How much formula should 1 week old puppies eat? Read Before Offering Formula to Your Puppy

What a pity for the poor kids left without mom and dad. And how I want to give them all the warmth and care they need. However, how to do this correctly and not ruin the kids?

This is a real SOS situation: is it even possible to raise a puppy healthy and strong without a mother?

Don't be afraid: Sobakus.com will tell you in detail how to feed orphaned puppies, how to replace mother's milk and how to properly care for kittens?

How to care for newborns?

The best way to feed a puppy who is left without a mother is to find a wet nurse. She must be a suitable sized female who has had few puppies. Artificial feeding of newborn puppies from their very birth is a very labor-intensive and difficult task, so it is better to “delegate”! But if you can’t find such a dog, it means that your plan is a feat! And the plan for this feat is as follows:

Temperature

Healthy newborn puppies sleep most of the time (up to 90%) during the first three weeks, and spend the rest of the time eating. Body temperature until the 20th day is about 36.5-38 °C. During this period, the puppy must be provided with a constant, comfortable temperature regime, since he cannot maintain his body temperature on his own, even in a blanket.

If the puppy's body temperature is below normal, this is hypothermia. In this case, you must immediately warm it up by placing it on your body (under your jacket). This is a long process: if the body temperature is 35 degrees, then warming up will take from 2 to 3 hours!

Under no circumstances should you warm up hypothermic puppies quickly (with a heating pad and especially on a radiator)! By doing this, you will only deprive the baby of his last strength and provoke unnecessary vasodilation.

A chilled puppy should not be fed either mother's milk or artificial food, since the stomach and small intestines will not be able to cope with the load in this case. During the warming process, he is given a 10% glucose solution with water (3.5 ml per 100 g of body weight) once an hour. Instead of glucose, you can use a solution of honey, or, in extreme cases, sweetened water: 3/4 teaspoon per 100 ml of water.

To accommodate newborns, it is necessary to organize a “nest”. It can be a box, the volume of which is sufficient to comfortably accommodate the puppies. Disposable diapers or cotton cloth can provide additional warmth and dryness. They need to be changed when they become dirty. The optimal temperature in the nest is +37. You can use an electric heating pad with a thermostat, warm water bottles, or a medical rubber heating pad.

Important: after 7 days from birth, puppies need to repeat the procedure every week. This process must be done as carefully as possible so as not to touch the nerve endings.

You can and should only trim the curved tip of the claw, no more than 1 mm!

Don’t be alarmed that the puppies only eat and sleep: this is necessary, because they are growing! Babies will open their eyes between 11-15 days of life, and will begin to hear on the 18th day.

Nutritious food

What to feed until 1 month?

For feeding you will need a pipette, a syringe with a rubber nozzle, and a measuring bottle with a nipple.

Newborn puppies should receive food every 2-3 hours. The temperature of the mixture should be from +38 to +40 degrees.

From the first day of life, it is correct to use bitch milk substitutes for feeding, which are sold in pet stores (Lactazor, Royal Canin Mini, Welpenmilch). Follow the instructions that the manufacturer provides with the product.

Bitch milk replacer mixture

Recipes for mixtures that you can prepare yourself:

a mixture of boiled water and glucose
0.5 liters of milk + 1 raw egg yolk without shell.
0.25 liters of milk + tablespoon of milk powder.
a glass of milk, 0.5 glasses of weak tea, 2 teaspoons of glucose, 1 yolk.
boiled goat milk.

How to cook:

Stir all ingredients thoroughly until lumps disappear completely,
strain through a tea strainer scalded with boiling water,
cool to 38 degrees.

Important Rules

All food must be freshly prepared!
Any feeding container should be sterilized by boiling for 5 to 15 minutes.
Wash your hands with soap before every meal.
Before giving milk replacer, check its temperature by placing a few drops on your wrist (the mixture should be warm, but not hot).
There is no need to press on the bottle to make the puppy eat faster; hold the container at an angle of 45 degrees.

How and how much?

You definitely need to weigh your newborns and then monitor how they gain weight and how much they can eat at a time. If the puppy is weak, then he will need to be fed every 1.5 hours from a pipette, syringe or pacifier (depending on his size and age). For the first time, 1 ml will be enough. at once.

