Feeding puppies up to one month of age. Proper diets for feeding one month old puppies How to feed 10 day old puppies

The health and physical activity of any domestic animal, including a dog, depend not only on the conditions of detention, but also on proper feeding, so it is extremely important to provide the puppy with correct mode and a high-quality feeding diet from the very first days.

General rules for feeding puppies

As a rule, significant problems associated with the dog’s health are provoked by flaws in feeding, as well as a pronounced violation of the basic principles of the diet.

It is imperative to take into account that feeding the puppy, regardless of its age or breed characteristics, is required strictly after a walk. Along with other predatory animals, the dog completely digests and absorbs food well only in a state of complete rest. Walking your pet after eating can cause stomach problems that will require urgent surgery.

Bowls with food and water must be stable and placed on a special convenient stand. It is advisable to place the bowls at the same level as the pet’s chest, which will allow the dog to form the most correct posture. It is best to purchase lifting stands that are adjustable in height throughout the entire growth period of the animal. If the puppy places its hind legs under its body while eating, then you should persistently, but not roughly, pull them back, thus developing the correct stance.

This is interesting! Any food for a four-legged pet should not be very hot, but not too cold. It is optimal to provide natural food feed at room temperature and of medium consistency.

How many times a day should you feed your puppy?

As a rule, depending on the breed characteristics and the chosen feeding method, the feeding schedule may vary slightly. Some experts believe that a puppy can be easily switched to an adult food regimen as early as eight months.

Puppy age (months)	Number of feedings per day	Feeding mode
from 1 to 2	6	7:00, 10:00, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00 and 22:00
from 2 to 3	5	7:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00 and 22:00
from 3 to 4	4	7:00, 12:00, 17:00 and 22:00
from 4 to 6	3-4	7:00, 12:00, 17:00 and 22:00
from 6 to 10	3	7:00, 13:00 and 21:00
over 10	2	7:00 and 21:00

The belly of a freshly fed puppy should in no case look like it is too tight and stuffed, or like a big barrel. Such appearance stomach is evidence of severe overfeeding and a signal that the portion of food must be reduced.

Diet depending on age

The basis for drawing up a complete diet is the rule: the younger the puppy being raised, the more large quantity He is given food once a day. Regardless of the age of the pet, the diet must be completely balanced and must satisfy all the requirements of the growing body.

From the age of three weeks, it is imperative to give the puppy clean and high-quality food. drinking water, which should be poured into a special bowl or stable drinking bowl. It is very important to replace the water in the sippy cup with fresh water, but not too cold, about three times a day. If the puppy is cheerful and active, and positive dynamics of weight gain and growth are recorded, then the pet is developing absolutely normally.

What to feed a 1 month old puppy

In the first one and a half to two months, the basis of any puppy’s diet is mother’s milk. If the litter is too large or the amount of milk from the bitch is insufficient to provide all puppies with adequate nutrition, then professional breeders and veterinarians recommend the early introduction of complementary foods from the age of two to three weeks.

To three parts of sterilized cow or goat milk, add one part of 20% cream, as well as raw quail eggs at the rate of two or three pieces per liter of prepared mixture. The mass is thoroughly mixed, after which the milk-egg mixture is given to the puppy warm.

This is interesting! As a rule, for the purpose of complete complementary feeding, special factory-made mixtures are used, which are as close in composition as possible to natural dog milk.

What to feed a puppy for 2 months

Starting from two months, mother's milk is replaced by so-called “adult” food. This period is characterized by very intense growth processes of the puppy, as well as the need to receive a large amount of energy. Up to three months of age, a puppy can be fed dry ready-made food soaked in warm boiled water, at the rate of 100 grams of granules per one and a half glasses of liquid.

The basis of a puppy’s natural diet at this age must be high-quality lean meat, low-fat meat broth, as well as wheat, oatmeal, rice and buckwheat. Starting from two months of age, your pet should be given such dairy products, like not too sour and fatty kefir, fermented baked milk or organic yogurt. Cottage cheese must be mixed with a small amount of whey before giving it to your pet. Boiled or stewed vegetables have a very positive effect on the growing body.

Important! If there is even the slightest doubt about the quality characteristics of the meat, then it is necessary to freeze the protein food well or pour boiling water over it immediately before feeding the puppy.

Feeding a 3 month old puppy

Starting from three months, food is given, as a rule, four times a day. Cottage cheese, vegetable soups and chopped lean meat are very suitable for feeding at this age. It is recommended to add mineral supplements and essential vitamins intended for puppies early age.

