NEWBORN PUPPY CARE – NUTRITION, HEALTH, GROWTH & TIPS (Part -2)

WEANING
Starting from three to four weeks of age, puppies begin to crave more nutrients and calories than milk alone can provide. However, they’re not quite ready to eat solid dog food yet! As well as this, a sudden upgrade from milk replacer to solid puppy food would cause diarrhea and an upset tummy. Your goal is to slowly introduce more puppy food whilst reducing the amount of milk your puppy drinks. This process is called weaning. If done correctly, weaning should be complete by the time your puppy is eight weeks old.
To make sure that your puppy is healthy and happy during the weaning stage, offer small amounts of high-quality, moistened puppy food four times a day, as well as a milk replacer. You can moisten puppy kibble soaking it in milk replacer or lukewarm water to create puppy mush.

INTRODUCING SOLID FOOD
By 7 to 8 weeks of age most puppies complete the process of weaning. In addition, growing puppies have special caloric needs. Protein requirements for puppies are the highest right after weaning is complete.The recommended protein percentages for healthy puppy growth range between 22 and 32 percent on a dry matter basis. To meet this need, your puppy’s solid diet should be a high-quality food with a real meat source of protein. Your puppy also has different calcium requirements. Small and medium breeds appear to be less sensitive to slight over or underfeeding of calcium. On a dry matter basis, calcium levels can range anywhere from 0.7 to 1.7 percent in high-quality puppy food. Before the puppies were born, you probably fed your ***** a kibble formulated for growth and reproduction. For convenience and consistency, it’s best to give your puppies the same kibble that you fed to your *****.
SUBJECTING YOUR PUPPY TO 3 MEALS A DAY
Starting from four months of age, puppies should have a meal three times a day. A specially formulated puppy food should be fed at regularly spaced intervals to avoid over stretching their tiny stomachs. As well as this, puppies are susceptible to hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, so regular feedings can help to keep their blood sugar steady. As well as this, regular meals encourage a quicker metabolism, encouraging your puppy to burn more calories. For these reasons your four month old pup should stay on three meals every day until they reach six months.
2 MEALS PER DAY
Unless your vet suggests otherwise, your six month old puppy can safely move on to having just two meals per day. Depending on their breed, your six month old pup requires up to twice the amount of daily calories as a two month old pup. As a general rule, you can increase your puppy’s portion sizes gradually over 12 months as they work up to eating adult dog food. Toy and small breeds may be able to switch to adult food earlier, some as early as 7 to 9 months of age.

HEALTH CONCERNS IN NEWBORN PUPPIES........