Hi. I'm having real problems inweaning my four week old pups. They are lapping porriage kind milk/puppy biscuits but only for around 10licks max then they leave it. How many times a day should I be giving them this option and how often should mum feed them?! She is becoming extrmly reluctant to feed them. Should I use the milk/puppy food option through the day and o ly allow them to suckle at night and in morning?! Should I use puppy milk that is made up as if they were bottle feeding ( right amount of water to powder ratio or shall I water the milk down as they are have mushed puppy food with it to?! I'm real stumped on this one and would like them to be more on the puppy food/ milk rather then on mum as it really seems to be hurting her when they do suckle so much through the day. Any great websites?!

Four or five meals a day is what pups should be on (I have my medium size breed pups on 4 meals after the first two days of starting them on weaning food), and the amount will gradually increase with appetite.

As for how much they get from Mum, that is entirely up to her, she should have free access to them whenever she wants except when you are feeding them.

At this age they can get a lot from Mum very quickly, so it may not seem she is feeding them much, but if they are healthy, gaining weight and don't have huge appetites for the weaning food, then she is doing them well.

The point of having them on a regular meal schedule and feeding to appetite is that as/if her milk diminishes they will naturally increase the amount they eat to compensate.

my pups are 3weeks old and are on 5meals aday now and eat loads ,mum will only let them feed 3times aday and i dont think theres much milk there anyway as their still going mad at her when all milk has gone jumping and fighting from 1 nipple to the other and knocking eachother off ,no wonder she hates it ....like brianless has said mum must have planty of milk for them :)

I don't see the point in using any kind of milk or milk based food for weaning and never have done -what is the pups' incentive to eat that rather than just go for mum's milk? I start weaning mine on raw mince and then puppy food -they definitely don't get that off mum! :) The milk they need they still get off their dam for as long as necessary.

Ye mum has plenty if milk. I've heard different opinions on weather it's ok to make the whole bunch of food for the day rather then preparing each meal sepratly. As obviosuly having to soak then blend the food it would be easier to make the batch in the morning and use that for the whole day. One pup is lapping very well the others just a little

I put the puppy kibble in the blender when dry to make a powder, as they get older I blend it less, then add warm water to it, no soaking, instant porridge, or goats milk at the start of weaning.

> I don't see the point in using any kind of milk or milk based food for weaning

I certainly agree that it isn't needed if the pups are older, but if your starting weaning very early because Mum has little milk it will be helpful.

Also most breeders start feeding pups so that the bitch doesn't bear such a strain as she would doing it all herself, and at that stage they still need milk, we are helping Mum out so she doesn't loose condition.

I certainly like my pups to have milk until 6 weeks, and longer if they are tolerating it (certainly they do the goats milk based Nutrolac).

I have often found that once Mum closes the milk bar pups also are less tolerant of supplementary milk feeds (especially cows milk bassed formulations). 

At the first signs of looseness I stop milk.

I always wean puppies using beef mince and soaked puppy food. I find it varies a lot with different breeds as to how quickly they tend to prefer food to being with mum. I'm sure you have already but just incase do make sure that you keep the puppies nails short and preferably filed as they can cause the mum some pain when the puppies feed ;-) Other then that it may look rather uncomfortable for her but she will be fine and at this age it is generally a quick 5 minute visit to feed and then run away, LOL!!

Hi. Merry christmass all.  Last night after the pups had been lapping one of them brought the milk back up, tonight the same thing happened but to a different puppy. The are 4weeks and have been wormed at 2weeks and are on their second day of panacur worming today?! They both seem fine and are playing well, nursing and not crying excessivly. 

The wormer will often make them sick or loose, it is after all a very Strong chemical.  Luckily they are far gentler that some of the vermifuges of days gone by.

Have you dosed each pup individually by it's specific weight?

If they had a 3 day course of Panacur at 2 weeks, why are you repeating it at 4 weeks?

I had always believed that it's recommended by the manufacturers to do 2 weeks, 5 weeks, 8 weeks, and 11 weeks.

ThIs is because the first time thy were wormed I used drontol feel more comfortable with paste which I have used many times before so repeated 2weeks later (now) and will repeat it at 3week intervals for next courses

Puzzlement over  :-)

:)