At about the age of three and a half months, the puppy begins to naturally change teeth, so in order to form a correct bite and strong jaws, it is advisable to give your pet soft veal bones, cartilage and crackers. The basic requirements of hygiene should not be neglected, so brushing your teeth should be done regularly, only with special pastes and toothbrushes.

Important! During the period of teeth change, the puppy’s body temperature often rises, so the animal may become lethargic and apathetic, as well as completely or partially lose its appetite for some time.

What to feed a puppy from 6 months

From six months of age, the puppy enters the stage of intensive development and growth, so it is at this age that the pet’s need for complete protein food of animal origin, as well as an increased amount of fiber, various vitamins and essential minerals, increases significantly.

The amount of lean meat in a pet's daily diet should be approximately 50-60%. Also, the diet of natural food must include approximately 15-20%, 25-35% of cereals and cereals. It is advisable to add a small amount of vegetable or vegetable puree to vegetable puree. butter, which will significantly increase the nutritional value ready-made dish, and also improves its digestibility by the animal’s body.

Diet depending on breed

It is important to note that, regardless of the breed, it is necessary to feed the puppy strictly at the same time, but the food should remain in the bowl for no longer than fifteen minutes. After this time, the bowl of food should be removed, even if the pet did not have time to finish it completely. This simple feeding tactic allows the animal to get used to a certain feeding routine in the shortest possible time.

Nutrition for small breed puppies

Almost all are characterized by a predisposition to cardiac and vascular pathologies. It is for this reason that toy terrier puppies and other miniature breeds should be given a significant amount of high-grade vitamin supplements from a very early age. The dog's diet must also be extremely balanced.

Small or mini-dachshunds must be provided with complete complementary feeding with vitamin and mineral compositions containing increased amounts of calcium and fluoride. This feature is due to the peculiarity of the structure of the long and therefore very vulnerable spine, which must have time to get stronger in the shortest possible time. It is strictly forbidden to compensate for the poor quality of food by increasing the portions given to the puppy.

This is interesting! As practice shows, a normal and completely healthy puppy of any small breed, if provided with a high-quality and complete diet, should gain approximately 15-20 grams of weight every day.

Nutrition for medium breed puppies

A medium breed puppy requires more energy and essential nutrients than a small breed puppy, but significantly less than a large breed puppy. The nutritional needs of such a pet can be satisfied with ready-made and balanced dry food that has an average content of vitamins, minerals and nutritional components.

It has been experimentally proven that premium-class dry food, as well as holistic food, are characterized by an optimal, balanced amount of proteins, fats, natural and highly digestible fiber, carbohydrates, vitamin-mineral complexes, which allows the owner of a medium-breed puppy to do without the use of additional expensive food additives .

Important! Insufficient or excessive amounts of minerals and vitamins negatively affect the further growth and development of a pet, and food with a high protein content quickly causes an imbalance in the amount of phosphorus and calcium in the puppy’s body.

Nutrition for large breed puppies

Puppies include the husky, the Caucasian shepherd dog, the alabai dog, as well as the rottweiler, pit bull and many other dogs. It is these breeds that need a diet with an increased amount of protein compounds. In this case, lean meat can be combined with stewed or boiled vegetables. This dish is best given to your pet before bedtime and only in small portions.

With the correct diet, a large breed puppy should gain approximately 150-170 grams of weight daily. It is allowed to use both a natural method of nutrition and feeding ready-made diets intended for young pets of large breeds. In order to correctly determine the one-time rate of the daily amount of feed required by the animal, it is necessary to divide the daily amount indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging by total number feedings.

Important! Remember that representatives of such breeds are very prone to joint pathologies, so the puppy should not be overfed at an early age.

Starting from the age of one month, the proportion of mother's milk in the puppy's diet gradually decreases. It should be replaced by other food. It gradually replaces mother's milk.

Feeding should begin at three to four weeks. Actually, the bitches themselves begin to do this, regurgitating their food for the puppies. If the litter is large, you can feed the puppies as early as 20 days old to give the bitch the opportunity to get stronger. At this age, puppies find it easier to lap up semi-liquid food rather than liquid food like milk.

How to feed puppies correctly?

You can take a little baby kefir or milk formula on the tip of your finger and touch the puppy’s mouth, he will begin to lick your finger. You can offer him a little more mixture in a shallow bowl and he will continue to lick. Now he will lap up everything he is given.

It is important to give your puppy only one type of new food at a time. The puppy must get used to it, and the owner must make sure that this product is well digested. At first, additional food is given once a day, after a few days - twice a day, later - three times.