After 2 weeks, increase the amount of milk to 5-10 milliliters at a time.

Often, in the first few days after birth, babies do not gain weight, and sometimes they can even lose it. Don't worry: everything should get better in 1-2 days. But if this does not happen, then contact your veterinarian immediately!

At the age of 1 to 6 days - 15-20% of body weight.
At the age of 7 to 13 days - 22-25%,
At the age of 14 to 20 days - 30-32%

To get started you need pipette. You can also place a thin rubber tube over it or the syringe. If the puppy is quite large, then it is better to put a pacifier on the syringe, in which you need to make a couple of small holes. When the puppies get older, you can use a special bottle with a nipple to feed them.

If the puppy is capricious and pushes the bottle away, then lightly shake the puppy and drop milk on his tongue, and also hold his front paws so that he does not push the bottle away with them.

It is best to feed puppies when they are lying on their tummy, with their head slightly raised - for them this is the most natural position and the danger of choking is reduced to zero. If you notice that the baby is starting to choke because he is in a hurry to eat and does not have time to swallow the food, remove the pacifier from his mouth and give him a chance to rest. The most important thing is that breathing returns to normal, becomes calm and measured.

Don’t rush to feed your children quickly; serving food quickly puts their lives at risk.

The ideal position of the container for food and the puppy itself

After you have fed the young troglodyte, hold it for 1-2 minutes, wipe its eyes and muzzle, and give it a massage. Having eaten, the puppy will go to bed.

If your baby refuses to eat, you should put a few drops on his tongue. After this, he will probably start sucking the pacifier with pleasure. It is better to make several holes in the nipple.

If milk flows from your newborn puppy's nostrils when he tries to suckle, or he makes several breathing movements with his mouth open, then he may have leftovers in his nasal passages. amniotic mucus or a congenital disease - unovergrown upper palate. In the first case, it is necessary to remove the mucus by sucking it out of the nose, but in the second, alas, you have to put it to sleep - the puppy will never be able to eat on its own.

At the age of two weeks, the puppy should be taught to lap from a bowl. Gently dip the baby's face into the milk. Be careful not to let milk get into your nose.

For two-week-old puppies, you can add special puppy cereals to their diet.

Three-week-old puppies will be able to digest and obtain additional nutrients from canned puppy food, which is diluted with boiled water and has the consistency of sour cream.

It is better to underfeed than to overfeed. For example, a newborn small breed puppy eats about 2 ml of milk per feeding.

Massage

After feeding, it is necessary to massage the puppies' tummies to ensure stable bowel function. Up to 3 weeks, babies cannot urinate on their own and empty their bowels.

Active movements help speed up digestion and normal bowel function. You can imitate the movements of your mother dog's tongue using piece of soft cloth, having previously lowered it into warm water. Use a clockwise circular motion to massage your puppy's tummy for five minutes before and after feeding.

It is also necessary to massage the baby's butt. Regular hygiene is also mandatory. After the puppy goes to the toilet, use a soft cloth to collect the discharge to prevent skin irritation. The water temperature should not exceed 36 degrees.

Massage for a newborn puppy for bowel movements:

Be sure to monitor the behavior and appearance of your orphans, because their bodies do not yet have enough strength to fight diseases, such as intestinal infections. Even due to such a minor disease, the puppy can die in the first day. When intestinal infections appear, an unpleasant sour smell will appear in the bed, and yellow marks will remain around the butt.

The main cause of infection is usually inflammation of the navel. Bacteria are introduced when a dog with unhealthy teeth chews the umbilical cord. To avoid illness, lubricate the wound on the navel with brilliant green 2 times a day.

Protection from diseases

With mother's milk, puppies not only receive the opportunity to grow and develop, but also protection from many diseases, thanks to the immunoglobulins contained in bitch's milk. Artificial feeding deprives babies of such protection.

Try to be ready to put him on a special device by the time your baby is 4 weeks old. vaccination to protect against diseases such as parvovirus enteritis and canine distemper. To resolve this issue, you definitely need to seek the help of a veterinarian.

