How should I feed a puppy?

What should I feed a newborn puppy?

Bring a newborn puppy into your life is exciting but also challenging. The first six weeks of life are critical for all puppies. They need almost the double amount of nutrition and care than young and adult dogs. Of course, the best choice of feeding a newborn puppy is the mother dog's milk. However, in most cases, pup owners may not have the opportunity to let the dog mothers feed their babies. Then, they need to feed the puppies by commercial canine milk replacer instead. Remember, only the specifically formulated canine milk is okay for feeding puppies. Other milk replacers, such as cow milk and goat milk can cause diarrhea. Taking care of a newborn puppy is just as tedious as taking care of a newborn infant, both of them need bottle feeding every few hours. The general nursing time for the first week is should be least every two hours. As puppies grow up, the intervals between feedings will increase as well. Consult with a veterinarian if you want more specific suggestions.

What should I feed a 6 weeks old puppy?

Generally, puppies start to weaning to solid food from 4-6 weeks old. It's an important transition phase in their life and which of course can not be done overnight. Ideally, the process should take 2-3 weeks to take place. What you have to do is to mix the selected puppy food with the canine milk replacer. You can gradually increase the proportion of solid food day by day. By doing so, your pup can progressively learn to adapt to solid food. Remember, you can not simply choose the adult dog food for your puppies. Puppy food should contain higher calorie, extra protein, and more essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and vitamin D. That's because compared to adult dogs, puppies need more energy and nutrients to support their growth. Also, puppy kibble should be made in smaller sizes to make it easier for them to practice chewing and swallowing.  

What to feed a puppy with diarrhea?

Compared to adult dogs, puppies' immune systems and digestive systems are still developing, thus, are more sensitive and fragile. Plus, puppies are too young to complete the full set of vaccines. Due to these reasons, diarrhea associated with parvovirus and other virus or bacteria is common to puppies. While Diarrhea is a minor illness, it has the potential to be fatal. The resulting dehydration can kill your puppy easily if without proper care. Therefore, take your puppy to the vet as soon as possible since you noticed the symptom! Besides, here are some useful tips you can follow at home. First, withhold food for at least 12 but no more than 24 hours. This will gives your puppy's gut a chance to rest and heal. Second, Provide plenty of water or ice cubes. Water is essential to keep your puppy from dehydration. Third, Offer bland foods. A bland diet like white rice or plain cooked chicken broth can help your puppy to calm down their upset stomach.