This continues until 5-6 weeks and the baby is completely weaned from the mother. All food for a puppy should be at the temperature of the bitch's milk - about 38°C. At 4 weeks, raw meat is included in the baby’s diet. It is ground twice in a meat grinder, and then this minced meat is rolled into tiny balls. There is no need to push food into the puppy's mouth. The puppy's second food should be milk.

By 5-6 weeks of age, the baby should have one meat feeding and 4 dairy feedings per day. Sometimes you can replace it with boiled rabbit or poultry meat. Or fish. It is cooked in a pressure cooker until the bones soften. After 6 weeks, the baby should be given crackers and an egg yolk to chew on once a week.

You need calcium with vitamin D and fish oil. They are also given meat twice a day. When the puppy is eight weeks old, he needs to be fed throughout the day, every three hours. Typically the first, third and very last feedings consist of a variety of dairy products.

This can be kefir, yogurt, fermented baked milk, yogurt without dyes or additives. Also, boiled cereal is introduced into one of the meals, to which you can add egg yolk. The best cereals for your puppy to prepare are rolled oats, buckwheat and rice. Pearl barley is completely contraindicated, as it will cause intestinal upset in the baby. The second and fourth feedings usually consist of meat, as well as broth with boiled cereal or a small amount of crackers, which are made from wholemeal bread.

A newborn four-legged baby is a tiny helpless cub that requires special care and attention. In the first weeks of its life, the puppy feeds exclusively on its mother's milk.

It happens that there are many puppies in the litter, but the mother dog has little milk and by the end of the second week there is not enough for a whole “platoon” of small hungry mouths. In this case, there is nothing left to do but transfer the puppies to complementary feeding.

Three-week-old puppies are already big “children” and it is quite possible to feed them, even if their mother has completely run out of milk.

Best used as complementary food goat milk, it is believed that in its composition it is closest to dog milk. The only problem is that it is not always possible to get goat milk in a metropolis. In this case, as an alternative, you can use infant formula with rice or look in pet stores for a dog milk substitute intended for feeding newborn orphan puppies.

At the age of three weeks, puppies can already be fed not only with milk formula, but also fish, meat and vegetable purees, cottage cheese, and porridge can be added to their diet.

How to feed three week old puppies?

At this age, puppies are already thinking quite well and can feed not only from the nipple. To check this, try dipping your finger into the mixture and slip it to the four-legged brats to lick it. The smartest ones immediately occupy the bowl.

If your four-legged charges still refuse to eat on their own, feed them from a bottle with a nipple or from a syringe without a needle. As a rule, representatives of decorative dog breeds take longer to learn to eat independently.

How much should a three week old puppy eat?

Of course, this largely depends on the breed of the puppy and its size. But on average, in the third or fourth week, puppies can consume up to 500 ml of milk per day. If at this time the puppy is still feeding on mother's milk, then the daily dose of complementary foods is divided into three doses and should not exceed 150 grams per day.

Cottage cheese in a volume of no more than 20 grams per day;

Meat puree – 1 teaspoon per day (meat broth is added from the fourth week);

Fish fillet – 50 grams per day no more than three times a week;

Vegetable puree – about 50 grams per day;

Milk semi-liquid porridge (except semolina) – 50-100 grams per day.

From three weeks old, puppies need to be given water.

How often should I feed my three week old puppy?

Up to two months of age, puppies left without mother's milk are fed at least six times a day (as they squeak from hunger).

If the puppies have a mother, complementary foods begin to be introduced two to three times a day, gradually increasing to five to six times, reducing mother's milk to a minimum.

You will have to stick to six meals a day until the puppies are 2.5-3 months old.

Mother's milk is the only food for newborn puppies in the first two to three weeks of life. Therefore, the puppy’s growth, health and development depend entirely on how well the lactating bitch eats. For the first seven days, puppies can be attached to their mother's nipples twelve times a day. In the second week of life, the number of feedings is reduced to eight times, and by the fourth week - to six. Before the bitch stops feeding milk, the feeding frequency is 4-5 times a day. Puppies begin to be fed additionally as early as two weeks, but only if the bitch has enough milk. If there are many puppies in the litter or the bitch does not have enough milk, then feeding the puppies begins earlier, from the first days of life.

How to determine whether a puppy has enough mother's milk? If a puppy does not have enough milk, then he is restless, often whines, sleep becomes short, and noticeably lags behind in development. Such puppies should be applied more often to the milkiest nipples. Whole milk heated to 30 degrees is used as the first complementary food. It is better to use goat's milk. In terms of its qualities and composition, it is closest to bitch milk. To make cow's milk nutritious enough for puppies, it is added chicken eggs at the rate of 1 egg per half liter of milk.

