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Can anyone think of a reason why orphaned puppies can't be weaned early?
I am raising an orphaned pit/bulldog puppy from a few hrs old- no colostrum because mother didn't make any milk (glands were empty) and did not care for the pups. The pup was started on milk replacer and on day 17, moved to milk replacer and puppy canned food mixed together. She LOVES canned food. Today, at work, I ran out of milk for her second feeding and just gave her warmed canned food, which she mowed down. (21 days of age). No diarrhea, just extra amounts of normal poop. Pees and poops on her own on pee pads, which she will search out for before going (well, search 15 seconds, which is I think the limit possible right now). Calorie wise, I can make it the same as milk replacer with a nutrient dense food, so nutritionally, calories is not an issue.
Anyone have actual research/reasons somewhere stating that they can't be fully weaned at 3 weeks, or any age, when they prefer canned food? I tried searching, but couldn't come up with anything other than the social aspect of weaning from the mamma, and I don't have that issue.
(On a side note, she has 4 littermates that survived that others are taking care of. They won't even touch canned food yet. Mine will eat anything that slightly smells like food)
Thanks for the advice! You will be seeing other questions from me on single pup socialization. I have raised kittens, but not puppies before.
I just assumed people would understand that she was on milk replacer only on the first 17 days, as she did have to eat something :) . And we do puppy group play group with the litter mates one or two times a week, starting this week, since the major critical period of no colostrum is over, and continuing until they get adopted out. She lives with an adult dog that wants to play, but the pup is too small to interact well with an adult yet. Mainly the adult just licks the pup, and the pup growls at her. All the foster homes only can deal with two puppies at a time with full time jobs and time constraints. I originally had 2, but lost one to sepsis after the first 5 days.
3 Answers
- Julie D.Lv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
Forgive me if I'm not understanding something properly. If the pup was orphaned, how is it that it didn't start on milk replacer until day 17? Was there another b*tch that was a *wet nurse* until then? Since you've had it since it was just a few hours old, it HAD to be eating something. Anyway, most people start to wean their litters on *mush* when they're 3 1/2 to 4 weeks old, but if this puppy is doing fine with what you're doing, then it's doing fine. Of course, most puppies that are 4 weeks old are still with their Dam and she does allow them to still nurse several times per day. Obviously, this puppy isn't with it's Dam or with the other surviving littermates. Are you working with a rescue group? If so, even though I"ve never worked with one, can't these pups still get back together with each other until the time they're ready for their new homes at 8 weeks old, or isn't that an option? For the most part, you sound like you're doing OK with this pup or it wouldn't have survied this long. I'm still trying to figure out the 17 day thingy.
- ?Lv 78 years ago
If I understand you, the pup was on milk replacer until day 17.
Then on day 17 started on a mixture of milk replacer and canned food.
One of my dogs was raised on potatoes and gravy, and had some digestive problems throughout his adult life. Some of his litter mates (the ones that survived) had rickets. Neither myself nor my vet had ever seen a dog with rickets before then.
I don't see that you have any choice. You could have found a foster ***** but then you risk transferring disease to the new litter. The worst that can happen is that your dog may be sensitive to some foods as an adult.
Your biggest job will be socialising this pup - its essential that he gets at least 3 40 minute play sessions per week from 8 - 12 weeks. Then carry on until 16 weeks. Terriers have a very short window for socialising. Look for classes near you, preferably run by an animal behaviourist attached to a vet surgery.
- ?Lv 45 years ago
You shouldn't have a 4 week old puppy. It's not good for the puppy to be separated from its family so early. He's missing out on valuable socialization. I don't know that any reputable trainer will allow the pup in his/her class. With that being said, at 4 weeks, the puppy shouldn't be loose. You shouldn't have to tell him no. The only time he should be out of the crate is to go potty and eat. And folks even feed their puppies in the crate. By the dog being so young, I'm worried that the one moment you're distracted is the moment he gets into something that can hurt him. Good luck!
