Hi All wonder if you could give me some advise, 19 day old pup has been feeding off mum fine. Started her on some soaked puppy food at 14 days old.  Once aday then twice a day and she is quite keen on it :) Today i have increased it to 3 times aday, she is still suckling on mum aswell.  She now has the runs (she isnt dehydrated) and won't feed off mum just seems to sleep. I tried offering her a bit more solid incase she wanted that instead of mum but not interested just goes to sleep.  She has now been sick (only milk).  Question being have i over done it on the solids? or could it be Mum has made her ill as mum now has runs and has been sick?  The others seem fine but she is a gannit!  Mum has turned into a sicky picky dog since becoming pregnant and seems ok in herself and her temp is fine, so will keep an eye on her for the night.  Do you think the next feed i should bottle to be on the safe side. 

If the pup is able to lap up sloppy solids then I wouldn't be bottle feeding as that is taking a step backwards. Is it puppy kibble you are feeding that has been soaked? What are you soaking it in?

Maybe going from no solids to 3 meals in 5 days is too much for the pup to cope with. I vary the meals to include scrambled eggs with cheese[ stops it going to solid], moist puppy food,kibble soaked in warm goats milk or raw mince which has been frozen and then defrosted.

If the pup continues to be sleepy then a trip to the vets is needed. Was the pup wormed at 2 weeks old?

Is it a singleton pup or there others which are behaving normally?

Sorry for all the questions

Hi I started them at 10 days on 1 tiny piece of mince a day, then at 14 days started on solids of puppy food soaked in boiling water and a little bit of mince on the top.  I haven't tried anything ive just done as my breeder adviced me to.  I dont mean to sound rude or ungrateful to them but they are very much this has worked for over 40years for them so this is the way and not to interfere with the nutritional values of the foods.  Which i totallly agree but do you think i should try vearying it then with the scrambled eggs and kibble?  She isn't a singleton and the others seem fine,  She hasnt been sick since my last post and has suckled from mum but only for about 10mins and still has the runs.   They were all wormed at 14 days

Hi I dont mind all the questions thank you for your help.

I started them at 10 days on 1 tiny piece of mince a day, then at 14 days started on solids of puppy food soaked in boiling water and a little bit of mince on the top.  I haven't tried anything ive just done as my breeder adviced me to.  I dont mean to sound rude or ungrateful to them but they are very much this has worked for over 40years for them so this is the way and not to interfere with the nutritional values of the foods.  Which i totallly agree but do you think i should try varying it with the scrambled eggs and kibble?  She isn't a singleton and the others seem fine,  She hasnt been sick since my last post and has suckled from mum but only for about 10mins and still has the runs.   They were all wormed at 14 days

Hi
I dont mind all the questions thankyou for your help

I started them at 10 days on 1 tiny piece of mince a day, then at 14 days started on solids of puppy food soaked in boiling water and a little bit of mince on the top.  I haven't tried anything ive just done as my breeder adviced me to.  I dont mean to sound rude or ungrateful to them but they are very much this has worked for over 40years for them so this is the way and not to interfere with the nutritional values of the foods.  Which i totallly agree but do you think i should try varying it with the scrambled eggs and kibble?  She isn't a singleton and the others seem fine,  She hasnt been sick since my last post and has suckled from mum but only for about 10mins and still has the runs.   They were all wormed at 14 days

Firstly you should not use boiling water on the kibble as this destroys some of the vitamins, you used warm water, boiled that has been allowed to cool.

The scrambled egg will do no harm and if there is a stomach upset may be lighter to digest than the kibble, I don't give it more than once per day. There are also salmon mousses available for puppies from RC or Fish4dogs, I have given the latter to my adults but not had pups to try it on since I discovered it.

If the diarrhoea persists today then I would get the pup checked out at the vets especially as the weekend is coming up. 

You've started them very early on weaning foods the earliest I've ever heard of at 10 days, the norm is approx from 3 weeks, only earlier if home rearing and that is generally not until the 2-3 weeks stage so they have had a very early start.

Over feeding of course can cause sickness and diarrhea just the same as a bug. I would offer this pup just twice a day if she wants and feeding from mum and see how things go.

I also start on scrambled egg with goats milk as the first weaning food, followed by mince meat/chicken/fish with well boiled rice or soaked puppy food, I just feel you have started way too early for these pups.

Hopefully it is just too much food intake filling the stomach as pups have tiny tums, so that when the pup then feeds from mum it is an overflow so the pup needs to be sick,  however if it persists of course you need to seek a veterinary, pups can go down hill so fast so don't hang around.

Hi Sorry should of been abit more specific the water i use i do leave to cool I meant i use boiled water not just tap water lol.  She hasnt been sick again and has had 2 good feeds off mum again during the night. She still has a runny bum but not as bad, i have just spoken to the vet who says he isnt overly concerned as she is picking up and not dehydarted, to keep an eye on her and let him know how she is doing later today.  He says there isnt really alot he can do accept give AB's for a bacteria infection, but she has no temp or administer fluids if dehydrate.   