Until the moment when the puppies open their eyes, they are fed using a bottle with a nipple. They are taught to feed themselves by pouring milk into a small bowl and gently bending the puppy's head towards the food. Usually, one or two feedings are enough for the puppy to eat on his own. From this point on, various additives can be added to the milk. It can be semolina or oatmeal porridge, white bread soaked in milk. It is useful to add raw chicken eggs to porridge. One egg is laid to feed a litter of five puppies.

The amount of milk for a puppy in the first week will be approximately 200 – 250 ml. By the fourth week, the amount of milk is gradually increased to two to three glasses per day. Raw meat is introduced into the diet starting from the third week of life. The meat is finely chopped or minced in a meat grinder. Meat complementary foods are introduced gradually, starting from 15 - 20 grams, and gradually increasing its amount. So, at three weeks the norm for a puppy is about 50 grams of meat per day, and at one month of age - 100 grams. The meat is fed after they suckle their mother's milk, dividing the daily intake into several parts.

Starting from three weeks, they try to diversify the diet. To do this, in addition to cereals, meat and milk, they are fed rice water and other liquid cereals, starting from 50 grams per day, and gradually increasing the norm to 250 grams. The daily norm is calculated for 3 doses. Puppies begin to be given water at three weeks of age. It is necessary to give water, even if the puppies are receiving milk. It must always be fresh, so the water must be changed several times a day. Don't forget to wash the drinking bowl. Mucus settles on it, polluting the water. Meat broth is introduced into the diet in the fourth week. A little later, various soups are cooked using broth, but the meat is given separately. He is fed three times a day. It is better to make cottage cheese for puppies yourself. In order for an actively developing puppy to have enough calcium and not be in danger of developing such an unpleasant and difficult-to-treat disease as rickets, the cottage cheese must be calcined. It's not difficult to do. To do this, bring a liter of milk to a boil, pour in 3 tbsp. calcium chloride 10%, and mix well. After the milk has curdled, it is expressed and cooled. Puppies under 4 weeks of age are given no more than twenty grams of this cottage cheese per day, and by three months the amount is increased to 50 grams. Usually puppies eat cottage cheese better if it is diluted with whey to the consistency of porridge. You can add a little sugar. The serum does not need to be infused - it is very useful. Most often, she is given to a nursing bitch.

A growing puppy also needs vegetables. The easiest way to teach a puppy to eat vegetables is to feed them in the form of purees. To prepare the puree, vegetables are chopped and simmered until they become completely soft. After this, add sour cream and continue cooking for about 15 minutes. All that remains is to puree the vegetables to the desired consistency and cool. Depending on age, the amount of vegetables can range from 50 to 150 grams per day.

Fish is given in the form of minced meat, twice a week, 30–50 grams per day. In order to prepare minced meat, the fish is boiled and minced in a meat grinder along with the bones. Dilute the minced meat with broth. Only sea fish is suitable for feeding puppies.

By the age of one month, breastfeeding should be reduced to 3-4 times. Between such feedings, the puppies are fed milk five times a day, in which they can soak a little white bread. In addition, you can give rice soup with meat broth or meat minced in a meat grinder. By the time the bitch stops nursing, the puppies should be receiving at least 6 feedings per day.

Puppies are weaned at 45 days of age. You can't do this abruptly. Over five to seven days, gradually reduce the feeding of the puppies by the bitch. The puppies are already accustomed to normal feeding and can feed themselves. A sudden transition from breast milk to regular food can cause serious digestive problems.

To determine if your pet is eating properly, you need to weigh him daily. During the day, puppies of small breeds gain about 20 grams in weight, medium breeds - about 50, and the weight gain of large breed puppies reaches 175 grams. By the time the puppy switches to a normal diet, his diet should have a sufficient amount of energy and nutrients. So, the amount of protein in a puppy’s diet is 9 grams, fat – about 2.6 grams and 14 grams of sugars. In addition, vitamin A - 200 IU, D - 20 IU, E - 2.2 IU. For normal development of a puppy, its diet must contain at least 528 mg of calcium, 440 mg of phosphorus and 1.5 g of fiber. The puppy gets complete proteins from meat, including offal, and rice and various cereals, which are fed in the form of porridges, are rich in carbohydrates. Vegetables enrich the diet with vitamins and fiber, and bone meal, chalk and vitamin D are necessary to prevent rickets.

