Hi

My breeder suggested weaning pups onto puppy milk, then porridge e.g readybrek then onto soaked puppy food - what do others start on?

I have weaned my pups onto Pedigree Porridge, using cooled down boiled water, then as they start lapping the porridge you then make it a bit thicker (see instructions on tub) and when they are about 4 weeks old start using litterlac puppy milk to make runny scrambled egg.  You can soak a little of the puppy food with the porridge or milk but I would start with plain pedigree porridge to begin with
xx

The puppy porridge is made of milk and cereal.  When I tried it on a litter of mine they were not interested as they already were on puppy milk with soaked puppy food (which contains meat as well as cereal).

Some people love to use the puppy porridge, but I find it a needless middle step.

Human breakfast cereals are for babies or humans and I wouldn't use them for weaning puppies, also many ahve sugar added which is not an ingredient to encourage them to like..

I use Puppy Porridge and then mix in soaked puppy complete.  I wouldn't use any human cereals.  Too much salt and sugar.

Ditto what Val does. Mine love the porriage to begin with and they seem to thrive on it.

Ready brek is just oats, oat flour and some added vitamins and minerals - no sugar and salt. I wasn't thinking of starting them on cheerios!

But there are better/more appropriate things to start them on, like puppy food.

I found that once soaked, a good puppy complete was easy to mush to just the right consistency and there was no problem changing over to dryer textures later, and as it was the same food - no problems with tums either ;)

Pedigree Proffessional puppy porridge contains in order, Milk & Milk derivatives,Cereals,Meat & animal derivatives, oils & fats, derivatives of vegetable origin and minerals.

I find it excellent to start then move onto P P puppy food soaked with milk.

Would not use weetabix, readibrek etc but food for puppies only.

When I last tried their puppy porridge it had no meat content, so must have reformulated it.

once puppies have got used to the pedigree porridge, you can then start adding good quality mince in with it xx

i've looked on their web site,but it doesn't say which cereals. I'm just wondering if oats and puppy milk amounts to the same thing. Just because something has Puppy or Pedigree on it unfortunately doesn't necessarily make it more appropriate. I llike to look at what things contain not the marketing spend.

Just took the ingredients from the tub that I have here. When making it up it does smell rather like chicken.When the Pedigree lady came out to me about 5 years ago she did explain what exactly was in it. I will dig the info out later and post it on here. I have never had any intollerance problems with either of the proffessional brands, I have tried other types of pup food and have encountered runny tums, lack of condition etc. This is my personal choice and I would not argue for and against any other type of brand. I think stick with what you are happy with.

I have had the opposite, mine do not do well on any of the proffesional or pedigree stuff.  they were good on the Advance, but they sold that off.  Mine can jsut about tolerate the pouches, if not given to often.

I've never had any pups tolerate milk and as they still get it off mum for a few weeks all I do is use the same puppy food they will be on -just really mash it up once really soaked, or even run it through a blender. Works fine and is so easy. :)

I have found Nutrolac which is a formula made from Goats Milk tolerated very well.  also Litterlac, (but not so well beyond six weeks), they seem to tolerate the goats milk formula very well and I supplement the bitches with it if for any reason they are not eating so well during pregnancy or for a source of nutrients during labour.

My adults are all on James Wellbeloved. The Mother of the pups is on the Puppy James Wellbeloved. For the pups I soak the Puppy JW add some puppy milk powder and whiz it up in a blender. Puppies love it and it is the same food that they will be eating as adults so therefore no jippy stomachs.