How to Take Care of Your Mother Dog While Weaning Puppies
During the puppy weaning process, you should monitor the mother for the following signs:
- The less the puppies suckle, the sooner her milk will dry up
- If her mammary glands are still hanging down after a few days, you may need to help her milk dry up with a lower calorie diet for a few days
The mother dog should begin to eat puppy food after a few weeks into the pregnancy and while she starts to nurse her puppies and wean them. You can transition her back to regular dog food at around month 4, when the puppies begin to wean off of their mother.
Its very important to monitor the mothers health during pregnancy and ensure she has a proper diet and nutrition, so she can stay healthy. The puppies are relying on her health, and with the support of a veterinary expert, you can ensure that she and the puppies stay healthy throughout the pregnancy and delivery. This can be a stressful time for both the mother and the puppies, so encouraging the mother and being patient throughout the process can also help ease the transition. Its also crucial not to adjust the mother dogs diet too quickly.
Many veterinary experts and pet nutritionists suggest that the mother dog should have good levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a nutrient-rich diet that will help support the development of her puppies. Throughout what is usually a 62-day pregnancy, you should make sure that your mother dog is well-fed, consuming 29% protein and 17% fat.4 If your mother dog does not get enough food during pregnancy, this could result in development issues for the puppies or other concerning risk factors during pregnancy and birth. If you feed the mother dog too much, this can also increase stress during labor and lead to other health issues.
Its important to help your mother dog maintain her weight in the first couple of trimesters. The key is that she doesnt lose weight as the pregnancy progresses. You may notice your mother dog has less energy, especially at around 6 or 8 weeks because the demands on her body and the rapid growth the puppies are experiencing take a lot out of her.
As the puppies grow, this can put pressure and cause stress on the mothers GI tract making digestion difficult. This is why having the help of a vet expert to plan the mother dogs diet and nutrition can greatly impact their health.
At the end of the weaning process, around 8 weeks of age, pups should be fully graduated to eating solely puppy-specific solid foods. The furry babies should be eating four meals of puppy food each day, with fresh water available to them at all times. When the little ones are fully weaned, between 8 and 12 weeks old, you can adopt them out because they are no longer nursing at all or dependent on their mother for nutrition. Keep in mind that 8 weeks is the minimum age of adoption or sale of little pups in most states, according to the Animal Legal & Historical Center.
While most mother dogs naturally begin to nurse their pups less and less starting at 4 weeks of age, some dont. If your pooch wont begin to distance herself from the little ones, its up to you to separate them from her for an hour to two each day, during which you can give them their formula-and-food mixture. Because mom might be feeling anxious during these initial separations, engage her in a fun game or give her some special attention to make her feel more at ease.
Puppies grow up quickly. They start to transition from their mothers milk onto solid foods, a process known as weaning, at around 3 weeks to 4 weeks of age. Before long, those little guys wont be nursing from their mother at all. Instead theyll be chowing down on puppy food.
Based in Las Vegas, Susan Paretts has been writing since 1998. She writes about many subjects including pets, finances, crafts, food, home improvement, shopping and going green. Her articles, short stories and reviews have appeared on City National Banks website and on The Noseprint. Paretts holds a Master of Professional Writing from the University of Southern California.
The weaning process begins quite messy as the little pups discover that strange gruel-like mixture of formula and puppy food in the dish. Furry babies will usually smell the food and then may walk right through it as they start to taste and eat it. Youll have to clean up the little ones after their foray into eating solid foods. Use paper towels moistened with warm water to wipe them down after meals, and dry them off so they dont become chilled. Place them back in with mom afterward. Make the cleaning process of the food area easier for yourself by placing the dish in a contained area, such as a bathtub. This prevents food-covered little ones from dashing onto your carpets or furniture before you have a chance to clean them off.
During the early stages of weaning puppies off of moist food, you will notice significant changes in them, which can happen from day to day. They grow up fast, and in no time at all they will begin to interact and play amongst themselves, improving their posture and movement.
Based on colostrum, the bioactive molecules act on the GALT (the immune layer in the gut) to promote local immunity, helping to bridge the immunity gap.
Sadly, this transfer of vital immunity from mum is sometimes poor, and so the pups may be at risk until their own immunity defence kicks in. This period in a puppy’s development is known as the ‘immunity gap’. During this time, puppies may be more vulnerable to infections.
Purina vets and nutritionists have developed PRO PLAN® Puppy with OPTISTART® & OPTIDIGEST®, which are scientifically proven to help support immune response in puppies by up to 50%**.
You should prepare their meals by mixing dry food with warm water and leave to soak for a few minutes until it has a porridge like texture – sometimes blitzing the kibble in a blender first can make it easier.