It is important that young dogs receive the highest quality food. Avoid bloating and problems with digestion. The consistency of the food fed to dogs is like a thick soup. The frequency of feeding puppies up to 8 weeks is every 4 hours, 6 times a day. By four months, the number of feedings is reduced to five, and by six months - to 3 times a day. It is better to give food slightly warm, uneaten food is removed immediately, and do not feed the puppy until the next feeding.

The puppy begins to be switched to the diet of an adult dog from the age of six months. By 9 months, the puppy eats twice a day, but the diet is no less rich than before. It is useful to give cartilage to puppies.

It is unacceptable to feed poultry bones, especially tubular bones. If you give your dog bones, they should be large ones. In addition, it is unacceptable to consume various hot spices and vinegar in your dog’s diet.

kendrali (Kendrali Elena Leonidovna)

From 3-4 weeks, you can start feeding puppies food in liquid or porridge form. In more early period You can practice supplementing puppies with milk replacers, which is justified for large litters that cannot grow normally without additional feeding. The reason for insufficient weight gain may be competition between puppies and pushing aside weaker ones. In this case, underweight puppies must be supplemented.

What to feed puppies? The food they will eat after weaning. If we are talking about ready-made food, then it is better to take specialized food for puppies of this breed group (dry food needs to be soaked, wet food must be heated in a water bath and not overheated). If this is a homemade puppy food, it should be ground after cooking (puree it in a blender). That is, homemade food should be quite liquid - the consistency of a thin puree. Also, many manufacturers have special ready-made mixtures for feeding puppies, usually called “puppy porridge.”

At what age can puppies start feeding complementary foods?

From 3 weeks You can start complementary feeding. The feed mixture should be fresh and heated to body temperature (38-39°C). At first, puppies, as a rule, pay little attention to food, since the main intake nutrients happens with milk. But when one puppy starts eating food, the rest follow suit.

If puppies ignore the food, you should gently try to attract them to it - by gently bringing your nose closer to the food or by placing a small amount of it in your mouth with your finger. Coercive measures are, of course, strictly excluded.

Feeding complete (commercial) puppy food. When switching puppies from 3-4 weeks to semi-solid food, it is recommended to choose a fairly energy-intensive food (specialized for puppies) and add water to turn it into a thick porridge. Canned (wet) food is diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio; dry food requires adding three times the amount of water. The water for soaking dry food should be at a temperature of approximately 50 degrees, then soaking the food will take 10-15 minutes. If the water is colder, the food will take longer to soak. The food should be at least at room temperature, and best of all at body temperature.. If a bag of food is placed on the balcony (or in a cold room) in winter, the food may soak longer, which already violates the conditions for using the food. Warm it up before soaking it.

Feeding puppies is discussed in detail in the webinar:

When feeding a ready-made diet, no vitamin and mineral supplements are required. From 2-3 weeks from the start of complementary feeding, puppies begin to eat porridge with appetite. If there is a reaction in the form of a change in stool consistency, vomiting or diarrhea, stop feeding for half a day or reduce its amount. The transition to unsoaked food is possible from 5-6 weeks of life. At the same time, it is necessary to provide the animals with a sufficient amount of fresh water. It is advisable to gradually reduce the amount of water when soaking. The same measure is recommended to increase appetite in puppies.

The amount of food is selected according to the appetite of the puppies. Due to the varying amount of milk produced by bitches, it is impossible to give precise amounts. The amount of food should be such that the puppies can eat it without leaving any traces. If the puppies do not finish the food, a smaller amount should be prepared at the next feeding. If their stool becomes loose, the amount of complementary foods is reduced.

Puppies should be fed separately from their mother so that they can eat without interference. While the puppies are with their mother, 3 feedings at 8-10 hour intervals at night are sufficient. Food should be offered to puppies on a flat plate. All utensils must be washed thoroughly after each feeding!

At what age can puppies be weaned from their mother?

Weaning of puppies can be carried out from 6 weeks, as a rule, this period ends by 8 weeks. Weaning occurs only when the puppies begin to eat sufficient amount of feed (daily allowance).

When weaning, puppies are left with the usual amount of food for 2-3 days, after which it is gradually increased to the recommended amount. daily norm. Rapid weaning of puppies from their mother while simultaneously reducing her daily food intake leads to a rapid decrease in milk production and prevents complications associated with the mammary glands. But we will talk about this in another article. about feeding pregnant and lactating bitches.

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How to feed newborn puppies? How to feed? How to wean? Is my puppy growing properly? Supplements – necessary or not? When to switch to adult food? Examples of homemade diets. Mixed diet – taboo or sometimes possible? Commercial feeds - can they be combined and how correctly?

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