Wondering what other good quality kibble members use for expecting mums and to wean puppies onto please?
Usually use royal canin but I know for certain there are far better foods out there.
Thanks

Although I am a raw feeder, my girls and all puppies are fed a variety of "raw" products.
However, I always introduce a small amount of GRAIN FREE kibble to my puppies diets as not everyone is able to use raw and it prepares the puppies for a kibble diet when they leave home.

I can thoroughly recommend; Millies Wolfheart, Acana, or Applaws.
Millies Wolfheart. is just fantastic!
Applaws filler is "beet" this is a root product and not a grain.
Some Acana products have a small quantity of oats in them.

I have used all of the above products for mums to be, and small amounts for puppies when weaning and rearing.
I start offering solids at 2.5 weeks of age.
No upset tummies and No large bloated tummies either.

Best wishes.

We fed our hounds a good quality maintenance diet, which our bitches were fed before being mated, and throughout their pregnancy.  I saw no need whatsoever to switch to anything else.   As the pregnancy became more advanced, I'd split the food into multiple smaller meals to fit what she was able to accommodate.    Once the litter was on the ground, then and only then, did I up the feed amounts and add some 'goodies'.    For me, there's no point letting a pregnant bitch become fat (just as with humans).   The puppies will take what they need, pre-birth and afterwards.   And fact is if she only has a small litter, she doesn't need to be producing loads of milk, especially early on when newborns don't need that.

The right food is the food that has always suited your bitch - one that isn't cereal based.   Find one that lists meat, or fish, as the first, main, ingredient.

Our puppies, in the UK, were weaned onto Eukanuba, which these days, doesn't seem to attract a good press for some reason.   We had no problems with our puppies on this, and benefitted from the fact it didn't produce as much outflow as other makes - important with big Basset puppies!   We began the weaning process using warmed goats milk, and once a day, a tiny amount of lean raw hamburger (mince).   To help promote the big bone our breed needs, we added scrambled egg, cottage cheese, raw hamburger and so on (not all with every meal!).  And we continued with goats milk drinks mid-morning, mid-afternoon and last thing.   But that's not vital for most 'normal' breeds

what breed of dogs do you have do you think it would be ok for small toy poodle bitch and pups at 2,5 weeks she's had a litter of 6 and is struggling to feed them all but gets upset if I try to hand feed any with a  shringe ?

At two and a half weeks you can offer the pup semi solid food of a runny gruel consistency.

This can be soaked and mashed dry puppyfood, with or without milk replacer, tinned puppy food or god old fashioned scraped beef (not mince).

I find the best product that helps promote milk production is raw meat (but then I would say that as I feed raw myself ! )
Try offering mum a few ounces each day. (most good pet stores have a frozen department). The more meat my girls eat the more milk they produce!

Puppies at 2.5 weeks do not need syringe feeding, they are quiet capeable to start licking and discovering solid food. They may get into a terrible mess but mum will be quiet happy to clean them up afterwards. A little soft mince on your finger tip and popped into the puppies mouth can help the puppies discover this new product.
A fine mince wetted with a little warm water to help make it slipery will work wonders for weaning and as a first food. It is so very easy for these very young puppies to digest and you will have no upset tummies.
I wean all my puppies straight onto a raw diet.
A little grain free kibble can be added and mixed carefully a little later without any problem. Puppies will learn to eat quickly and grow healthily.

This method of feeding will be absolutely fine for your poodle puppies.
If mum gets worried while you are offering the puppies some food shut her in another room, it will do no harm.

Why not mince Barbara?

Ordinary Mince is to course for first weaning.

Scraped beef is made by taking a piece of beef and scraping the serrated edge of a knife against the grain and forming a very fine pulp.

You know your giving them lean meat with nothing indigestible, mince will have a lot more fat and indigestible connective tissue.

I  feed my usual kibble to mum and switch to,puppy kibble about one week to whelping. Wean pups on nature diet and gradually initro due soaked mashed puppy kibble
I have tried " pray model - grain free foods " and found them not to suit my dogs, I feed a three star food with potato or rice as carb source

Thanks everyone. I've decided to go with applaws. She been gradually changed onto it now and enjoying it far more. Does anyone know what it's like to soak and make to mush for weaning puppies or am j best off stocking up on some of the wet applaws too?
Thanks