I have a litter of pups now that are 4 weeks old. Since about 2.5 to 3 weeks I have been offering them gruel. Well they wouldn't eat it. So at 3 to 3.5 weeks I starting taking puppy kibble and adding some formula to it and let it soak. They want touch it. I even took puppy kibble and blended it with the formula and they want touch that. The mother is a great mom with plenty of milk so they will nurse great. The thing is they want eat anything I offer them and they are now four weeks old. Mom doesn't stay with them all the time she might visit 3 times during the day and during the night. Any advice you could give to get them started eating something would be appreciated. I have never had a litter this hard to get them started on gruel,food something...

What brand kibble? What brand formula?

I sometimes do not offer kibble until 4 weeks if the puppies & mother are doing well. If the litter is large, I introduce kibble at 3 weeks, never earlier. If your litter is small and the mother is doing well, you probably started too early.

Sometimes the first kibble it received with wild enthusiasm. Sometimes the puppies are not all that interested.

Royal canin medium stater/ uni milk powder/water mix

Grind your kibble in the food processor and add a couple of jars of Gerber chicken baby food (just the meat), and 1/2 a can of goat's milk.

Seems like a little young to start. I usually give mine a taste of baby jarred chicken meat around 3 weeks to get them to start licking vs. sucking, and once licking it working, they get gruel.

It is a litter of ten and most of the litter was doing great there were a couple that seemed to be losing weight. That why I decided to introduce them to gruel and then soaked kibble

Why are people so quick to get puppies off their Mom's???? One poster a few weeks ago was concerned about Mom's "milk bar" getting back into shape to get back to the ring!!!! And this post about feeding mush at 2 1/2 weeks???!!!!!

Am I missing something??? Shouldn't puppies be with Mom, learning from Mom, eating from Mom for as long as possible???

I think we are just asking for trouble by hurrying the process along. Either we are going to take a deep breathe, breed, whelp and raise puppies for the span of a few months or we're not!!!???

Just sayin'....

Some puppies are harder to wean than others, although I usually keep Momma in with puppies until they are a full 6 wks old - full time.

This is the formula that I have used to get them used to eating food:

18 Tblspns of Just Born
6 Tblspns of Gerber Baby Rice Cereal
2 Tlbspns Clover Honey (pasterized only).

Nuke until warm in microwave and feed them off your fingers initially and let them eat it off themselves to get them the idea. Once eating this for 4 days or so, change the Rice Cereal to pulverized puppy food.

Another idea - just leave a bowl of puppy kibble down - without water in it. They will chew on it and then realize it's tasty, too.

Best,

Leslee Pope
Huntcrest

I too have always ,always used Gerber baby rice cereal, I add a bit of yogurt to it and some baby food chicken , if it's too thick , I add warm water. They dive into it, and they put on a real nice layer of sub-cu fat and in a week you will have the bloomiest babies you have ever seen. I slowly add Diamond Naturals Extreme Athelete or Pro PLan Performance, after they are 6 weeks. Good Luck , this has worked for me for 30 years.

Is it possible that they need to be wormed?

No they have been wormed at 2 weeks and 4 weeks.

I never try and take pups away from their mother at 2.5 or 3 weeks. I also like to wait closer around 4 weeks if I can. I was worried a few of them were falling behind so I was trying to help the mother out. I will try the Jar baby food some of you have mentioned thanks for the insight.

and make sure they're warm.....it's the baby bird theory!!

Trust me two legged mom, you have stumbled onto a forum of newbies that know not what they do. They have taken on a "hobby" that takes experience and knowledge and they choose to be know it alls. There are people that are teachable, then there are those that will be in this breed and out in 5 years time, for that I am gratefull. If they would take notes and listen to old time breeders then there would be serious mentorship, but more often than not , that is not the case, the competitive nature kicks in and they MUST win at all costs. So we wait for them to tire of the game and go home, we choose our students wisely and don't bother with those others, they suck us dry and give back nothing to the breed but grief.

Unless there is an extreme emergency, puppies don't need kibble until they are 4 wks old and I usually wait until I can feel their teeth breaking through their gums. A healthy mom will make as much milk as her babies need and as they grow a bit older she won't spend as much time in the box as the first 2 weeks. But when she goes in, the pups usually suck her dry. She'll rest outside the box a great deal but my guess is that the pups were satisfied until the next visit. There is nothing wrong with letting her nurse them another week. Leave dry kibble and water in the corners of the box. You'll soon find them munching on the pieces, sleeping in the bowl and generally getting very familiar with their new menu. Good luck. Don't worry. Next time wait a bit longer as long as everyone is healthy.

Puppies are capable of digesting food at 3 weeks. I see no reason do drain the dam until they are 4 or 5 weeks. I start at 3 weeks with a soupy mix - gradually - once a day to start and go from there. I like to take the burden off the bitches so they can get back to normal as soon as possible. Pups are totally weaned at about 6 or 6 1/2 weeks.

I would no sooner force a bitch to wean her puppies than I would tell my daughter-in-law how long to breast feed. Give the bitch a little respect. Some bitches can't get away from those puppies fast enough. Other bitches let them nurse occasionally until they leave at 8 weeks. All mothers are individuals and should be allowed to do their own thing.

Why can't someone come on here and ask question/advice with out those few that want to turn it in a hate crime. Isn't that what this forum should be used for. I have raises many litters and never had pups this slow. The only reason I offered food before 4 weeks was only because I had two that were falling behind. I thought maybe that would be a way to help mom out. I at least wanted to offer them something. I didn't really worry so much at first but once they got to 4 weeks then at almost 5 weeks I was really starting to wonder what is going on. Thank you everyone for the advice. I did just give them dry kibble and they have really taken to it. I will also keep in mind for future litters about the jar baby food "chicken". That was the first time I have ever heard of that so thanks for that info.

