Puppy Weaning

[TamMelb]

I Have a large litter of 11 puppies. This is my first litter and I am unable to find any information on how much kibble to be feeding my puppies when weaning them.

They are 5 weeks old. I have been moistening advance large breed puppy food for them.

Some sites have advised to give the puppies enough food until they lose interest, is this correct as I have read elsewhere that overfeeding the pup can lead to hip and bone problems later on. Plus this is Labradors we are talking about, mine could eat herself into a food coma if I let her :).

Could anyone please direct to some information regarding how much they should be getting each day everything I can find is based on an 8 week old puppy.

[tdierikx]

They are 5 week old puppies... let them eat what they want to I say... if you don't put out enough, then someone may not be getting their full share...

I've raised literally hundreds of foster puppies for rescue, and my general rule is to put out much more food than they need in order to make sure that everyone gets their fair share... until they are old enough to eat from individual bowls separately anyways.

If you notice any pups overdoing it, simply remove them so that the others can get their share too. Never just plonk the food down and walk away - feeding young pups needs to be supervised.

T.

Edited October 30, 2016 by tdierikx

[persephone]

;) seems you didn't get to all your homework before pups arrived LOL - then you get 11 to deal with!!

baby pups cannot be overfed, really .. little and very often is the rule .. so, imagine how big a puppy's actual stomach is ..and work on 12 times that amount ;)

obviously, the BEST food is one without heaps of cereal & junk , so that what they get does not end up being hosed away later on ....it gets utilised by the body.. A Huge round belly full of cereal and wind does no one any good .

Also, give them some big meaty bones ..like beef soup bones, or chicken frames to suck/chew/eat .This is very good for their jaw development, and general well being :)

A Puppy Kibble will have all the correct minerals etc for growing good healthy bodies .Now is THE most important nutrition they will get - do not stint on it!

Offer the food several times a day, and definitely supervise !!

just dampen food- they do not need mush - it's messy and wasteful and hard for mouths to scoop up .little damp pieces can be grabbed/picked up :) In a week or so , change to DRY Puppy Kibble :) make sure they have shallow bowls of fresh water available

My constant rule is - when pups get more, Mums get less,

my plan is to always have bitches milk pretty much dried up when pups are eating most of their meals

[Bushriver]

I usually split up a litter that large into about 4 large bowls. I find it easier to gauge how much each pup is getting. I put the smaller, not so greedy ones together to share a bowl and don't let any of the piggies push them out. I feed as much as they want and let mum in to clean up the left overs once they've finished.

[TamMelb]

I have been feeding them 2cups of moistened dry food between all 11, 3 times a day ( a big heaped dessert spoon each) in a separate bowl each (about 100g each a day). They inhale the whole lot in about 20 seconds so I was wondering if I was underfeeding them. They appear pretty happy and are not distressed, they just keep looking for more food. I was just hoping to wean them off their mum soon (next 2 weeks) and didnt want to underfeed/overfeed them.

[Rebanne]

I have been feeding them 2cups of moistened dry food between all 11, 3 times a day ( a big heaped dessert spoon each) in a separate bowl each (about 100g each a day). They inhale the whole lot in about 20 seconds so I was wondering if I was underfeeding them. They appear pretty happy and are not distressed, they just keep looking for more food. I was just hoping to wean them off their mum soon (next 2 weeks) and didnt want to underfeed/overfeed them.

I'd be feeding them 4 times a day and at least 4 cups of dry plus some raw, minced chicken carcasses, chicken necks, wings, add egg's and sardines and yoghurt a few times a week to the dry food and whatever else takes your fancy. I breed greyhounds so a little bit bigger then labs at the same age. When I say to feed some raw I mean in place of a dry food meal but still 4 feeds a day. Cut back to 3 by 8 weeks so they go to their new homes on 3 feeds. And definitely some large marrow bones scattered around the year for a good old chewing session. I call them my all day gob stoppers :laugh: You could also give them some raw carrots, whole, they make great chewies for them. Good as a bone to keep their teeth clean.

[Starkehre]

Yes, you are under feeding them. Let them feed until they walk away and let mum finish it.

At this age do not worry about hip/elbow joints, unless of course you did not do your due diligence as a breeder and not hip/elbow xray your bitch and use only the lowest possible scores in both sire and dam.

At 5 weeks of age you want to see/feel plenty of subcutaneous fat and facia tissue around the entire body. Having them too lean at this age will lead to growth issues.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Starkehre

[TamMelb]

Thankyou all for your advice it is very much appreciated

[Dogsfevr]

I am going to be the opposite and say over feeding is very easy to do & not all pups eat equal .

We measure our litters food based on there condition & what there getting from mum.

Its very easy for some pups to be pigs & over eat & some end up being pushed out .

We will place into groups based on needs .

Over feeding will results in lots of poos which isn't ideal & you can very easily raise fat puppies which isn't good .

At that age we would feed 4 times a day & meals changed based on growth changes * body condition .Your present quantities are not enough .

We at that age feed dry,meal,fish etc etc

Maybe have a chat with the breeder of your bitch or the stud dog owner on there methods .