How many times a day should 4 week old puppies eat gruel
How to Make Puppy Mush or Puppy Gruel: Vet Approved Recipes & Tips
The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
Learn moreWhen your puppies first begin eating puppy food, you will have to soften it for them. This is often called puppy mush or puppy gruel due to its consistency and look. They cannot yet handle completely solid food, so it has to be incredibly soft and mushy. Slowly, the mixture can be adjusted to fit the puppys life stage.
Luckily, this stuff is straightforward to make and takes no more than what you already have lying around your house.
Puppy Mush Recipes
There are several ways you can go about making puppy mush, though many of these recipes are incredibly similar. Several breeders will have one recipe they swear by. However, all of these recipes are appropriate for most puppies.
You should use the same food you use to feed the mother, as this food might have affected her milk flavor or smell. If the new food tastes and smells closer to what the puppies are used to, the odds are that they will take to eating it faster.
Puppy Gruel Ingredients
The first step to making gruel for puppies or puppy mush is to choose the perfect ingredients. The ingredients matter substantially when it comes to feeding your puppies properly. There are a few essential ingredients any puppy mush is going to include.
Firstly, youll need some high-quality puppy dog food. The food must be designed for puppies, as this sort of formula contains more of certain nutrients that puppies need, like DHA. It also has a different protein and fat level which is essential to support the puppys growth. You will also need water, make sure it is clean, drinking water. The amount of water will depend on the food. Some take a bit more water to become mushy, while other types take less. Experiment to figure out the best amount of water for your mushs desired consistency.
You will also need a puppy milk formula. Some breeders use goat milk instead, which should work similarly. You dont want to use cows milk, as it can upset your pets stomach.
To feed about 6 to 8 puppies, youll need 2 cups of dry food and about 12.5 ounces of milk. The exact amount of water will depend on how mushy you need to make the food.
The milk, water, and kibble make up the base of the recipe. However, there are several other things you can add as well. Many of these things are considered superfoods, but whether they do anything is debatable. Scientific studies have not been done on these ingredients, so the benefits of adding them are not known.
Many breeders add broccoli and dog-friendly seeds. These are added to increase the dog foods overall nutritional value, as they are deficient in calories but high in nutrients. Types of organ meat are also added, but you have to be careful about pets overeating vitamin K and other vitamins. Organ meats are a little too high in certain circumstances.
Some breeders may add raw meat, but this is not recommended because it can introduce diseases that the puppies arent yet prepared to deal with.
In most circumstances, it is best to use a high-quality puppy food that is already complete instead of adding in a whole bunch of superfoods. If youre using good puppy food you shouldnt need to add in extra stuff.
How to Make Puppy Mush
Now that youve figured out what ingredients youd like to use, its time actually to make the gruel. Firstly, you should add the puppy food and puppy replacement milk to a bowl. Mix the food as much as possible and let it sit for a few minutes. This will soften the kibble and make it easier to mix.
If you dont have a blender, you will need to add warm water to soften up the mixture. If you have a blender, you dont have to spend as much time waiting for the kibble to soften. Instead, throw it all in the blender (single-serve blenders and Ninja blenders work well for this purpose).
A hand mixer works as well, though not necessarily as well as a blender. A potato masher works incredibly well. Your goal should be to get it about oatmeal consistency.
How to Feed Puppy Gruel
Now that the puppy gruel is made, you should place it in a few very shallow pans. Regular baking sheets work just fine, as do pizza pans. Some specialized puppy-gruel pans are available, but these are pretty unnecessary in the large scheme of things.
Put the food in an area that you dont mind getting dirty. If the ground is cold, lay down a towel. Then, lay the puppies near the gruel. Dont shove their heads in it, but they should all be able to find it quite easily.
Let the puppies eat at their rate. In the beginning, it may be relatively slow. When the puppies are no longer interested, you can take it away. Usually, puppies will fall asleep after they are full.
FAQ
When Should Puppies Begin to Eat Puppy Mush?
In the beginning, puppy mush will not be the only food your puppy is eating. They may not get many calories from the puppy mush at first as they try and figure out how exactly to eat it. It can be more complicated than you might think, especially when youre a little puppy!
For this reason, the first introduction of puppy gruel isnt meant to provide many calories. Instead, its to introduce the puppies to solid food so they can begin getting used to it.
Usually, this should begin when they are around 34 weeks old. However, the timing will depend on the mother somewhat. Eventually, the mother will stop feeding the puppies as much as she begins to wean them. This is your sign to introduce solid foodas in mush or gruel.
Some mothers will never initiate the weaning process, though. In this case, introduce the mush in week 4 anyway. The puppies will need to be weaned, even if the mother doesnt seem like she knows how to start the process.
You should take the time to gradually change your puppys diet, starting with only 10% gruel and 90% mothers milk. Slowly shift this ratio until your puppy is eating 100% solid food by the age of 8 weeks. The amount of gruel and its consistency should be gradually modified in line with this goal and timeline. Gradually reduce the amount of liquid used to make the gruel until its consistency is that of wet food, and simultaneously increase the amount of gruel/food your puppy eats as the mother weans it. The mothers milk will dry up around 12 or so weeks, so the switch needs to be made entirely before then.
