Taking care of newborn puppies is an exciting and daunting task to do. During the first few weeks of their lives, puppies grow rapidly and their needs change with it, so it's important to learn how to keep up. You'll find that feeding a newborn dog is just one of the many jobs you'll do while caring for a newborn puppy, but let's focus on food for now in this guide so read on. You can also have a look at our shop to buy your puppy and dog supplies as well at the best prices.
What are the stages of eating newborn dogs and their needs at each stage?
Mother's milk provides all the nutrition a newborn puppy needs for the first four weeks. If a mother is unable to take care of her young children, it is up to you to bottle feed them and wean them in her place.
Lactation and bottle feeding
Young dogs should be fed canine milk replacer for four weeks. A puppy grows at a rapid pace during the first weeks, so their diet needs to be calorie-dense and high in protein to keep up. To meet these needs, canine milk replacer must be enriched with essential vitamins and minerals, as well as amino acids. These nutrients can be delivered in the form of skimmed milk, protein isolates such as whey and casein, vegetable oils, and egg products.
Puppies less than 1 month old need approximately 3.5 to 3.75 calories per 28g of body weight each day. Following this rule, a 170-gram puppy would need about 22.5 calories every 24 hours. Most puppy milk replacers provide 1 calorie per ml. So for this 170g puppy, 22.5 calories can be divided between the recommended six meals per day. This puppy will need approximately 3.75ml of milk at each meal, but how do you feed the puppy this milk?
While it may seem natural to turn a puppy onto his back like a newborn, this position is not normal for puppies. Your newborn puppy will lie on his tummy to nurse from his mother, so you will need to mimic this position when you bottle-feed him as follows:
- Wrap the puppy in a warm towel and place it on his stomach.
- Gently press the syringe into the corner of the puppy's mouth and spray a small amount of the milk replacer inside.
- Never spray milk directly down his throat as this may cause him to spit up.
- Between each spray of milk, allow the puppy to swallow.
The stage of weaning and starting to eat newborn dogs
Starting at three to four weeks old, puppies begin to crave more nutrients and calories than milk alone can provide. However, they're not quite ready for solid dog food yet! In addition, a sudden switch from milk replacer to solid puppy food can cause diarrhea and an upset tummy. Your goal is to introduce more puppy food slowly while reducing the amount of milk your puppy drinks. This process is called weaning. If done correctly, weaning should be complete by the time your puppy is eight weeks old.
To ensure your puppy is healthy and happy during the weaning phase, offer small amounts of high-quality wet puppy food four times a day, along with milk replacer of course. You can also moisten the puppy's food by soaking it in milk replacer or lukewarm water to make a puppy purée. Always make sure to use the freshest ingredients to provide your puppies with the highest quality nutrition. It is also important that you weigh the puppies regularly during this process. If the puppy fails to gain weight, reconsider how you prepare the puppy purée, or consider whether your puppy is doing well.
Introducing solid foods
By 7 to 8 weeks of age, most puppies have completed the weaning process. In addition, growing puppies have special caloric needs. Also, the protein requirements of puppies are highest immediately after weaning. Recommended protein levels for healthy puppy growth range from 22% to 32% on a dry matter basis. To meet this need, the newborn dog food for your puppy must be a high-quality food that is a real source of protein. Your puppy also has different calcium requirements. Small and medium breeds seem less sensitive to slight over-calcium or under-nourishment. On a dry matter basis, calcium levels can range from 0.7% to 1.7% in high quality puppy food. Also, before the puppies are born, you may have been feeding the mother dog food designed for growth. For comfort and consistency, it's best to give the puppies the same food you fed their mother.
Some of the best types of milk replacer that you can feed your puppies with peace of mind are:
How do you help your newborn puppy eat healthily? How many meals should be eaten?
Subject the puppy to three meals a day
Starting at four months of age, puppies should eat a meal three times a day. Newborn dogs should also be fed specially designed feedings at regular intervals to avoid excessive stretching of their tiny tummies. Besides, puppies are prone to hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, so regular feeding can help keep blood sugar stable. In addition, regular meals encourage a faster metabolism, which encourages your puppy to burn more calories. For these reasons, a four-month-old puppy should stay on three meals a day until he is six months old.
You will need to divide your puppy's food so that the daily requirement is distributed over the three meals. The total serving of food you provide will depend on your puppy's weight. A 4-month-old puppy weighing 2 kg can get 60 grams of food per day. While a 5kg puppy can eat 116g per day, a 10kg puppy can eat 193g per day.
Subject the puppy to two meals a day
A six-month-old puppy can safely transition to just two meals a day. Depending on his breed, a six-month-old puppy needs twice as many daily calories as a two-month-old puppy. As a general rule, you can gradually increase your puppy's portions of food over the course of 12 months while you work up to his adult dog food. For smaller breeds, they are able to transition to adult dog food as early as 7 to 9 months old. However, some giant breeds will not transition to adult dog food until after 18 to 24 months.
Just as you did with the three meals, you will need to divide your pup's food so that his daily ration is distributed between the two meals. Don't be tempted to serve the entire daily meal in both bowls throughout the day, as this can cause your puppy to gain weight quickly. Instead, once you have prepared your puppy's daily meal, simply divide it by two to see how much you should give him at one meal.
Excellent choices for newborn dogs to eat when they start eating include:
Now that you know that caring for newborn puppies is a round-the-clock business, it is up to you to ensure that the puppies get the proper nutrition they need when the mother is not around. At Petaholic, we've got you covered with all the supplies to help you feed your newborn dogs , and turn it from a daunting task into a fun one.
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