Hello,

My bitch gave birth ten days ago, two of the puppies are flying away with the weight, almost two pound, while two others are struggling (they are having extra feeds as well)

What is the earliest time I can start weaning the two biggest pups? As they are pushing the littlest ones off, dispite my best efforts the others aren't gaining as much weight. Any advice would be great thank.

The two largest are constantly feeding, they are obviously hungry and milk doesn't seem to be enough for them.

They are a toy breed.

if their weight is gaining well i wouldnt worry to much yet but try getting the smaller pups to back of her milk bar and hold them there if need be ,the more they all suck the more her milk will keep coming if only 2 are feeding all the time she will only make enough milk to feed them so make sure their all on and keep the big ones from knocking the small ones off.
if their weight slows right down them weaning can start form 2 weeks but some have done it even earlyer then this ,i have 9 pups at 3weeks and 2 days old mum hasnt got much milk at all now i started weaning at 2 weeks and they went made for the food ,so that tells me mum isnt giveing them enough they are now on 5 meals aday plus laping up milk and even some are likeing the water :) ....
when you say their haveing extra feeds do you mean toping up after feeding from mum?? or inbetween mum feeding then??? if it was me and ive done this with these id top up after mums fed them if they dont take any then mum ahs given enough if they go mad for it like afew of these did then they didnt get enough the pups will guild you has to weather they got enough do they cry after feeding and dont settle ?? if so top up if they go to sleep but are waking every hour then at this age thats normal too mum should be with them most of the time at this age so they can just suckle if and when needed , mums milk is the best for pups so try and make sure they get more of that then puppy milk if possable, is mum drinking plenty??? if not try giving her some puppy milk into her water this normal sorts mums milk out but my girl dont like it :( ,ad water to her food and make it as wet as possible this is what ive been doing for my girl and ive even been ading 1/2 pint to her nature diet which is a wet food just to get as much fluid in her as i can.
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At about 2 1/2 weeks we started taking the biggest pups off of mum and allowing some of them to feed themselves / roll in saucers of goats yoghurt & milk whilst allowing the smaller ones to feed. 
We made sure they all got enough and we put in place extra feeds where our 2 very tiny pups could feed without the others there for 10-15 mins before allowing the other pups on.  At 3 weeks they were all having extra goats milk, yoghurt & scrambled egg.  Ours didn't like porridge much though.....

wow hope all goes okay with your pups.

my two smaller ones are getting fed after mum feeds them, and they are taking nearly a full bottle, even after me stopping the two bigger ones knocking them off the back teats.

I've tried giving my bitch puppy milk, she refuses to drink, so I'm having to syringe liquids into her. Her food is well softened, with wet food added.

I don't know what else to do.

i know how you feel :( and feel for you!
you are doing your best keep up what you are doing and try a very small amount of food on your finger ,see if they suck at it! do you feed mum in with pups??? my girl wouldnt eat with pups while shes in the pen so it was hard to know if they were ready it was only by putting it on my finger did i find they were ready ,you could do it this way for a few days from you finger and then try giving it from a spoon in a few days??? good luck with them
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Yes, I feed mum in with the pups, she refuses to eat anywhere else.

Would it be too early to try a tiny amount on my finger for the two larger pups to see if they are ready?

I'm not trying to rush them, but they seem to be gaining so much more weight than the other two.

thats up to you but if mums food is in there and pups arent showing signs of wanting it then i dont think their ready yet they are getting enough from mum they are just gready :) its the smaller to id be trying to get more weight on by puting them to mum all the time.
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No certainly not. Just try some puppy mush. I really struggled to wean mine and someone suggested Royal Canin Starter Mousse with lactol stired into a slop. They loved it instant and at 5 weeks thats still all they will eat. I really would try it. Its made especially for weaning and as soon as my litte pups started on it their weight rocketed.

kanefizz op pups are only 10days old and still gaining a good amont of weight well the 2 big pups are and it them that are wondering about feeding ,i just think 10days is to early if mum is feeding them well and ther gaining well jmo :)
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I start mine as soon as their eyes are open.

I had a litter last year that had their first puppy mush at 10 days old as mum was really struggling to produce enough milk. I carried on giving them extra welpi feeds as well but they did get stuck into the mush properly at about 12 days old.

Mine are medium breed - never had toy pups so don't know if this would be appropriate for them?

try feeding mum really cold water ..I find they wont drink water that has been sitting for a short while it has to be very cold.

yes very true mist not tuch hers even if its been 1h since i changed it.
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