How to Teach a Puppy to Eat Puppy Gruel
Transitioning a puppy from their mothers milk to mush isnt a matter of teaching.Instead, the puppies typically figure it out through exposure. Your job will mostly be to expose the puppies to the food and ensure that the correct amount is available. You may also need to ensure that all the puppies get the appropriate amount, especially if some pups seem to be bullied away by their siblings.
The most youll need to do is coax the puppy to try the new food. You may put some on your finger and then offer it to the puppy, who will likely try and suck your finger, consuming the gruel in the process.
Understand that puppies will not quite understand how to eat effectively for some time. For this reason, youll need to prepare for plenty of clean-up. The puppies will likely get more on themselves than they actually consume. For this reason, youll need to ensure that you have plenty of towels and prepare to support their learning process.
It may take a few times for some puppies to even try a little bit. However, you should continue to offer it regularly. Repeat exposure is exactly how puppies wean, even if they dont eat very much at first. Eventually, the puppy will recognize their new food and recognize it when you offer it.
There will be little actual teaching when it comes to weaning the puppies. Instead, your job is to offer the right food and provide puppies with plenty of chances to eat it.
How Often Should Puppies Eat Puppy Mush?
Puppies are growing quickly, but they only have small stomachs. Like human babies, they need to eat a little bit often. Even if it doesnt seem like your puppies are consuming much of the gruel, they are likely taking in a decent number of calories.
Preferably, the puppies should eat the mush three to four times a day. This is a lot and will require plenty of clean-up from you. If the puppies are tiny, you may need to increase this amount but lower the amount of food you offer at one time. Be sure to weigh the puppies as they grow to ensure theyre on track. You may need to adjust their food intake based on this information. More is not necessarily better, as it can cause health problems down the line if the puppies develop too quickly.
Throughout the puppys development, you will want to increase the amount of food per meal but lower the overall meals. They should be eating only two meals a day when they are ready for their new homes, though smaller breeds may still need three meals a day.
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Featured Image Credit: Switlana Sonyashna, Shutterstock
Weaning Puppies: How and When to Do It
The gradual transition of a puppys diet from their mothers milk to solid food is known as weaning.
This natural process allows puppies to become independent feeders and reduces the physical demands on the mother as the puppies grow.
Heres everything you need to know about weaning puppies.
When Should You Start Weaning Puppies?
The weaning process should begin at 3-4 weeks of age, when the puppies teeth begin to erupt. The discomfort of nursing teething puppies may cause the mother to pull away before her puppies are completely satisfied. Hungry puppies will naturally seek an alternate source of food.
Steps for Weaning Puppies
To start weaning, you will remove the mother from the puppies for an hour, two to three times a day, to try eating solid food.
Step 1: Make a Gruel
Make a gruel of canned or dry puppy food mixed with puppy milk replacer or water. Look for a well-known, name-brand puppy food that is not grain-free. Ideally use the same brand of food that the mother dog eats.
If the puppies do not take to the gruel, try blending this ratio:
Step 2: Offer the Gruel to the Puppies
During the hourlong periods where you separate the puppies from their mother, offer them the gruel in a shallow dish or baking pan. Place the puppies in front of it.
If the puppies do not seem interested, try dipping your finger in it and then touching their mouths so they can taste it. They may get messy in the process of exploring this new food.
Step 3: Reunite the Puppies With Their Mother
When the mother dog is reunited with her puppies, allow her to lick the remainder of the food from the dish and to lick the puppies clean.
Step 4: Gradually Increase the Amount of Solid Food
When youre beginning the weaning process, the puppies diet should consist of only 10% solid food. The gruel should be transitioned to less liquid and more solid until the puppies are able to eat the canned or dry food without diluting it. Then, you should gradually increase the amount each week until their diet is 100% solid food by the time they reach 7 or 8 weeks of age.
What to Do if a Puppy Isnt Weaning
Each puppy will wean on an individual schedule. If a puppy is not ready, continue to offer meals in the presence of another puppy, if possible. The example of exploration with solid food will encourage this behavior.
How to Feed Puppies After Weaning
After the puppies are completely weaned, offer them three to four solid food meals a day until they are 6 months old, then two to three meals a day depending on their breed requirements and growth.
Be sure that each puppy is gaining weight and not vomiting or having diarrhea. Seek veterinary care if problems arise.
What to Feed the Mother Dog
The mother dog should begin to eat puppy food during pregnancy, especially during the final two or three weeks. Consider a puppy food from the same brand that she is already accustomed to eating.
She should continue eating the puppy food as she begins to nurse her puppies. Dry puppy food should be available at regular meal times. This will keep the mother dog from excessively eating it and allow the puppies to develop an appetite between meals.
The demand for producing milk will decline as the puppies begin to eat solid food. With less time spent nursing, her milk production will decrease.
At week four, gradually transition the mother dog back to eating regular dog food, which will also help to reduce her milk supply. By week seven or eight, her milk production will cease without the stimulation of nursing puppies once they are completely weaned.
Featured Image: iStock.com/SolStock
