what would you say is best food to wean? at such a young age??? i feed pro plan but dont think id like to ues it from this age what do you all think ?
tanks jo xx

I think I would blitz a little, soaked, into goats milk or puppy milk, leaving it very runny to start?
I usually start weaning at about 2.5 weeks, just a few licks and then let them progress at their own pace. :)

My friend started her gsd pups at 2 weeks with mushed arden grange puppy :-)

Nature diet would be my chioce mushed up with puppy milk. I had a nightmare last litter with mum being hospitalised and me hand rearing 11. Started weaning them at 2 - 2.5 weeks on this and they took to it like ducks to water, think it helped that they associated me with food as I had bottle fed them but they romped on and were big chunky pups. 

K

i have a small blender so will blitz 1st then soak as nornal ,how many hours can pups be bottle fed from 2weeks old? if im feeding solids also? xxx

yes pups are doing the same with me already ,they smell me and go mad rooting around for the bottle ,i was also thinking about natures diet i used it to with last litter and they loved it but thay was older about 3/4 weeks i think ,only 3 pups and wouldnt wean till 3weeks i found them licking mums food so started them on it they were massive too xxxx

I started mine on little solids at similar age due to one pup only pooping once a day so was advised to put them on solids to help this...
I made some really runny baby rice porridge with goats milk  and mixed in little royal canin starter mousse in(recommendation by a friend).
I slowly changed the mousse to soaked mashed kibble(not RC), they were not keen on mushy kibble at first hence using the starter mousse instead.
I found they would not touch the soaked blended kibble or mousse &goats milk alone but adding baby rice made a massive difference I suppose the flavor was milder and more to the taste of milk...

so how long did you give baby rice for noora? and how many times aday at this age xxx

I used four part evaporated milk to one part boiled water which makes a very rich feed and by 2 weeks I was feeding every 4hrs so 6 feeds / 24hrs. Once they were taking a reasonable amount of solids I dropped off the night feed, gradually as they took more food and started to lap milk/water I found they no longer wanted the bottle feeds and gradualy weaned them off, I was so tried and so stressed my memory is hazy but I think they were more or less feeding themselves by 3.5 weeks.     

Hi Klb tryed the evap milk and never again :( just made my pups poorly and rush off to the vets tho the night i carnt wait for 4h feeds right now! wish my pups would take it has i know its alot more cals and richer i think thats the problem for my breed :( but thankyou xxxx

I just reduced the amount slowly increasing the mousse/kibble.
Especially one of them was not impressed if I added too much other stuff and would not touch the food and would moan- She liked the milky rice porridge over anything else. To be honest I was so knackered so can't say how long period it was from starting to not adding any in their food, probably a little over a week...

I know some people add baby rice to goats milk/ formula and give it like that without mixing anything else in as it makes it easier to lap and not so easy to inhale when they are learning the skill...

I was offering it 4 times a day as they were also feeding from mum every hour or so to try to keep her milk coming as she did not have loads of milk (big blood loss in a c-section and then diarrhea) and with two pups feeding her milk drying out was a worry... That was a another reason to get the pups to solids quite early.

thanks Noora will do that i think il gets some baby rice mix it with lactol and give it very milky xxxx

I have started off with a gruel made from soaked puppy kibble and puppy milk with pups as young as 10 days old, though normally start them at 18 days..

If ever I have to wean early, ie before three weeks, I use Royal Canin Starter and continue with it until the age the litter would usually have been weaned at. I have used this product to wean at 16 days old ( for a litter of 13 last year) and have found it perfect.

I use Royal Canin too, they now have a new product, a Babydog Starter Mousse, it's like a tinned meat but very sloppy (like mousse strangely enough...lol) and very easy for the pups to lap, my last two litters have done really well on it, I change over to starter once they get the hang of eating, then onto Junior before they leave.

can i get rc babby dog on line or do i have to belong to breeders club?? xx

I get mine online, give them a ring and see what they say

will do that now thanks sharon thats xxx

Nature diet for me too ...I warmed it in the microwave made it soft mixed it with a little lactol to wean...made life much easier

Roni

You beat me to it Starryeyes , thats just what i was about to say. My pups went mad for it when it was warmed up too.

