When to Feed Newborn Puppies

Colostrum

• A newborn puppy will need his mother's colostrum to receive important antibodies that will protect him from sicknesses. Colostrum is available only in the first 24 hours after a puppy is born, so it is vital that a puppy nurses from his mother immediately. If a puppy is unable to nurse from his mother in that first day due to abandonment or maternal death, feed your newborn a special puppy formula containing colostrum. This formula will not give him the specialized immunity his mother would through her milk, but it will help protect him.

Mother's Milk

• A mother's milk is the best possible food for a newborn puppy. Even after the colostrum is gone, a mother's milk gives her puppy antibodies and nutrients that benefit the puppy's growth and health. While a puppy's nursing gradually lessens week to week, the puppy should be allowed to nurse for at least the first six weeks of her life.

First Foods

• Around three or four weeks of age, a puppy should become interested in foods other than his mother's milk. The foods you introduce should be high in protein to help your puppy grow. If the mother is inclined to eat all the food, you can wait until the puppy is being active to take him away from his mother briefly. Give him a shallow dish of quality canned food with added water or formula; a quality dry food mixed with formula; or homemade food such as rice, ground meat and soft vegetables. He may end up wearing more of it than he eats, but given time, he will begin to eat solid foods in addition to playing in them. As he gets used to eating, you can reduce the amount of added liquid until he is eating dry foods. A puppy will usually be able to handle kibble at seven to eight weeks.