Puppies during their first weeks rely heavily on their mothers for all of their nutritional needs, so nursing mothers should receive several servings of puppy food daily to ensure both puppies and their mother get adequate nourishment.
At five weeks old, many puppies may still be used to nursing directly from their mother and may resist solid foods. Speak with your vet regarding when and how best to switch your pups over to dry or canned puppy food.
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Canned Food
Up until approximately 8 weeks of age, puppies should consume soft foods like canned or dehydrated dog food, which can be easier for their digestive systems and contain more liquid than dry kibble. They will also provide essential nutrition.
Canned puppy food can be an excellent way to feed your pup because it contains more moisture than its dry counterpart, and can easily fit in a storage bin. Just beware not to overdo it or overfeed him/her as overfeeding may lead to digestive upset and even pancreatitis in some instances.
Wellness Complete Health Puppy Chicken Formula is an ideal option for 5 week old puppies, featuring grain-free ingredients with no by-products, fillers or artificial flavors – as well as the DHA found naturally in mother’s milk.
Dry Food
Puppies require a balanced diet tailored specifically to their nutritional requirements, and manufacturers of premium dry dog foods make feeding easy by creating customized formulas suited to each puppy’s age, size and breed.
At 6-12 weeks, puppies should ideally begin eating a high-quality puppy food diet to maximize their development and aid their overall well-being. This time is critical in terms of their developmental needs; an appropriate food should help support that development through supporting its source.
Transitioning your puppy from mother’s milk to solid foods can be stressful for them, so it is best to make the switch gradually. Begin by feeding softened kibble or canned puppy food that can easily be chewed by adding water. This should make chewing less of a struggle for them!
Puppies have sharp baby teeth that may make chewing solid food challenging, and it may take them some time to get used to eating regularly. Once they do so, however, a feeding schedule will ensure they maintain a healthy weight while keeping up with daily activities.
Milk Replacer
A five week old puppy needs milk to grow and develop properly, but if you don’t have access to enough cow or goat milk for her needs, milk replacer can provide her with all of her needed nutrition. Milk replacer is designed specifically to meet this need without risk to their health and welfare.
Newborn puppies should receive a small amount of milk replacer diluted with clean water six times each day until they reach around three or four weeks old, when solid food should gradually replace milk replacer as their source of nutrition.
Milk replacer should always be mixed according to its instructions on the label and handled carefully and safely. If it seems out-of-date, has an unusual odor or texture, or does not recombine according to directions, contact the manufacturer immediately.
Supplemental Feeding
Establishing a consistent feeding schedule for your puppy is the easiest and most reliable way to make sure they receive an appropriate amount of nourishment, keeping their health and happiness at optimum levels. Establishing this ritual helps them understand what’s expected from them while keeping them feeling contented and content.
At birth, puppies receive all their nutrition from their mother’s milk alone; following that period, breeders orphaned pups begin being weaned onto high-quality soft foods that support healthy development.
Puppies typically start off eating a milk replacer- or puppy food-soaked in water mixture that they will lap up with their noses; eventually they’ll graduate to eating solid food as well.
Puppies require more calories and nutrients than adult dogs to reach full maturity, so a higher-calorie, growth-oriented diet should be fed to them. Look for food labeled “complete and balanced”, which provides adequate amounts of calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins minerals and other essential elements at each stage of development for your pup.