When puppies are 1 month old, they need to be wormed. Anthelmintics are given 2 times with a break of 10 days. It is important that the baby receives exactly the dose that corresponds to his weight and age. To do this, read the instructions, which usually describe everything in detail.

Until what age?

When should you start feeding the first food and how long will you need to act as a dog mom? Typically, by 3 weeks, puppies become active: but they still need to be fed! But at 4 weeks (21-25 days), the puppies’ fangs begin to erupt, so you can slowly begin to feed the puppy.

First feeding

You must remember that for the first complementary feeding you need to choose only one product and give it no more than once a day! Temperature of complementary foods: 38 degrees Celsius. It is important that a growing dog gets used to the changes gradually so that problems do not arise in the future. Make sure that the babies are absorbing the new food well, and only then increase the dosage.

Gradually increase the number of feedings according to the following scheme: 2 times a day - 3 times a day - full feeding. You can completely stop artificial feeding at 5-6 weeks. Let us emphasize once again: it is very important to do everything gradually so as not to harm your health.

So, the best first foods: chicken fillet, lean parts of the rabbit. Be sure to check the pieces well before giving them to your little ones to avoid any bones. But what to feed the cubs next you will learn from the article

Training video

A useful video from an experienced veterinarian who will help you save your puppy from starvation with your own hands:

Photos of babies

Tell me, have you or someone you know ever had to care for puppies left without a mother? How did you cope with this difficult task? – share your experience. We are waiting for your stories, photos of your pets in the VKontakte group! Join, discuss, comment.

What to do if newborn puppies or kittens are left without a mother? Is there a chance to save and raise babies? The answer is clear - yes! In the absence of pathologies in the development of babies, it is quite possible to feed them on your own, although this will require some effort. Of course, the ideal option would be to find a wet nurse for the babies - a cat or a bitch who has a breastfed offspring, but this is not always possible.

Basic rules for proper feeding of newborns

Features of nursing kittens

No matter how balanced the feeding mixture is, it does not provide the kitten with protection against infections with antibodies that are not present in it. Antibodies are only found in natural cat colostrum!

Raising kittens without a cat is a labor-intensive process, but quite feasible:

When arranging a sleeping place, you need to take into account that the mother cat’s body temperature is 38°C. The place for kittens to stay is usually open, so the temperature in it should be slightly higher. For heating, you can use a heating pad or an infrared lamp. In compliance with safety measures, you can lay down an electric sheet. When using a heating pad, the water in it will have to be changed with each feeding, because... it cools down quickly.
Instead of a box, it is better to use a plastic basin or a special tray from a plastic carrier container for cats - the kittens will be more comfortable and hygienic in them, because... They can be easily washed and do not absorb odors.
It is best to cover the sleeping surface with soft, non-synthetic fabrics. The ideal option is baby flannel diapers.
For feeding, either special cat milk substitute mixtures or mixtures made independently are used. It is not recommended to feed pure cow product, because it is not balanced in some nutrients compared to the cat's. This can lead to digestive and metabolic disorders.
During the first days, feeding kittens without a cat is carried out very often, including at night. The following frequency should be adhered to:
- from the first hours to 14 days of life, the mixture is given every 2-2.5 hours (but not more than 3 hours). There are no breaks at night - you also need to feed;
- from the 3rd week, daytime feedings remain with the same interval of 2-3 hours, and 1, maximum 2 feedings are left at night;
- From week 5, the gap in daytime feedings can be increased to 3-4 hours, and nighttime meals should be reduced to zero as they grow older.
How can you tell if a kitten is full? His tummy becomes round, he freely leaves the pacifier and calms down. After this, you need to hold him upright for a while so that the air comes out with a burp and let him sleep.

