hey, miti! :---)

personally, i have let the pups explore mums kibble first - When THEY show interest in HER food,
that is when i start moistening some pup-formula kibble.

and mum-dog should be on puppy-formula, BTW - extra calories in smaller volumes, to push her lactation,
and keep her body-condition up while she is feeding the kids...
adult-formula dog-food requires too much volume for her to efficiently take in,
and get the extra calories out for feeding the litter, herself, + doing body-maintenance.

generally, pups have been 4.5 to 5-weeks old, on average IME, before they really start creeping to mums dish -
until then, i just stick to one or 2 formula-meals to help teach lapping.
i do not use full-formula to dampen the kibble! it can give DIARRHEA, too rich!
i cut formula with 1 part H2O - so 50% formula, 50% water, poured onto pup-kibble to stand.
i also REFRIGERATE the standing-kibble, to prevent gram-neg bacteria growing
(room-temp is too bacteria-friendly). then i warm it VERY gently before offering.
small amounts at first - pitch anything left after 45-mins or so.

JMO + IME - Ur mileage may vary! (grin)
good-night, ...
--- terry

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Thanks Leashed. Tiny tummies haven't changed at all. So I assume they are nipples! Certainly they didn't progress to anything that looked angry or infected.

Mum is on puppy formula (Wainwright and Natures) and I also give her minced beef, chicken, tuna, scrambled egg (though not all at once!) as well. She is very pampered. Her milk supply seems to be plentiful and the pups are thriving.

Most of them have teeth now. One of her girls is very interested in Mum's food already. Most will use their siblings as a launchpad and catapult themselves out of the whelping box to have a wobble around the room. I often come down in the mornings to find a few of them walking around which does concern me as they can get out but haven't worked out how to get back in. If Mum gets into whelp box for a feed, those on the outside are about to miss out.

So, in summary, another week before I need to introduce anything? Don't know why I think teeth are an indication of when to wean also?

just let the pups tell U... if more than 1 or 2 are feet-first in mums dish, LOL, U can put a flying-saucer pan in for the pups when mum gets her meals, so they can sniff + paddle in it...
be ready to bathe the little buggers after, they wear more than they eat!


not really - bitches make their own decisions on that - they start limiting regular MEALS long-before
they stop the occasional snack or mum-i-got-snarked-at mercy meal.

contact-comfort:
pups will fly to Mum for a quick suckle as contact-comfort, if anything startles or hurts them... like a fall,
step on a sharp object, loud noise... clear up into the 10th week or later, if the dam + some pups are still together.

most bitches will not allow full-on, entire litter dairy-bar feeds after about 8 to 9-WO.
up until 7 or 8-WO, some pups opt for fewer nursed-meals + more moist-solids.
MOM * STOPS * EATING * STOOLS as soon as the PUPS are on frequent solids!!!
so do not be in a big hurry, unless U really *want* to do more cleaning...
or have sh*tty pups, LOL, one or the other.
the odor of their stools changes when they go from breastmilk to moist-meals, so do not hustle it,
there will be plenty of time to clean-up poop before they are ready to leave...

also, for pups who are a bit slower developing (pups can be 2 to 4 days apart in literal age
from conception), if too many pups STOP nursing, Mums milk dries-up...
Bummer!
i let the dam decide when to show the pups some teeth, and tell them the dairy-bar is shutting down;
it saves me from interfering, and the pups who need a bit longer to nurse + grow, get extra time.
most dams will tolerate a genuinely NEEDY pup longer than the rest of the well-grown litter
as a whole. then she also dries-up more gradually, too, with less distension, and her teats
will not be so pendulous and painful.

*mastitis* is something to watch for -
wash her belly + nipples every other day or so, with a very mild bath-soap
or plain warm-water with a packet of instant-oats thrown into the bucket;
then rinse well.
look for pink, shiny, swollen, HOT or HARD nipples/breasts; call the vet + take her right in,
if one or more nipples are a hardened, hot mass. very painful!
and can cause colic in pups, too.

hopefully all will go well, with zero complications, and the babies will be bouncy
happy healthy 56-day-old kids before U know it!


cheers, tell that good mom-dog she is wonderful for me...
--- terry

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Thanks very much for all that info Leashed.

Mum is only feeding them about three times in 24 hours at the most now. They are having the arden grange and farleys with whelpi in between. They all lap from the dish and seem to have taken to weaning off mum with ease

See new thread "Help - chapter 2" for follow ups!