Carrington. When i say i started to wean at 10days it is literally a piece of mince rolled to the size of my little finger nail, all the others seem fine? Do you think i should hold fire on the solids for a few more days or conitnue as i've now started. My breeder says they should be off mum by the end of week 3 ?......I feel awful as though I have done this to her, but i have only done what my breeder has told me :( Any advise is greatly appreciated.

If i am to carry on then i'll try scrambled eggs and cheese (i assume just basic mild cheddar?). 

Thanks for all your help.

Phew, off mum at the end of week 3 is terribly terribly early imho, I didn't start weaning until week 3 or 4 and that was only a taster of solid and 95% still on mum.

No hun, 3 weeks is waaaay too early to take off mum, no wonder your breeder has pushed for early weening if she wants them off mum by 3 weeks, (rings puppy farmer tactics) just think your pups are on 3 meals a day when most of us are only just starting with the basics at this time, most dams and breeders continue to let pups suckle a little until they leave mum, but if for set up or other reasons 5-6 weeks is early enough if you are to stop. :-)

Pups tums stretch with age to allow more room for solid foods, pushing too early means they are missing out on mum's milk as they are too full which has everything they need for their age, the dams milk is very important.

I hope that your breeder has not told you to not only stop feeding at 3 weeks but also to separate from pups, very unwise, the dam will teach the pups how to read body language and doggy manners, she will also still clean and take care of them, pups and dam should always have access to each other.

Your pups are used to two meals, (I'd personally quit the 3 meals at this age) so continue with that as they are used to it, but only small amounts of food, so that they can still have mum's milk, then at 4 weeks you can up the meals. :-)

>My breeder says they should be off mum by the end of week 3 ?....

Good grief, that's awful! I only start weaning at 3 weeks, with a teaspoon-sized ball of mince once a day for 3 days, then twice a day for two days, gradually building up the amont and number of feeds. But the mum still has access to them whenever she wants - they still need her for several weeks to come, and will probably still be getting a quick comfort suck on the day they leave for their new home.

So I'd cut down on the solids - one teaspoon a day is ample for a labrador-sized breed - until they're three weeks old and then start to increase the amount again.

Please don't try to stop the bitch feeding them and being with them so soon - they badly need her and her milk for much longer than that if they're to grow up to be healthy puppies.

I allow my bitches to decide when they have had enough of feeding,usually 4-5weeks but she will still take care of them in other ways but walk away if they try to feed,the milk gradually dries up as they feed less and less rather than removing the pups suddenly leading to engorgement and possible mastitis.

Yes it is cheddar although I only have mature so don't need to add as much to get the taste, literally a teaspoonful grated to 2 eggs.

Adding yoghurt can help deal with any imbalance in the gut and help clear diarrhoea, my pups and the dam love lapping it up, she will gladly clean up any messy pups.

I have to say your mentor isn't exactly giving you good info for someone raising their first litter.

I hope things settle soon.

i think you are weaning way to early too :( if mum is coping feeding pups then why start so early? pups have alot of change happening on the inside and at 10days old should only be haveing milk imo even if its only a tiny bit of meat.

Unfortunately this member has been guided by a mentor/breeder who told her that Mum is done feeding by 3 weeks old so felt she had to get the pups onto solids before that happened and this hasn't agreed with one of the pups.

Hope things are more settled today.

o dear :( that really worries me sorry i havnt read though all posts but sounds like thay wean early to get rid of pups early too ,thats the only what id think if i heard some1 telling me this :( ...hope you dont take on bord to much of what they say ...all the best this your little 1 xx

The original poster started the pups on solids at 14 days, which is a bit early but fine if weight gain is levelling out/slowing down on just Mum. 

I have introduced solids as early as 10 days when Mum has not been doing well on her own, but all being well start my pups on tastes of supplementary food at 18 days and have them on four meals (well tiny amounts say a teaspoonful each time) by 3 weeks so that the stomachs are used to something other than Mums milk by the time I worm them.

I suspect this is just a very greedy puppy, and if Mum has an upset stomach then this can go through to pups too.

EDITED
Just noticed that on a further post OP metnions giving taste of meat at 10 days.

However your pups aren't separated from their mum by three weeks of age, Brainless.

>However your pups aren't separated from their mum by three weeks of age, Brainless.

Oh no way. 

It could be that the OP has misunderstood her mentor (I hope) thinking that when the mentor said weaning at three weeks that this implied getting them off Mum by then.

On the other hand there are a few heavy clumsy breeds that require an awful lot of supervising and the breeders try to get pups away from Mum ASAP for their safety, which is very sad.