Do not feed your puppy cow’s milk from the grocery store as this could cause diarrhea and/or sinus problems. Instead of this, you can give goat’s milk. [2] X Expert Source Elisabeth WeissProfessional Dog Trainer Expert Interview. 30 November 2021. It is also dangerous to feed a newborn puppy anything refrigerated or chilled because puppies have a hard time regulating their body temperature. Because of this, they need to be fed room temperature milk. Some high quality brands of canine milk replacer include Pet-Lac, Farnam, GNC Pets Ultra Mega Premium Milk Replacer, and All Star. Use a bottle designed for premature babies. These work for most newborn puppies. You can also use a small syringe (3ml) for small newborn puppies who seem to be struggling with the bottle.
Be careful not to mix more formula than your puppy can consume in a 24 hour period. Refrigerate any leftover formula for the next feeding. But remember to heat it up a bit before the next feeding. Don’t give your puppy cold formula.
Never feed a puppy when it is upright or upside down on its back like you might with a human baby.
How much a puppy should eat obviously depends on the weight, size, and breed of your dog. But a good rule of thumb is that your puppy should eat about 25-35 milliliters of formula for every 3. 5 ounces of body weight each day. Divide that number by the number of feedings per day and that will give you the correct amount of formula to provide at each feeding. After each feeding, wipe each puppy’s anus with damp cotton wool to encourage them to relieve themselves.
By the time your puppy is 7-8 weeks old it should be able to eat a diet comprised completely of solid, dry puppy food.
For the first week or so of the transition process, feel free to supplement bottle feedings. Try giving the puppy a bottle for every other meal, with very soggy, soft dry food during the other feedings. After the week is up, stop giving the puppy the bottle at all and just give it the dry food mixture. Once a puppy is 4-6 weeks old, they should be able to eat just four times each day.
You will also need to start introducing your puppy to a water dish so that it learns to drink the water at an early age. Do the same thing with the water bowl – put it in a shallow dish and gently stick your puppy’s chin in it.
You can try mixing in a little wet puppy food as well so that your puppy can become accustomed to this type of food too.
You may even have some difficulty encouraging the mother to leave her puppies briefly to go to the bathroom outside. However, it is still important that she do so.
Another sign that your puppy may need supplemental feeding is if it crying and restless all the time. Newborn puppies should generally be content and quiet. If they are making a lot of noise, it’s a good sign they aren’t getting enough to eat.
Be sure to feed the puppy formula that is room temperature. Cold formula can be dangerous for a puppy’s body temperature.