Caring for a kitten without a cat necessarily includes a massage after each feeding (every 10 minutes). This helps him to have a bowel movement. You need to take a coarse cloth - linen, for example, or a corner of a terry towel - moisten it with warm water and begin to make stroking movements over the kitten’s body, imitating maternal licking. Movements are carried out clockwise around the navel and towards the perineum along the thighs. You need to stroke until feces are noticed. You need to massage until, on average, 3 weeks of age, until it is noted that the kitten has begun to go to the toilet on its own.
In rare cases, you may need to give an enema (add 1-2 drops of petroleum jelly to 1 ml of warm boiled water).
The volume of milk fed should be as follows:
- 1 day from birth to the first week of life with an average newborn weight of 100-120 g - 1-1.5 tsp. (up to 10 ml);
- from two weeks the kitten’s weight fluctuates within 200 g, volume – up to 3 tsp. (10-15 ml);
- from three weeks weight 300 g - 1-2 tbsp. (15-30 ml);
- at the age of 4-5 weeks the average weight is 370-400 g - 3-4 tbsp. (40-60 ml) plus the introduction of complementary foods;
- from 6 weeks the baby’s weight reaches up to 500 g, the volume of the liquid mixture is increased to 5 tbsp. (about 75 ml) plus complementary foods.
From about one month of age, a kitten can be taught to drink independently from a saucer.

Homemade formulas for feeding kittens

If it is not possible to purchase ready-made nutritional formulas for feeding newborn kittens, you can make nutritional formulas yourself:

Mixture option No. 1

20% solution of unsweetened condensed milk (5 parts condensed milk diluted with 1 part water);
bone meal at the rate of 1 tsp. for every liter of milk solution.

Mixture option No. 2

2 pcs. egg yolks;
1 drop of oil vitamins (for example, tetravit or trivit);
1 glass of cow's milk;
vegetable oil 1 tsp.

Mixture option No. 3 (suitable for premature kittens).

0.5 cups milk 3.2%;
1 egg yolk or a couple of quail ones;
20 ml of 5% glucose solution.

Mixture option No. 4 (Scott's mixture - calculation is carried out per 1 kg of kitten weight. It is important to stir well and bring the temperature to 38°C)

50 g cow's milk;
50 g whipped egg white;
3 g dry yeast;
15 g milk powder;
1 chicken egg up to 50 g;
1 g vegetable oil;
4 g dry glucose.

Mixture option No. 5 (Tailiga mixture - calculation and preparation are similar to the previous option).

25 g whole cow's milk;
5 g whole milk powder;
2 g glucose dry;
1 g of vitamin bait (liquid, dry).

Homemade formulas for feeding puppies

Mixture No. 1

80 ml cow's milk;
20 ml of heavy cream (preferably, homemade, of course);
1 chicken egg yolk or 2 quail;
1-2 drops of a vitamin solution (tetra- or trivita, for example).

Mixture No. 2

80 ml goat milk;
20 ml cream;
1 yolk;
3 ml of vitamin C solution;
10 ml of 5% glucose solution;
2 drops of vitamin D3 solution;
1 drop of vitamin A oil.

Mixture No. 3 (for weak puppies, and glucose is removed after 2-4 days of feeding if the dynamics of improvement in the baby’s general condition are visible)

100 ml goat milk;
1 tbsp. heavy cream or sour cream;
a pair of quail eggs;
10 ml glucose 5%;
up to 2 drops of any oil solution of vitamins.

Mix No. 4 (similar to Scott's cat mix, but with some adjustments for puppies).

1 g vegetable oil;
50 g cow or goat milk;
a pair of quail eggs or one chicken;
3 g dry yeast;
1 beaten egg white of a chicken egg.

Industrially produced breast milk substitutes

There are special formulas or “artificial” mother’s milk for feeding newborn kittens and puppies. The cost of these products is quite high, but experts recommend them for use by children.

Options for cat milk substitutes:

Beaphar Kitty-Milk (650 RUR/200 g);
Canina Katzenmilch (RUB 1,500/450 g);
Trovet Kitten Milk KMS (RUB 1,100/400 g);
Babycat Milk Royal Canin (RUB 1,100/300 g);
Gimpet Cat-Milk (RUB 2,400/2 kg);
Dr.Clauder`s Katzenmilch (1150 RUR/90 g).

