]

My bitches usually don't sleep with the litter at night at 5 weeks but have access to them all day if they want.

Get rid of the mush. With a large breed they need something to get their teeth into. My BCs will eat soaked dry food for a little while at around 4 weeks but from 5 weeks they prefer it dry. They also prefer meaty bones, chicken wings, meat chunks, canned fish chunks and milk as a separate drink. Feeding everything mushed together seems an instant appetite turn off.

Edited May 5, 2012 by dancinbcs

[Rebanne]

My bitch stopped feeding her last litter when they were 3 weeks. By 5 weeks old they were on supercoat puppy, sometimes soaked sometimes not, chicken necks or wings or minced chicken carcass's. That was the staples. Also large "all day gob stopper" bones to gnaw on. Extra's like eggs, sardines were fed whenever. I wouldn't feed so many different foods all mashed together at the same time. Bit of tough love needed I think, that or they are still getting plenty from Mum.

[WreckitWhippet]

Cut the puppy milk and allow the bitch access to them 24/7. She will wean them in her own time and there's no hurry to do so. Given another couple of weeks maturity, they will be eating and drinking water on their own and if the bitch tops them up, there's no harm in that.

There seems to be some race these days to get pups off of bitches and weaned, unless there is a medical condition which prevents natural weaning, I'm not sure what benefit there is to the puppies or the bitch by trying to get them weaned so early.

Get rid of the supercoat and try a quality dry, don;t be in such a hurry to introduce sardines and other tastes they can come later. Try some minced carcass, chicken necks or wings and introduce new foods one at a time.

[TrinaJ]

My puppies are 5 1/2 weeks old and mum still has access to her puppies. For breakfast they are having weet-bix and goats milk, for morning tea they like sardines! At lunch they have beef mince, natural yoghurt and a little dry kibble (ARTEMIS med/large breed puppy), they have either chicken wings/lambflaps/chicken frames to chew on later in the afternoon (they just chew and suck on them). For dinner they have dry kibble with goats milk and just as I am going to bed they get more goats milk. They are not fussy at all and love their food, its never all finished but I'd prefer there to be more than them being hungry. Jett gets the left overs and is THRILLED about that.

[Pockets]

I agree I would be feeding a litter a super premium dry food like Advance or Royal Canin :) I fed supercoat once to a dog I owed and found I had to feed more to keep condition on, even though you are feeding the puppy version, I imagin this may be the same thing With your puppies losing condition if not enough is consumed, but their little tummies are much to little to eat so much :)

Too much mixed in all together in mushyness is unappealing! :laugh: maybe try and simplify it, don't blend the food, just soak the puppy dry food and alternate between puppy canned, mince and sardines :)

[Heidii]

thanks for all the advice. I have started mixing mince meet with soaked dry in milk and they are liking this alot better. Have also been giving them beef bones and chicken wings to chew on and they seem to be kicking in! :)