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Feeding A Litter - Whelping to Weaning

In this article I will not address genetics or the ethics of breeding dogs. I will focus on information to help your bitch have a smooth pregnancy and get the little ones off on the right foot - or feet -as the case may be. At this website I have a Feed Program for Pregnancy, which you need to read and prepare for, long before you do a breeding, if at all possible.

In this article I will take you from the time of weaning the litter, about 3 ½ to 4 weeks until they are up to 12 months of age. The primary focus will be 3 weeks - 16 weeks of age, and how to feed them in preparation for their vaccines and going to new homes.

First let me preface this information by saying I am NOT available (emails or phone) to discuss what leads up to the breeding, the mechanics of the breeding itself, whelping preparations, the actual delivery, C sections, contracts, co-ownerships and problems that may occur i.e.: eclampsia, mastitis, toxic milk, tube feeding puppies etc. The BEST advice I can give you is stay in touch with your vet during his process and make sure (s)he is available if a C-Section is necessary at the time of whelping.

Before ANY of this process takes place, you owe it to your bitch to spend $25 and purchase one of the best books on the market - Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook by Carlson and Giffin. Most book stores carry it or you can get it online at Amazon.com

I have saved many a dogs lives over the years with this book and it has great chapters on how to handle the whole situation, including potential problems when it comes to pregnancy and whelping. That said, we can now move to discussing the important things in preparation for a litter.

Required Feeding

These are the 2 products you should have on hand when you have a new litter, in case you run into problems. This is a way to treat illness and diarrhea without antibiotics, which destroy the intestinal flora of the gut. The intestinal flora or beneficial bacteria of the gut is non existent in the beginning and you need to supplement the newborns shortly after delivery. More on this to come.

The first supplement is to have on hand “just in case” something comes up, is OXYDROPS.

OXYDROPS are use to kill pathogenic (bad) bacteria, virus, fungus and can be given internally, in a enema or vaporizer for respiratory problems on puppies, even newborns as well as mom.

For proper dosage/use on newborns if needed: 877-816-6500 - DO THIS AHEAD OF TIME AS A PRECAUTION

Take a moment and read through the Guidelines for Using Oxy-Drops so you have this info ahead of time and understand all the things this product does for you.

http://www.nzymes.com/guidelines-Oxy-drops.htm

To Order OXYDROPS: http://www.nzymes.com/

The second supplement is a probiotic (beneficial bacteria) called PET INOCULANT. It is made of several beneficial bacteria specifically suited to newborns and it is suspended in an oil. It comes with a pump handle, but I do not squirt it in the mouth for fear of aspiration pneumonia. Instead I squirt the dosage on my finger and wipe in the top of the roof of the mouth of each newborn, shortly after they are born and nursing. This is critical to establishing good intestinal flora right away.

Here is where to order Pet Inoculant. It has a short shelf life, and must be refrigerated, so call them and ask how long it last and tell them you MUST have it by a specific date so you know when to order it. I usually order two bottles, and when these are gone by 3-4 weeks of age, we move to BakPakPlus Fortified at the time we start to wean the puppies.

To order Pet Inoculant: www.wysong.net

This is a statement from the Wysong site regarding this product.

There is a universe of life within the digestive tract. Microorganisms populate the intestines and colon in numbers 10 times greater than the total number of cells in the body itself - over 10 billion per gram of stool. One half the dry weight of stools is microorganisms. This population of organisms is being increasingly found to have profound effects on health. There is a delicate balance, however, between those organisms which contribute to health in assisting digestion, synthesizing nutrients, and inhibiting cancer-causing biochemicals, for example - and those which can cause disease. Beneficial (probiotic) organisms in the diet can help rebalance the digestive tract. Wysong Pet Inoculant is an orally dosed concentration of probiotic cultures and immunoglobulins. The probiotic cultures have been selected for their specific health enhancing activity in pets as well as for their competitive inhibition of pathogenic E. coli bacteria. Each cc contains 200 million CFU of four bacterial species. Additionally, Pet Inoculant contains fractions from cow first milk which is rich in colostrum antibodies. Pet Inoculant is designed to be used at birth, weaning, in conjunction with antibiotic therapy, and during any stressful condition. The no mess pump dispenser delivers a 1cc dose per squeeze.

INGREDIENTS:
Cold Pressed High Oleic Safflower Oil, Cold Pressed Flax Seed Oil, Dried Whey Product, Dried Lactobacillus Lactis Fermenation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium bifidum Fermenation Product, Dried Streptococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Wysong Oxherphol (A Natural Antioxidant Consisting of Vitamin E Tocopherois and Botanical Extracts of Cloves, Sage and Rosemany)

I cannot impress upon you enough the importance of using this on your newborn puppies to establish intestinal flora and fight E. coli bacteria and the potential for fading puppies or herpes virus. The product is a liquid probiotic and enzyme in a pump container. Instructions come with this product. No breeder should be without this product. I use Pet Inoculant for the first 3 weeks on a daily basis, then when they are weaned, you can switch to 4 in 1 Daily by First Choice Naturals or BakPakPlus, both are excellent probotic/digestive enzyme products to be used daily.

For information or problems with tube feeding, bottle feeding amounts and formula’s to supplement the puppies, there are charts, illustrations and amounts in the Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook.