Options for milk replacers for bitches:

Beaphar Puppy-Milk (650 RUR/200 g);
Canina Welpenmilch (RUB 1,200/90 g);
Babydog milk Royal Canin (1000 rub./400 g);
Nutri-Vet Milk Replacement (RUB 1,160/340 g);
Hartz Precision Nutrition Powdered Milk for Puppies (RUB 780/340 g);
Brit Care Puppy Milk (640 RUR/250 RUR).

All mixtures are diluted according to the attached instructions, taking into account the age of the babies and their weight at a given time.

Practicing veterinarians sometimes advise adding a little more water than indicated in the instructions - this will avoid constipation, because. In some cases, artificial nutrition can strengthen.

Question answer

Question:
How often should kittens and puppies be fed in the first days of life after birth?

Often! In the first two weeks, the average feeding frequency is every 2-3 hours, including night feedings without breaks. Then they maintain the same frequency during the day, and at night leave no more than 1-2 feedings. From the age of one month, night feedings are reduced to zero, and during the day the interval between feedings should be 3-4 hours.

Question:
Is it necessary to massage after feeding?

In the first days of life, puppies and kittens cannot empty their bladder and rectum on their own. For these purposes, female animals lick their babies, helping their natural emptying. It follows that after each feeding it is necessary to carry out a procedure that would be similar to maternal licking, otherwise the babies will not go to the toilet. An alternative is massage with a rough piece of cloth dipped in warm water.

Question:
Can kittens and puppies be fed cow's milk alone?

No! No matter what the old-timers say that you can get by with cow’s milk alone, it’s not true! Monotonous feeding of this product alone can, over time, result in various pathologies in the functioning of the digestive system. The composition of cow's milk differs significantly from that of cats and dogs - it is less fatty and contains several times less protein.

The difference in composition can be seen in the table:

Ideally, it is better to use ready-made nutritional formulas that replace milk from bitches and cats, or you will have to balance the composition yourself by adding certain missing components to the milk. For puppy homemade formulas, it is better to take goat's milk - its composition is somewhat more suitable for feeding than cow's milk, and not so “sweet”.

Question:
Can puppies be fed regular baby formula?

No, not recommended! Bitches' milk contains practically no sugars, and all infant formulas are sweet. High sugar content in formula can cause digestive upsets and also puts increased stress on the puppy's pancreas.

Question:
What if your kitten or puppy starts sniffling milk while feeding?

If the baby was eating normally and suddenly milk came out of the nostrils, it means that it is flowing too quickly from the nipple. It is necessary to stop feeding, let the baby catch his breath, shake him a little while holding him by the withers, wipe his muzzle and continue feeding, monitoring the speed of flow of the milk mixture.

If milk comes out through the spout immediately during the first feeding, then this is a reason to show the puppy to the veterinarian in order to rule out congenital pathologies of the structure of the oral cavity and problems with the sucking reflex. This phenomenon is often observed if a newborn has an anomaly such as a cleft palate - a cleft in the upper palate. Such puppies are not viable; it is more humane to euthanize the baby.

Question:
When should you start introducing the first complementary foods to formula-fed babies?

Kittens should be introduced to adult food from the age of 1 month, artificial puppies from 2-3 weeks. You can start introducing complementary foods with special canned food for kittens and puppies, or you can start with natural products: minced meat purees (necessarily heat-treated), meat and vegetable purees, fermented milk products (cottage cheese, sour cream), milk porridges, etc.

Question:
If a kitten is bottle-fed and has light yellow liquid stool?

If, when this type of feces appears, the kitten looks healthy in appearance, then this is the first sign of overfeeding. Food simply does not have time to be absorbed and digested. Feeding portions should be slightly reduced.

Question:
How do you know if a newborn puppy is getting enough feeding?

A healthy, well-fed puppy sleeps from feeding to feeding, is calm, and gains weight normally. The stool is yellowish in color and has a thick consistency.

If they are underfed, the puppies whine, are restless, and hardly sleep; if you put a finger to their muzzle, they try to grab onto it.

When overfed, puppies develop greenish loose stools due to excess bile, which over time becomes gray due to depletion of the enzymatic system.

White feces with a cheesy consistency indicate that food is not being digested. There are two reasons - disruption of the enzyme system of the gastrointestinal tract or overfeeding, when too much food is supplied than the body can digest.