I used Royal Canin starter for the first time with my last litter which were weaned at around 2 and a half weeks. I found it excellent and it only needs soaked for about 30 minutes before use. Pups did really well on it until I changed name onto my normal puppy food at about 5 weeks.
When I have weaned early in the past, if pups are slow to take to solids I start them off with a small ball of minced beef from my finger. Have never had a pup refuse this yet.

We had to wean a litter early as mum was taken ill, so we used Skinners F&T puppy thoroughly soaked and blended down to a smooth paste and added Sherleys Lactol Milk to it. Puppies were also given the milk in a bottle 3 times a day until they were 4 weeks old just to make sure that they stayed hydrated.

My last litter were weaned slightly earlier (2 and half weeks), large litter so big drain on mum.  I too used Naturediet, liquidised. Mine are all fed raw and went onto nature's menu nuggets from there, then onto usual raw diet thereafter.

Good luck with weaning, a little more rest for you when they get the hang of it.

What's the earliest you can wean a large breed and is it size spesific.  Couriosity for me more than anything.

i think its been done from day 10 but im waiting till 14 which will be wed i carnt wait for it lol ,im so very tired now and have bags under my eyes i could carry aweeks worth of shopping in :( lol ...just carnt make my mind up on which food yet had some very good ideas xxxx

if i give 2meals tostart then day after 3 day after that 4 how often shell i top up with milk ????is 3h ok??? Pups will only be 2weeks old.
xxxx

my singleton I just gave 5 milk feeds a day once weaning started he too was 2 weeks old as hand reared.. then I gradually dropped a feed. Now at 5 weeks started from 4 weeks just add daily milk quantity to 2 of his meals a day. He is a big puppy and is eating double his daily ration of food he is weighing in at 6 kg at the moment!!

I would start with a fingerful now, and keep up the milk feeds as you're doing at the moment.  As the solids increase,, then gradually decrease the milk feeds but replacing with available water instead.

tried the mince they loved it! mist has had the all clear from vets today :)
she is eating and drinking now ,but not stay with them so i have to get in and hold her down well stroke her
xxxx

Hi all, my puppies are 11 days old, mum is feeding but for about 20 minutes and she ups and leaves, not because they've finished eating but because she's had enough. I've been weighing them everyday and they are all putting on weight nicely, about 100g a day. My question is, is it ok thats shes only feeding them for such a short time? They don't cry inbetween, sleep soundly so I'm guessing they are full, I have tried bottle feeding inbetwen just incase but they point blank won't take it.  Would I be able to start weaning them at 2 weeks just to make sure they are getting enough?

No, don't wean early. Why? If they are putting on weight, they are getting enough milk. Your dog knows that. It is very normal for a dog to leave puppies after feeding them at this age and to begin to spend short periods of time outside the whelping box.

Your role in the first 3 weeks of life, is to stay in the background and support the mother. Not to interfere unnecessarily and try to feed pups which are already gaining weight...

Totally agree with 1 - 4 in this.  Why rock the boat?  If the puppies weren't getting enough, they'd let you know - her too.  If they are gaining, it sounds as if all is going just fine.  Let mum do her job through the first 3 weeks - your work will start soon enough!!

Thanks both, first and only time breeding lol. Its just so worrisome thinking is this right is that right. Was just worried as shes only with them 20 minutes feeding and then gets out. She hasnt stayed with them since they were 4 days old, just goes back and for to feed and clean. She's gets really hot and struggles with 6 babies on her. She's always been a hot dog anyway, never slept in a bed always on a cold floor or cool mat even in the winter. Pups are all plump and content so I need to relax.

> so I need to relax.

Easier said than done!!!

Yes it's very stressful at this point, but spend time vetting new owners, doing admin and planning what to do when they move to a larger area is my tip to keep you busy!