Breast milk is, in the beginning of life, the best thing a pup can get from its mother. It is full of the nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. However, as the offsprings grow, milk needs to be supplemented with other food, so they are gradually fed with solid food, too. This transition should be systematic so that puppies can get used to it without any problems. So what should be done and what should be taken care of throughout the process?
Step by step
„Puppies usually start eating supplementary food between the third and fourth week of age. The process should be gradual, starting with soaking and blending the dry food and then slowly switching to it as is. This usually happens in the seventh week of the dog's life. The puppies then go to their new homes used to dry food," says Antonín Kadlec, a breeder.
Quality Dry Food and Plenty of Water
It is important to pay attention to the quality of the dry food the dog gets. Especially in the first weeks, dogs need important nutrients and the ratio of them needs to be well-balanced, so that their body can develop and grow properly. In addition to the quality, it is important to focus on whether the puppy likes the dry food and mainly if it is suitable for it – it can be easily said so from the stool. Another important factor is drinking. “Obviously, puppies need access to water so that they can drink after eating the dry food. We check our puppies for the whole time of weaning and we look out for them so they don’t choke when feeding,” explains breeder A. Kadlec.
The Size of the Food Ration and Dividing It
The frequency of feeding is also different for puppies. While adult dogs should get food once to twice a day, puppies should eat more frequently. “In the beginning, we let puppies eat as much as they want because they are still breastfed, but after the fourth week, we divide to food to five meals, so they eat five times a day, and we wean them so their mother only comes to play with them. In their eighth week of age, when puppies go to their new homes, they eat three to four times a day," says the breeder.
Be Careful about Overfeeding
Sticking to adequate food ration is particularly important for puppies. There is a risk of putting on weight which might even lead to obesity, but too much food also means great burden for their bones which might not be able to take it and break. Therefore, always ensure that you respect the recommended food ration which depends on the size of the dog, its age and also its condition. Active dogs will need more food than those who go for shorter, less frequent walks.
Feeding as a Ritual
Regularity is very important for dogs. Feeding should therefore be a ritual. Try to administer the food ration at the same time, in the same place and in the same way. Besides the dry food, there should always be a bowl of water and a dog should have access to it all day. However, dry food should be only given to a puppy at the time of feeding.
The Same Type of Feed
The first moments in the new home come with new experience for both sides – the owner as well as the dog. If you got a puppy from a breeder, be sure to find out what dry food (s)he gave to dogs and try to respect this selection – at least in the first days. If you want to get your dog used to another food, the change should be gradual again. “When you decide to change the type of food, gradually mix the new dry food into the old dry food and watch the puppy’s reaction to it,” says Antonín Kadlec.
Kitten Lady describes her activities as kittens’ advocacy and humane education. This all is done by young beautiful Hannah Shaw. She’s a kitten rescuer, spreads the principles of humanity and is an unwavering advocate of animal rights. She decided to...
Several kinds of hedgehog are kept as pets. The most common one is the four-toed hedgehog or an African pygmy hedgehog in other words. This pet which is not very common but is becoming more and more popular can live up to 9 years in captivity and...
More than one artist fell in love with these creatures and looked for inspiration for work in them. One of them was Ernest Hemingway. He is the author of the well-known saying “One cat just leads to another”. He really kept a large number of cats (in...
We have an active and healthy lifestyle. Or at least we try to have. In relation to that, we don’t only think about our own food but also about our dogs’ food. The trend of barfing has already come to the Czech Republic, too. It is a method of feeding...
If you go camping for the first time, it is good to prepare for all various reactions of your furry friend. Do you travel with it by car and by public transport with no problems? Is your dog okay when not sleeping at home, e.g. in a mountain cabin? It...
As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which...
Let us get this straight, what is monoprotein food? It is wet food (i.e. cans and pouches) which contains only one type of meat, muscles and bowels. And why is it better than common wet food?
A meat bomb in a form of a dog paté or can doesn’t have to be only a reward. If you are planning to go on a long hike – to the mountains or to the valley – you can make the use of a dog meat can. Dogs in move, usually when doing any sport outside, need...
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is...
Runner Dion Leonard could talk for hours about the bond which is created between a man and a dog and also about how an unknown Asian crossbreed dog becomes one of the most famous dogs on planet Earth. He bumped into a dog companion at the ultra-trial...
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with...
Cats can also be heroes and put their lives at risk to save someone from risky or life-threatening situations. The first cat hero I will introduce you to is Scarlett. She showed her heroism in the most natural form – she saved her kittens. She took...