When a mother feeds her offspring with breast milk and is healthy, the owner has nothing to worry about. This happens in most cases. But there are exceptions to the rules - force majeure circumstances when the bitch cannot feed the cubs. So all the worries about the offspring fall on the shoulders of the owner. This is not an easy task, but if you have the desire and theoretical knowledge, you can feed the puppies yourself. Let's find out how this should happen.

What to feed the offspring

First of all, we note that young animals who have not received maternal colostrum are always at risk. After all, this natural product contains antibodies to infections, helps cleanse the intestines, and supports the immunity of children. Since they are left without their mother, maintenance nutrition in the first days can be boiled water with glucose or cow's milk in which the yolk is diluted. One yolk must be stirred in half a liter of liquid, having previously separated it from the white.

If you compare the composition of cow's and dog's milk, the latter is much fattier. It contains 9.2% fat, while cow fat contains 3.8%. That is why it is recommended to add yolk to enrich the product. But dog milk contains 3.1% sugar. Therefore, formulas for infants are not entirely suitable for young pets, because they contain a lot of glucose. That is why it is still better to use dog milk substitutes for feeding.

Another feeding option is goat milk. Today, by the way, veterinary pharmacies sell female milk substitutes made from goat milk. In the first days, for better adaptation of puppy stomachs, they should be diluted with boiled water twice as much as the recommended norm. When the owner has the opportunity to feed the offspring with a natural goat product, it must be diluted with water one to one, boiled, and used warm. It is imperative to monitor the defecation of young animals: if the bowel movements are normal and there is no diarrhea, then the concentration of goat’s milk can be increased.

All mixtures that the owner uses to artificially feed the offspring must be freshly prepared, especially in the first weeks of life. Their temperature should not be less than 37-38°C for newborns, then it can be gradually reduced and brought to 26°C by the age of one month.

The feeding schedule in the first week is every two to three hours. It should be as close as possible to breastfeeding, and usually dogs suckle their mother at first 10-12 times a day. At two weeks of age, the interval between feedings increases to three to four hours. Already at three weeks old, puppies need to take a night break from feeding.

These are general guidelines for healthy puppies. But sometimes they are born weakened. If the newborn’s weight is one hundred grams or less, then he should be fed strictly every 2 hours. In this case, the portion should be such that the dog is full. Let him eat as much as he wants. However, keep in mind that, like a baby, it is better to underfeed a baby dog than to constantly overfeed it.

The owner of young offspring should know that up to a week of age, a single portion of food should be 15-20% of the dog’s body weight. This figure in a two-week period is 25%, in a three-week period - 30-32%.

At first, young tailed animals are fed from a bottle with a nipple. If we are talking about representatives of small breeds, then you can use a syringe without a needle or a pipette.

Many breeders advise adding bifidumbacterin to the mixture to normalize the intestinal microflora of puppies. To do this, you need to purchase its liquid concentrate. If there are problems in the health of the dogs, then it is advisable to give them Gamavit or Catozal.

It is useful to systematically treat the room where dogs are kept with a quartz lamp. This disinfection will help them grow healthy. It is important to avoid drafts and temperature changes in the room. Artificial puppies are more vulnerable to colds than puppies fed by their mother.

Healthy, well-fed puppies that are gaining weight well sleep almost all the time. This is an indicator that you are caring for them correctly. Hungry dogs will whine and have difficulty sleeping.

Already at three weeks, artificial babies should be taught to lap from a saucer. From the age of one month, they should gradually be accustomed to natural food, porridge with milk, kefir, and cottage cheese. It should be borne in mind that only one new product is allowed to be introduced per day.

The most useful food that puppies that have just seen the world will happily accept is their mother's milk. However, exceptions are possible, for example, a period of illness of the bitch, her refusal to accept her offspring, or even a simple lack of milk. Feeding with artificial formula can eliminate this problem.

Making your own formula for feeding newborn puppies

One of the most affordable means for feeding puppies is ordinary cow's milk, which is always possible to get. However, due to its specific composition, it is not able to fully replace bitch milk. Those substances the presence of which is vital for puppies, namely calories, proteins, phosphorus and calcium, are contained in insufficient quantities. Their concentration barely reaches 50% of the norm. There is only one way out of the situation - to “modernize” the milk obtained from a cow, increasing its nutritional value.

