If you are tackling the job of mama for baby puppies or cats, don't let them aspirate (breath in) their milk, as it can cause respiratory problems and death. Feed only small amounts, and more often without allowing pup to overeat then vomit, and can inhale it into their lungs.
Don't use cow milk, but goat milk for babies is as good as the stuff from vet, easy to digest. Use l/2 goat milk (canned) for babies and 1/2 water. Remember to burp as with a baby on a bottle. Good growing.
Source: My experience with a tiny Boston bull terrier pup started at 2 days.
By gbk from south GA
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Please give me tips to take care of a dachshund. What kind of food should I give to a 5 months old puppy?
Sally from Cebu, Philippines
Lucky you! Doxie's are my favorite dog. My husband is a retired veterinarain and in his practice he always recommended Science Diet foods. There are many good foods out there but we just knew more about SD and liked the results it gave. All of our dogs have lived their entire lives on SD. I would give a doxie puppy food until it was about 18 months old and ONLY dry. If you give a good quality food there is no need for vitamins. We use dry becasue it's helpful in cleaning teeth and easier for owners. My doxie has never had canned and is 4 years old and loves iher dry food. Also, they should have no table food. Sometimes this spoils them so that they will give you a hard time about eating their food. Doxies especially should avoid getting fat. Look at them. That extra weight will be right below that long back and FREQUENTLY causes back problems. At 5 months I would feed twice daily but not free choice. Start with your morning feeding. Put down about a half cup of food. Watch. What has been eaten in about 10 minutes is what is needed for a meal. Take up the rest and measure so you know what to offer next time.
Our little girl (long hair, mini) is 9 and a such a blessing! When I had pneumonia 5 years ago which caused sleep apnea, she would wake me up when my breathing changed. She would come right up and nose me until I woke up and started breathing normally. As for hints; always watch your new pup's weight because of back problems, DISCOURAGE jumping off of beds, couches, chairs, etc, as it puts strain on their backs also. It took a while, but our girl is trained to wait to be moved from the bed/couch/chair to the floor (at least most of the time ...if someone is at the door she throws all caution to the wind).
If your pup is social with other dogs always keep a good eye on her when she is with bigger dogs as they may accidentally step on her and hurt her. Our girl's best friend was a huge Boxer mix who was gentle with her, but we still had to be careful. Our vet recommended dry food mixed with wet for her meals as she aged. It is better for her teeth. Doxies are prone to teeth problems also. Stay away from bones--beef or otherwise, which can break apart and be a choking hazard. We wish you many years of love from your new furry child!
If you can afford it, Science Diet is the healthiest dog food on the market = it comes in several different varieties, from puppy to old age and everything in between.
I wouldn't feed my dog Science Diet. It's actually one of the worst dogfoods out there, if you do some research. We feed our dogs and puppies Eagle Pack, which you can find at pet stores.
I have my doubts about the quality of Science Diet. All vets carry it in their clinics; there has to be a reason because there are other pet foods on the market just as high in quality. My quess is that the vet/clinic has a monetairy motive for carrying SD. Althought they carry it, I've NEVER had a vet suggest I feed my dashund SD. My two cents worth!
I wonder where tesmom got her info on SD. Tesmom, plrease respond.
To the guest post of 9-15 from a veterinarian's wife: Unless other vets get something we never did they aren't getting any kick backs from selling or recommending Science Diet. When my husband first became involved with pet foods he quickly discovered that other companies were doing a copy cat thing with SD and advertising their foods as 'good as Science Diet". They were in the beginning the leaders in animal nutrition. Things have changed over the years and there are several good pet foods now.
We've fed our dogs and cats only SD for over 23 years and have seen good results with all including young and old. To say that vets have a monetary motive for selling/recommending something is not fair. We carried foods that we could feel confident were of good quality and healthful to the animals. Yes, we made some money selling it. That's the way it works but we didn't get special consideration, just regular mark-up; the same way the grocery store and feed store does except less. Be fair, please.
My puppy is 4 months old and doesn't seem to be satisfied with puppy food. Is he too young to have adult food?
By Gretchen from Cleburne, TX
My Yorkie is 6 months old. Which is best, soaked or dried puppy food? He loves both. He likes a slice of apple, carrot, and frozen peas. He is fit healthy full of energy.
So my family has a teacup Morkie and she is about 11 weeks old and is only 1.5 pounds. We would like her to grow so she will gain some weight. Help!
Please help me. I got a Doberman pup (Taz) who is 27 days old. He doesn't drink milk at all. He has been hungry for for 2 days. I am very tense about it. Please give me some suggestions on what and how to feed him.
By Owais M. from Srinagar, Kashmir, India
Have you tried to bottle feed the pup with a half and half mixture of canned milk and water? You can use a regular 4oz baby bottle and nipple for him.
Use baby bottle with puppy formula. Puppies that young need to eat every 2 hours.
My 14 week old Maltese will only eat if she is hand fed. We got her 2 weeks ago and rescued her from what we think is a puppy mill. She is healthy, weighs 43.5 oz today (9/26/15). She runs around, plays, and has lots of energy. I am soaking her puppy food until it's very soft and that's what she eats. She also won't drink. I give her liquids from a syringe.
How do I get her to eat on her own? I'm afraid to just stop feeding her as I worry about hypoglycemia and dehydration.
I put pieces of her soft food on the table for her to eat on her own, but she won't touch it. She has no idea that eating is something that she can do on her own.
When we went to pick her up from the breeder she was squeezing honey water into her mouth from a pointed squeeze bottle. She told me that she had been feeding her cooked chicken. My vet had a fit and told me that it was a poor diet and get her on a good food, which I did.
How can I train her to eat on her own? Thanks!
I have two puppies that where taken by two very young children I have a feeling without permission. They were trying to sell the puppies and I talked them into letting me keep the puppies. I, along with a pastor, am trying to find the owners. I have decided I will pay them for the puppies if they tell me who they belong to. Meantime I have fed them chicken and beef broth mixed with Purnia chow because I did not have money to buy puppy chow.
One is throwing up and has runny stool. I know it is because they both need to be with their mother. I am so scared for the babies. Does anyone have suggestions on how to handle this problem? I can't see anyone in their right mind giving puppies to children this young. They appear to be maybe 7 and 8 year old children!What is the best food to feed my 8 week old German Shepherd Husky mix? We want to give him the best food to keep him lean and in good health.
By Jourdann
How often do I feed an 8 week old Pit puppy? She eats dry food soaked, but I just want to know how often she should be fed?
By Jennifer from Ellijay, GA
Puppies that age should be fed 3 times a day and just the amount they will readily consume. This means they should have food put down and given 10-15 minutes to eat and then pick it up. If food is left down all the time they tend to overeat. Just like I do when there is a plate of cookies out all day!
Thumbs up to Glenn's Mom's answer; just want to add to this that your pup isn't too young to handle the dry food without wetting it ( as long as he's getting plenty of water).
Getting him accustomed to the dry kibble will help him in his teething process, and also help scrape tartar from those baby teeth.
My son got a 8 week old Pit Bull puppy. He was feeding her a cup of dry food in the morning and a cup at night. She is now 11 weeks old and does not seem nearly as interested in food. She went from 8 pounds to 14 pounds and seems healthy. She probably eats about a cup and a half a day now.
