Dogs, as mammals, should have a lactation period that lasts approximately one month. Ideally, during this period they stay with their mother. However, there are situations in which this is not possible (due to the death of the mother or the rejection of the offspring). In these cases, it is important to know how and with what we should feed the litter so that it can survive without the presence of its mother.
If you want to know what to feed a puppy aged 1 month or less, don't miss the following article on our site at where we explain how and what to feed a puppy in the absence of its mother.
What to feed a puppy less than 1 month old?
Dogs are mammalian animals, so they must have a lactation period in which they feed exclusively on breast milk. It is important that the litter stays attached to its mother during the first month or month and a half of life, since this will be the time that a normal lactation lasts. However, there will be situations in which this is not possible, either due to the death of the mother during or after childbirth, or due to the rejection of the offspring. In these cases, you will surely be wondering how to feed a puppy up to 15 days, for example. Therefore, we bring you two options:
- Try to introduce the litter with adoptive mothers (bitches that have recently given birth and are lactating), for which we will have to get used to the foster mother to the smell of the new pups.
- Resort to bottle-feeding of puppies.
It should be noted that it is not necessary to differentiate between what to feed a puppy for up to 15 days and what to feed a puppy for 20-25 days, since the weaning of puppies should not be begin to take place before the month of life and therefore the food is the same.
If we have to raise the litter with a bottle, it is essential that we use specific formula milk for dogs, which you can find at any veterinary clinic or pet store. We should not feed the puppies with cow's milk, since the bitch's milk is twice as protein and has up to three times the fat of cow's milk. Feeding puppies with milk that is not specific for them can cause diarrhea with fatal consequences. Therefore, in case you have to raise a litter with a bottle, remember the importance of always using a specific formula milk.
How many times does a puppy less than 1 month old eat?
The amount you should offer each puppy will be reflected on the label of the formula you use (usually around 15% of its live weight, per day). The amount of milk will depend on the weight of the puppies, which in turn will be determined by their age and breed. In order to provide each puppy with an amount of milk according to its weight, you will have to weigh each member of the litter periodically.
The first week you should weigh them daily and thereafter you should weigh them 2-3 times a week. In addition, this weight control will help you to monitor its growth and detect delays in the development of any puppy. To weigh the pups, we recommend that you use a kitchen scale. You can place a container on top to introduce the puppy and prevent excessive movement during weighing. If you do this, don't forget to tare the scale before placing the pup inside, otherwise you'll be overestimating its weight.
It is important to know what a 3 week old puppy eats, but also how many times a puppy eats. The number of daily feeds will be reduced as the puppies grow older:
- During the first week we should give many feedings: between 6-8 daily feedings.
- During the second week we will reduce the feedings: 5-6 feedings a day.
- From the third week until weaning: we will give 4 feeds a day.
If you want to know more information about feeding prematurely weaned puppies, don't hesitate to read this other article that we recommend.
How to feed a puppy less than 1 month old?
Formula milk is usually in powder form, so we'll have to reconstitute it with water before each feeding. To prepare the bottle, heat the necessary water and add the corresponding amount of powdered milk. Then, close the bottle and shake it vigorously until the milk is dissolved and there are no lumps. There are some considerations to keep in mind:
- The hole in the teat should be of such a diameter that when the bottle is inverted, the milk slowly falls out of the teat. Before giving the bottle, it is important to put a drop of milk on the inside of your wrist to check that the milk is warm but does not burn (ideally is at 38°C). Then, leave a drop on the edge of the teat and put it in the puppy's mouth.
- The bottle must be administered with the animal in an inclined position In no case must the animal be in a vertical position and, with a hand, we must hold the puppy below and support it against our chest, so that its hind legs rest on our lap. That is, the animal must remain in an almost vertical position. During feeding, we must not squeeze the bottle to force milk out of the teat, as this could cause milk to flow into the ducts respiratory infections, leading to aspiration pneumonia.
Once you have finished feeding, it is important to stimulate urination and defecation by massaging the perineal area with a cotton pad moistened with hot water. We must also clean the remains of milk from the face and body of the puppies after each feeding. In addition, it is very important to take care of hygiene throughout the process. Bottles must always be kept clean. To sterilize them, you need to boil the bottle and teat for 10-15 minutes.