The simplest and at the same time reliable way to create a mixture of acceptable quality is to mix cow's milk with chicken yolks. The required concentration is achieved by adding 1 yolk to 100 ml of milk. To bring the resulting mixture even closer to the original, it is advisable to supplement the mixture with vitamins A, D (1-2 drops), and a 5% solution of ascorbic acid in an amount of 2-3 ml. The acid is known to be vitamin C.

Artificial bitch milk substitutes

You should resort to using such food for puppies when good quality cow's milk is not available to you, or simply preparing the formula gives you trouble. The industry produces mixtures that can become a complete replacement for bitch milk. And the puppies won't feel any difference. Industrially produced milk powder is available for sale, which only needs to be properly diluted and heated.

Royal Canin (Royal Canin);
Hartz (Hartz);
Beaphar (Bifar);
Canina Welpenbrei (This manufacturer also produces special cereals suitable for feeding puppies after they reach 3 weeks of age).

You can view and order dog milk substitutes.

Is it difficult to feed newborn puppies?

Any food is most beneficial if it is fresh. The same can be said about industrially produced mixtures. If the formula has not been fed during one feeding, it will remain suitable for another day (but not more than 36 hours). The mixture ready for feeding should only be kept in the refrigerator. For ease of use, this is where you should place the rest of the prepared mixture. Food “served” to the puppies’ table should be heated to a temperature of 38 degrees. To ensure that the mixture retains all its beneficial properties, it is more effective to use a water bath to heat it.

If the puppies are still very small, it is best to use a pipette or a syringe from which the needle has been removed to feed them with the mixture. For older puppies, a baby bottle with a nipple attached to the neck will probably be suitable. You also need to pay attention to the size of the hole in the nipple. If it is too large, the puppy will most likely choke when feeding. And through a hole that is too small, he simply will not be able to get enough of it.

As you know, when feeding a bitch with her tongue, she performs a small massage on the puppies’ abdomen, thereby stimulating digestion. With artificial feeding, you will have to perform this function. Arm yourself with a piece of natural cloth moistened with warm water and massage the puppies' bellies with light movements.

Do puppies need a lot of food?

The first week of life deserves special attention, when feeding will have to be done at intervals of two hours. Night hours will be no exception. For puppies that have lived 10 days from birth, the intervals between feeding periods can be increased. And puppies that have reached the age of one month should be fed 5-6 times a day.

How much food does a puppy need? The answer to this question depends on the size of the puppy and its age. Below are approximate correspondences between age and food volumes:

for a 2-3 day old puppy - 30 ml of mixture per day, if the bitch weighs 1-5 kg, (70 ml of mixture for a bitch weighing 5-10 kg; 90 ml for an animal weighing 10-20 kg; 120 ml/20- 30 kg; over 30 kg - mixture in a volume of 170 ml);
for a 7-day-old puppy - 40 ml of mixture per day for a bitch weighing 1-5 kg, (90 ml of mixture for a bitch weighing 5-10 kg; 120 ml for an animal weighing 10-20 kg; 160 ml/20-30 kg; over 30 kg - mixture in a volume of 230 ml);
for a 14-day-old puppy - 60 ml of mixture per day for a bitch weighing 1-5 kg, (130 ml of mixture for a bitch weighing 5-10 kg; 180 ml for an animal weighing 10-20 kg; 250 ml/20-30 kg; over 30 kg - mixture in a volume of 340 ml);
from the 21st day of a puppy’s life - 80 ml of mixture per day for a female weighing 1-5 kg, (180 ml of mixture for a female weighing 5-10 kg; 240 ml for an animal weighing 10-20 kg; 330 ml/20-30 kg ; over 30 kg - mixture in a volume of 460 ml);
from the 28th day of a puppy’s life - 100 ml of mixture per day for a female weighing 1-5 kg, (220 ml of mixture for a female weighing 5-10 kg; 300 ml for an animal weighing 10-20 kg; 410 ml/20-30 kg ; over 30 kg - mixture in a volume of 570 ml);

The above proportions are only approximate, because even puppies from the same litter may have different appetites. To determine the degree of saturation of the puppy’s body, you need to observe him. If the puppy independently turns away from the pacifier offered to him, most likely he is no longer hungry. Although this is also not an axiom, because he just gets tired of sucking a lot. In order to normalize your puppy's food intake, you need to find out at what rate puppies of your breed gain weight.