Introduction to Weaning

First read the chapter on weaning a litter (Home Owners Veterinary Handbook) and start the worming process - see your vet for product and setting up a worming schedule. We worm at 3 & 6 weeks of age and again at 9-10 weeks after cropping if necessary. We crop at 7 weeks of age when they are in the 15 - 20 lb range so it is important they are free of worms before surgery. (See Cropping Article) for tapping ears and after care (see Photos and Instructions for taping).

Weaning Formula

When the puppies reach about 3.5 weeks of age, their “lapping” reflex kicks in, you can start to present them with solid foods. How we do this is take Eagle Natural Pack or Eagle Large/Giant Breed Puppy food (kibble) and run it through the food processor to get a powder.

Do not microwave or soak food, it destroys the integrity of the vitamins/minerals and probiotics on the food. Mix the powder with tepid temperature distilled, boiled or spring water, not milk. ..........Why not milk? .....Because the least amount of diet changes the better, so you don’t end up with loose stools and lost weight. In the powder add BakPakPlus (probiotics/digestive enzymes) and the Granular Nzymes product which is so critical in helping prevent vaccine reaction (see Vaccine Reaction Prevention) and Blackwatch Vaccine Schedule.

I take the weight of the total litter and dose Nzymes and BakPakPlus accordingling. Example: If your litter is a total of 30 lbs at 4 weeks of age - add the recommended amount for 30lbs and mix into your gruel and serve 1 - 2 times a day out of the normal 4 day feedings at this age.. Once you start to separate the puppies off and feed separately, you can dose separately.

You can purchase these two supplements at www.nzymes.com

Since these two supplements are heat sensitive, make sure use tepid temperature water - this is the same temp that you get when you test the liquid in baby bottle on your wrist.

You want a pudding like consistency on the kibble/water mixture and let it set a few minutes to thicken, then adjust the amount of water or powder at that time. You do not want it so stiff they get it stuck in their throat, and so thin it runs right through them. We do not start with baby cereal like some breeders because, once again, we have found that the least amount of changes they go through the less problems we have will loose stools. In the beginning of the weaning process the puppies are still getting nourishment from mom, so we feed them this gruel two times a day for a week then increase it to 3 times a day as mom feeds them less and less, working up to 4 times a day this mixture.

Always make sure there is water present once you start weaning them and encourage them to drink it after they eat. They are not drawn to water because it does not taste like "food" so you may have to add a little whole milk to it just so they are encouraged to drink it. After eating, clean puppies with a warm damp wash rag and towel dry them- ugh it is a mess.

At 5-6 weeks of age you can start to introduce a balanced quality canned dog food, just to start giving them some variety of flavors (Eagle Pack Holistic meats). My preference is canned simply because it is balanced in the calcium and phosphorus ratio and will not cause growth problems. How much? Since you are still feeding in a group, I use 1-2 teaspoons per puppy in the gruel.

This is also the age you can start to offer little bits of berries, applesauce, melon, cooked veggies. Baby food works great for this introduction, plus eating off of a spoon is very helpful as they develop, you can hide medication in anything and they will take it.

At 6 weeks of age, we start to separate them for eating purposes as well as crate rest. This is in preparation for cropping time. This is when early crate training starts and preparation for them learning they can sleep alone in a crate. I get each puppy their own stuffed toy and make sure my smell is all over it so they feel comfortable cuddling up to something. I also keep soothing music on for them as well, to calm them - I always want the crate to be a safe place.

Leaving the Nest

We do not let our puppy go to homes until they are 10 weeks of age, due to training and cropping/healing, but natural earred puppies can go by 8 weeks, so it is important they understand about a leash and sleeping in a crate without throwing a fit. That is why this training at 6 weeks is very important - as well as handling and socialization.

All our puppies are trained to be handled on a grooming table, from a very early age so at 6 weeks they understand and hold pretty still while we fuss with them, check teeth, ears and trim nails. It is safe to say, the bulk of your training is done before 12 weeks of age and if you put this time into them they will be no problem for their new owners, as well as they are half way to show training by 12 weeks. Most people wait far too long to start handling their puppies and it is too stressful on them at a later time. We always make it a fun experience so they are not frightened on the table or while being handled.

When your puppy is ready to go to their new home 8 weeks or older, you can put them on the Blackwatch Puppy Feed Program for Large/Giant Breeds and this includes Guidelines for care.

For small and med breeds you can use the Blackwatch Puppy Feed Program for Small/Med Breeds.

I hope this section is helpful and your litter is a whopping success!

Flexicose- Joint Supplementation - 10 weeks of age

If you are looking for a high quality glucosamine joint support product, Flexicose is the one I have used for some time. I find it an excellent and affordable product and they ship overseas too - Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom - more added daily so check with the company to see if they ship to your country.

I have used it with great success on my dogs and my elderly dogs respond well to joint nutritional supplementation. The amount of glucosamine in better dog foods is minimal, helpful nonetheless, but minimal, so a good joint supplement is ideal especially for any age or breed. I start my dogs during growth stages and continue throughout their adult life. With the large/giant breeds their joints have added stressed, so any thing that can help support them as they age is a positive thing in my opinion.

Growth Patterns - if you have written me specifically about uneven growth patterns additional MSM is helpful and the source I recommend is the Vita-Flex MSM - the best price is through First Choice Naturals at 800-937-1104