Not sure if you were talking about me or just the forum in general. I am the type that isn't afraid to ask question to learn. Everyone has to start somewhere and hopefully work their way from there. Did you just get in to breeding/showing and know everything there is to know? I doubt it. You also more than likely came in on the ground level and had someone to work with you and show you the ropes. I take notes, I take good note and I have talked with breeders on the phone or at shows that have been breeding/showing alot longer than me and they have know clue. One lady has been breeding for 14 years and any dog I spoke about she had no clue who they were. I make it my goal to learn as much as there is about any hobby I have. Why bash someone for asking question/advice if you don't want to give it don't but don't bash someone because you might cause someone else to not share their experience's too. Could I get your Email address for the next time I need advice or info?

quote=breeder]Trust me two legged mom, you have stumbled onto a forum of newbies that know not what they do. They have taken on a "hobby" that takes experience and knowledge and they choose to be know it alls. There are people that are teachable, then there are those that will be in this breed and out in 5 years time, for that I am gratefull. If they would take notes and listen to old time breeders then there would be serious mentorship, but more often than not , that is not the case, the competitive nature kicks in and they MUST win at all costs. So we wait for them to tire of the game and go home, we choose our students wisely and don't bother with those others, they suck us dry and give back nothing to the breed but grief.[/quote]

Sometimes guidance and advice is really needed. I for one listen/read/ingest all I can from those around me. I'm not quite a newbie, nor quite a seasoned veteran, but I think continuing to learn is important. You glean what you can from things and leave the rest behind, sometimes going back and reexamining things that might be worthy.

Don't get me wrong, breeder, I can see where you are coming from. Some people are out only for the wins, but some just don't know, what they don't know. They aren't aware of being "incorrect".

Without "newbies", soon there will only be "oldies" and the love of Labs will die with them.

Forgive me if I sounded unkind, that was not my intention. But the way I read the OP, and certainly the post from a couple of weeks ago, it sounded as though we were speeding up nature for some reason; to get back in the ring, to get back to our lives....whatever?

And I thought that 2.5 weeks was a bit early for kibble, at that age they should still be on a bottle if you need to supplement? 1.5 cups of food per puppy per day for Mom and she should be able to keep up?

Anyway, again, forgive me if I sounded harsh and you're right, we should all come on here for advice and support.

But we should all remind each other to keep it real and do what's right, too!!

I don't think you were unkind 2 legged Mom. I just wanted to remind people that we shouldn't rush to judge others, myself included. Sometimes people are afraid to ask questions because they are afaid they will get hit on the head for it, been there myself. However, we don't learn if we don't ask questions! Lord knows the internet is filled with so much incorrect info, it can be hard to sift though it while doing research.

And I agree with you, we need to keep it real and do what's right too! Sometimes we just don't know what is "right" and we need gentle guidance to get us there.

:)

I didn't take you as being unkind either sorry if you felt I was. I was referring to breeders post. 2.5 weeks old is young for kibble. I guess I could have made myself more clear. I first offered gruel which to me that is Greek yogurt, baby rice cereal and a little formula.

All of these posts are interesting approaches to weaning. Mine is that I free feed the puppies once their teeth break through. Kibble and water are always in the box.....unless I have a mom that gobbles it up. In that case I put it in and take it out accordingly. They naturally wean themselves.....as they eat more kibble and drink more water they nurse less. By 6 weeks it's usually an easy transition.

I'm not exactly a newby, having had my first litter in 1984 - is that almost 30 years ago? I don't know how many litters I've had - maybe 20, and I've lost exactly one pup over a day old in all that time. I start feeding at about 21 days and have never had puppies that didn't want to eat at that age. I just use good quality puppy chow ground up and mixed with water in a blender for the first couple weeks of feeding. I agree that 2-2.5 weeks is too early for solid food. I weigh puppies daily for the first two weeks. If I have puppies that aren't gaining weight before 3 weeks old, I make sure they got first chance at the milk bar and/ or tube feed. Make sure you know how to do it correctly if you elect to tube feed. It is easy to get the tube into the windpipe, but it is also easy to know that it isn't in the windpipe if you mark the tube and so that it has passed the junction between esophagus and trachea.

Several others who answered on this thread have been around a long time, too - Leslie Pope for instance. Perhaps long-term people should mention their credentials when they give advice so that a person asking a question will be able to determine to whom they should listen.

IMO you started them too soon trying to get them to eat gruel. I JUST started my 4 week old litter of 6 yesterday(their 4 week birthday)on cereal and they gobbled it down! When they are ready they will eat. It sounds like you were trying too hard and too soon and now they are balking. Take a step back, feed momma well and let them nurse a couple more days without bringing cereal to them. Try again in 2-3 days with just a low cupped plate of warmed whole milk. I bet they lap it up!!!

I have been told that cows' milk is not the best thing to give puppies. For as smooth a transition as possible, I start with the kibble, yogurt, baby rice cereal, applesauce and baby food - beef - from the jar. I mix that in the blender with warm water and feed in a shallow dish. They like to lick it off the spoon in the beginning, so I do that for the first few days, until they get the idea of staying close to the dish. I take a small spoon of the beef and place it around the edge of the plate for aroma. I like to start at 3 weeks - no pressure, just introduce them to it once or twice a day. Some will eat it like they are starving (probably not enough moms' milk to go around) and some are not that interested for days.