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When Can Puppies Be Weaned

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<html> <head> <title>When Can Puppies Be Weaned</title> </head> <body> <h1>When Can Puppies Be Weaned</h1> <div class="info">Author: <a href="http://dbeart.articlealley.com/">D Beart</a></div><div class="body"><p>Weaning puppies can be a hard task to take on, especially if your dog has never been pregnant before, and this is hers (and yours) first time. An important reason for offering dry food moistened is that at three to four weeks of age, normal puppies will start nibbling solid food. As puppies begin to eat more solid food, the demand on the female for milk production will decrease. Normally puppies are weaned between six and eight weeks of age, however there are some that are not weaned until the maximum of nine weeks. On the day the puppies are weaned, the female should not receive any food, but should have plenty of fresh water to drink. The puppies should be separated from the mother and offered food and water. Dry food moistened with warm water may help stimulate the puppies' food intake. By six weeks of age, most puppies are ready to be weaned. If they have started to eat solid foods from the dam's dish, it is not unusual for puppies to begin to wean themselves at about four to five weeks of age.<br /><br />Young puppies should be fed an appropriate puppy life stage food at least three times a day until their food requirements, per pound of body weight, begin to level off as they mature. You can check with your vet or a certified breeder what they recommend for puppy food. Feeding schedules can be reduced to twice a day when pups are four to five months old, and once a day when they are eight months or older. Fresh water in a clean bowl should be available at all times. Warm water or milk can be used to moisten dry food, however, too much milk can act as a laxative and cause digestive problems for some puppies and adult dogs. One hour should be allowed for a puppy to eat, after which the uneaten portion should be discarded. Establishing routine eating habits by feeding a puppy in the same place and at the same time each day is recommended and can help in housetraining. Offering human foods from the table is not recommended because it encourages begging and may create a finicky eater. Puppies consuming a complete and balanced diet do not need supplemental vitamins, minerals, or meat. Offering human food can also cause problems with the puppies' digestive tracts and can help lead to early obesity, and that is something we do not want to see in our puppies, we want them healthy and strong. <br /><br />No matter whether puppies are being fed by its mother, or their owner, they will eventually have to be taught to depend upon something else besides milk as ther food. This procedure is called the weaning process, and constitutes the changing of your puppies diet from a liquid to a solid. Once the puppies reach the age of about four to six weeks, and their eyes begin to open up, and they are moving about and making noise, they should experiment with solid food that is being fed to the mother. Around this time, you should begin to teach your puppies to feed from a bowl. Weaning a puppy is a learning procedure in which the puppy's digestive system is conditioned to consume solid foods. While in the Mothers womb the puppies are being fed with pre-digested nutrient. When he is born, he drinks his mother's milk, which are the most digestible nutrients a puppy can consume. When a puppy is being weaned, his digestive system must learn to handle all the new food he is presented with. This is a process that can be taught only as fast as the puppy's ability to learn, this should never be rushed or neglected. It should never be rushed, because if the puppy is still too young, and hasn't developed proper swallowing skills, you can harm the puppy by forcing them to eat food they don't know how to handle, and they could choke, or become sick. Causing damage by doing so could create a lifetime of health problems for the puppies, so make sure to take extra care with them. Think of it this way, not only is this a learning process for the puppy himself, but it is also a learning process for you as well. Thinking like this will help you to better understand the whole weaning process and the time you must take to ensure that it is done properly, and safely.</p></div> <div class="source">Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlealley.com/http://dbeart.articlealley.com/when-can-puppies-be-weaned-461893.html">http://www.articlealley.com/http://dbeart.articlealley.com/when-can-puppies-be-weaned-461893.html</a></div> <div class="author"> <div class="authorBio"></div> </author> </body> </html>

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When Can Puppies Be Weaned Author: D Beart Weaning puppies can be a hard task to take on, especially if your dog has never been pregnant before, and this is hers (and yours) first time. An important reason for offering dry food moistened is that at three to four weeks of age, normal puppies will start nibbling solid food. As puppies begin to eat more solid food, the demand on the female for milk production will decrease. Normally puppies are weaned between six and eight weeks of age, however there are some that are not weaned until the maximum of nine weeks. On the day the puppies are weaned, the female should not receive any food, but should have plenty of fresh water to drink. The puppies should be separated from the mother and offered food and water. Dry food moistened with warm water may help stimulate the puppies' food intake. By six weeks of age, most puppies are ready to be weaned. If they have started to eat solid foods from the dam's dish, it is not unusual for puppies to begin to wean themselves at about four to five weeks of age. Young puppies should be fed an appropriate puppy life stage food at least three times a day until their food requirements, per pound of body weight, begin to level off as they mature. You can check with your vet or a certified breeder what they recommend for puppy food. Feeding schedules can be reduced to twice a day when pups are four to five months old, and once a day when they are eight months or older. Fresh water in a clean bowl should be available at all times. Warm water or milk can be used to moisten dry food, however, too much milk can act as a laxative and cause digestive problems for some puppies and adult dogs. One hour should be allowed for a puppy to eat, after which the uneaten portion should be discarded. Establishing routine eating habits by feeding a puppy in the same place and at the same time each day is recommended and can help in housetraining. Offering human foods from the table is not recommended because it encourages begging and may create a finicky eater. Puppies consuming a complete and balanced diet do not need supplemental vitamins, minerals, or meat. Offering human food can also cause problems with the puppies' digestive tracts and can help lead to early obesity, and that is something we do not want to see in our puppies, we want them healthy and strong. No matter whether puppies are being fed by its mother, or their owner, they will eventually have to be taught to depend upon something else besides milk as ther food. This procedure is called the weaning process, and constitutes the changing of your puppies diet from a liquid to a solid. Once the puppies reach the age of about four to six weeks, and their eyes begin to open up, and they are moving about and making noise, they should experiment with solid food that is being fed to the mother. Around this time, you should begin to teach your puppies to feed from a bowl. Weaning a puppy is a learning procedure in which the puppy's digestive system is conditioned to consume solid foods. While in the Mothers womb the puppies are being fed with pre-digested nutrient. When he is born, he drinks his mother's milk, which are the most digestible nutrients a puppy can consume. When a puppy is being weaned, his digestive system must learn to handle all the new food he is presented with. This is a process that can be taught only as fast as the puppy's ability to learn, this should never be rushed or neglected. It should never be rushed, because if the puppy is still too young, and hasn't developed proper swallowing skills, you can harm the puppy by forcing them to eat food they don't know how to handle, and they could choke, or become sick. Causing damage by doing so could create a lifetime of health problems for the puppies, so make sure to take extra care with them. Think of it this way, not only is this a learning process for the puppy himself, but it is also a learning process for you as well. Thinking like this will help you to better understand the whole weaning process and the time you must take to ensure that it is done properly, and safely. Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/http://dbeart.articlealley.com/when-can-puppies-be-weaned-461893.html About the Author:

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