Puppies aged four weeks require a diet designed specifically for puppies. Adult food could deprive them of vital vitamins and nutrients. Puppies should be given small meals several times each day.
Avoid feeding raw or undercooked cooked manufactured meats to your dog as these could contain bacteria that is harmful. Also try not to give him cooked items containing sulphite preservatives which could harm him.
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Dry Food
At four weeks, puppies begin the transition from milk-only diets to one which combines milk and food (known as “gruel”) in shallow dishes containing canned or dry puppy food and milk replacer, and this meal will be offered during their hour-long separation sessions two or three times daily.
Ideal, their mother should give them food; this helps familiarize them with its taste and texture. Furthermore, leaving water available at all times to keep their bodies hydrated.
Puppies need to be fed several small meals throughout the day to meet both their energy requirements and nutritional requirements. The best puppy foods include a feeding guide and nutritional breakdown on their back packaging to make sure that puppies receive all of their necessary vitamins and minerals at appropriate levels – unlike adult dogs who only require small amounts. Puppies need additional protein, fat, calcium, vitamins and minerals in order to thrive properly.
Wet Food
At four weeks, puppies start transitioning from mother’s milk and dog food (typically kibble) to a combination of mother’s milk and puppy milk replacement, often mixed together with small amounts of water or puppy milk replacement to create a porridge-like consistency that should be offered up to four times each day.
No matter the type of puppy food you select, make sure it bears the label “complete and balanced” so your puppy receives all of the essential vitamins and nutrients he or she requires at their age and life stage. Also ensure there is optimal levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to promote optimal brain and eye development in puppies.
Make sure to feed your puppies at the same time each day and try to follow a feeding schedule, as this will establish healthy eating habits for your puppy. Avoid feeding table scraps as these could cause digestive issues; and always ensure water is available.
Milk Replacer
Puppies require a milk replacement formula that mimics their mother’s milk as closely as possible. It should contain high levels of proteins and fats while meeting all their other nutritional needs for proper development. They’re usually available as either powder you reconstitute yourself, or canned liquid formula, without preservatives or additives; try to find one with added colostrum for increased immune system support.
Avoid feeding raw or cooked manufactured bones, sultanas or raisins (both can be extremely toxic to puppies), onion powder and garlic as these items can all be toxic for them. Also it’s wise not to feed fruit seeds, avocado stones/pits or any spoiled food or compost as this could also prove fatal for their wellbeing.
Puppies should be bottle fed using a special bottle designed for newborn babies and held upright like they would be when nursing from their mother, with the temperature of their milk not exceeding warm temperatures.
Supplemental Feeding
For optimal growth and to prevent orthopedic issues in puppies, they need the correct balance of calories, protein, calcium and phosphorus in their food. Most large and giant breed puppy food formulas take this into consideration.
At four weeks, puppies begin the transition from milk only to a combination of milk and food, commonly referred to as soft food. Generally composed of dry puppy food mixed with either milk replacement or water until it resembles gruel in consistency, this soft food mixture usually makes its debut.
Puppies must be fed four times each day at approximately the same time to maintain a predictable schedule and foster security in them. If your family cannot provide regular feedings of their young puppy, consider boardering with friends or using professional doggie daycare facilities; puppies that are neglected for too long could experience stress that impedes health and development.