What to do if a puppy won't take a bottle?
Sometimes a puppy in the litter may refuse to take a bottle. To begin with, special attention must be paid to those puppies that refuse to take a bottle, since they are very vulnerable animals in which the lack of food can be fatal. In these cases, we must review all the steps that we have described above to make sure that we are not making any mistakes that could cause the puppy to reject the bottle. These steps are:
- Check that you are providing the adequate amount of milk.
- Check that the milk is well dissolved (no lumps).
- Check that the temperature is adequate (neither cold nor too hot), etc.
If you are not making any mistake, it is important that you Go to your veterinarian as there may be some pathological cause that is triggering anorexia in the puppy. Remember to act quickly in these cases, since delaying the visit to the vet can be fatal for the puppy.
We leave you this post from our site on how to feed newborn puppies that you may also find useful.
What to feed a 1 month old puppy?
If you've just adopted a puppy and are wondering what to feed a 30-day-old puppy, don't miss a beat.
The ideal age for weaning the litter is a month or a month and a half. However, there are puppies that begin to have teeth after 4 weeks, so in these cases weaning could be brought forward. Weaning should be carried out progressively to allow the puppy's digestive system to get used to the transition from a liquid diet to a dry diet, thus avoiding the diarrhea. For a gradual weaning, we must offer a puppy food moistened with water or with the formula milk itself. The goal is to create a porridge that is less and less liquid, until they eat completely dry feed. Here you can find more information about When are puppies weaned?
Having said this, when we adopt a puppy it is important to know if we are the ones who should wean it gradually or if, on the contrary, the puppy is already fully weaned and eats dry food. Don't forget to ask for this information at the time of adoption so that you can offer your puppy the food he needs
Homemade food for one month old puppies
If you decide to base your puppy's diet on a homemade ration instead of a commercial feed, you can do so as long as you take into account a series of considerations. We must bear in mind that within the canine species we find dogs of different sizes, which means that they reach puberty at different ages (from 6 months in small breeds, to 18 months in giant breeds).
- If we feed our dog with commercial feed, we will only worry about selecting a feed according to its breed and contributing the quantity indicated by the manufacturer.
- In the event that we prepare a homemade diet, it will be important to know the specific needs of our growing dog in order to be able to cover these needs with the ration that we offer him. In this sense, we will develop diets with a higher energy density in small breeds (about 3,500-4,000 kcal/kg) than in large and giant breeds (about 3,200- 3,800 kcal/kg).
- We will provide higher levels of protein and calcium/phosphorus in small breeds than in giant breeds.
In any case, it is important that before starting a homemade diet for your puppy, you consult a veterinarian specialized in animal nutrition. In this way you can ensure the correct development and growth of your puppy and avoid the appearance of bone diseases.
In general, you can include in your puppy's diet the same foods as in an adult dog (proteins such as chicken, turkey or veal, vegetables such as carrots, chard or sweet potatoes, cereals such as rice, etc.). However, in recently weaned dogs it is recommended that you offer the ration in the form of puree In this way, the transition from mother's milk to solid food will be easier. simple for your puppy. Once you have introduced the homemade ration, you will be able to grind the food less and less until you come to offer it unground.
How to feed a 1 month old puppy?
In recently weaned puppies it is advisable to offer the feed in 3-4 feedings a day It is important that they have the feed or homemade food at their disposal only for a certain time (about 30 minutes), so that they get used to eating only when they have to. In addition, it is important to stick to the amount of food marked by the manufacturer of feed, since overfeeding puppies can lead to skeletal deformations, especially in large and giant breeds.
As the puppy gets closer to its adult stage, we will reduce the number of feeds per day to 2. Finally, let's remember that to give a puppy a bottle we don't have to place it in a vertical position, but rather tilt it a little so that it can eat without problems.
Can a puppy one month old or less be given water?
If you are wondering if you can give water to a puppy of 20-25 days, you have to take into account that when the puppies are exclusively lactating, the milk they drink already provides them with hydration what do you need. However, when we start to introduce the feed, even if it is moistened, it is important that they always have clean and fresh water at their disposal.