As soon as the puppies reach the age of 2-3 weeks, you can add a small amount of finely ground cottage cheese to their food or dilute it with a special porridge. When the puppies become even older, their diet can be diversified with a small amount of scraped meat or dry food. These additives are best added to their porridge. Dry food from Royal Canin Starter has proven itself well. This food is quite versatile and is suitable for dogs of a wide variety of breeds.

The most affordable cow's milk is not very suitable for feeding puppies. It contains almost two times less calories, proteins, and calcium and phosphorus, which are so necessary for babies, than in bitch's milk. Therefore, cow's milk will have to be slightly “modified”, adding nutritional value to it. A proven recipe for preparing a mixture for feeding newborn puppies consists of adding the yolk of a chicken egg to cow's milk (at the rate of 1 yolk per 100 ml of milk). It is advisable to add one or two drops of vitamins A and D and 2-3 ml of 5% ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to the resulting mixture.

Substitutes for industrially produced bitch milk

Preparing formula for feeding puppies is not always convenient, and the quality of cow's milk from the store sometimes leaves much to be desired. The solution to the problem can be ready-made substitutes for bitch milk, which contain all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for the healthy growth of puppies. Powdered milk for puppies is easy to use - just dilute the powder in the required proportion and bring it to the required temperature. Such mother's milk substitutes for puppies as Royal Canin, Hartz, Beaphar, Canina Welpenbrei have proven themselves well. In the line of products for puppies, the latter manufacturer also has a special mixture for preparing porridge for puppies, which can be used starting from 3 weeks of age. This is an excellent option for introducing complementary foods.

How to feed newborn puppies

It is better to use the finished mixture immediately, but you can feed it throughout the day (24 - maximum 36 hours). The mixture should be stored in the refrigerator. If you are preparing food for several feedings, immediately divide it into portions - put the excess in the refrigerator immediately after preparing the mixture. The temperature of the formula for feeding puppies should be about 38 degrees. It is better to heat the finished mixture in a water bath, placing the dishes with the mixture in a container with hot water. Very tiny puppies can be fed using a pipette or a syringe without a needle. If the puppies are not very small, you can use a regular baby bottle with a rubber nipple. It is important to adjust the size of the hole in the nipple. Too large can lead to the puppy choking, and too small will not allow the baby to fulfill his nutritional requirement due to fatigue quickly setting in.

A nursing bitch not only feeds her babies, but also monitors their digestion. When artificially feeding puppies, you will have to take on this task yourself. Before each feeding, lightly massage the puppies' bellies with a damp and warm cloth made of natural fabric, imitating the licking movements of their mother's tongue. How much food do newborn puppies need? The first week of a puppy's life is the most important and hardest. Babies will have to be fed every two hours, including at night. Somewhere from the 10th day of life, the number of feedings can be reduced, increasing the intervals between them. By the end of the first month, puppies can no longer be fed more than 5-6 times a day. The amount of food per day a puppy needs for full development depends on the baby’s age and size.

Nutritional needs can vary greatly among puppies of even the same litter size. Monitor babies while feeding. The puppy, having had enough of the food offered, usually turns away from the nipple on its own. But remember that he may also turn away because he is tired of sucking, although he is not full. Be sure to find out the norms for weight gain for puppies of your breed, and monitor this indicator. From two to three weeks of age, puppies are recommended to add mashed cottage cheese or special cereals for puppies. A little later, you can introduce porridge with scraped meat or ready-made dry food designed specifically for small puppies. For example, (Starter from Royal Canin) Royal Canin Starter. The advantage of this food is that it has several types for different breeds of dogs. Small breed puppies and large breed puppies have different development rates and growth needs, so choose the food that's right for your little ones.