# feeding 6 week old pup



## dollhouse (Sep 20, 2005)

okies i just want to ask about feeding my puppy. My blue is only 6 weeks old. the lady i got her from told me to feed her every 3 hours with the milk replacement mixed with dog food (mushy).. i asked her how much food should i feed her and she didnt really gave me a exact answer. she just said to go ahead and make a whole bunch and give the extra for later on so it be easy for me to feed puppy. But i feel like my pup grew overnight . My kilo is 2 years old already and i think shes a little big for a chihuahua she weighs about 7 lbs now. But both the parents of my new puppy are really tiny and looks like they weigh about 4 lbs soo i really dont want to get my new puppy that big as kilo. Am i over feeding my new pup or how often am i really supposed to feed my pup? when i got kilo the breeder told me to just feed her twice a day.. soo i dunno ,, i also thought that i got my puppy way too early cuz i got her at 5 weeks old. I not complaining about it cuz she seems very healthy soo far.


----------



## Sidech (Apr 3, 2006)

How much does he weigh? You should be able to find out how much to feed if you know his weight. The weight of the puppy has nothing to do with the weight of his parents. It has to do with the gene he got from them and this gene can give any combination, it doesn't matter how big they are. If I were you, I would free feed him, see how much he eats in one time, and set this amount as his quantity, then adjust as he gets older (at this age, it needs to be adjusted every week). I doubt a six week old puppy can be overweight. As he mature, just make sure you can always feel the bones (not too much though, you know what I mean) through the skin by touching his side, but not see them just by looking. Good luck!


----------



## foxywench (Feb 7, 2005)

you did get her WAY tooo early (she should still be with her littermates) but whats done is done.
by this age you need to start weaning her onto solid foods, instead of feeding the milk replacement mush id now start moving her onto a good quality wet dog food (no milk) any non chunky dog food is good i used natures balance wet to wean our pups.
the feeding guide should be on the package, i dont know off the top of my hand, but generally you want to start with a lil milk replacer and wean completly off the milk replacer over the first 2-3 days. feed just the wet for a week or so then start offering dry kibble in a seperate bowl ALL the time and the wetfood 3-4 times a day. the goal by 8 weeks wean her off the wet food and onto dry. she should be off the milk by this point anyway, my pups were on only dry by 6 weeks old but you dont want to switch her too quickly as shell be sensitive


----------



## Katie (Apr 9, 2005)

I'm not sure about amounts for a puppy so young but I do know that the amount you feed won't effect how big she ends up. Kilo isn't overweight and weighs 7lbs which isn't big at all. Blue could end up weighing 7lbs reguardless of much she is fed. I would definitely leave dry food out for her 24/7 though. I would consult the vet to get another opinion on feeding instructions :wave:


----------



## mad dog woman (Oct 29, 2006)

5 weeks is really too young but you've got her now. Don't want to tread on any toes here so here is what I would do if she was mine. She needs at least 4 feeds a day maybe even 5. You can start cutting the milk down by making it a weaker and weaker solution but don't do it too quickly or she might go off her food all together. If she is still having a small amount of milk at 9 to 10 weeks its no problem but make sure it is good quality puppy milk or goats milk not cows milk. personally I would give her a wet mix either wet food or dry food soaked you must watch out for cystitis in small dogs. Give her about a desert spoonful in each meal if she eats it all quickly then up the dose each pup is different and she will let you jnow how much she needs. You are very brave taking on a puppy at such a young age we would never let our puppies go that early not even to another breeder. Take her to the vets and get her checked over and gets some wormers if she is podgy she could be full of worms. But when thats done enjoy her she will be a little darling don't worry about her size because if you have seen both parents thats about the size she will be. good luck and give her a great big hug from me. x x PS I cant recommend a puppy food because we have different feeds over in the UK and also different foods suit different dogs but maybe ask your vet what food he recommends or look on some feeding threads on here but most of all make sure it is good quality puppy food, x x


----------



## Lin (Jun 7, 2006)

We got Ernie at six weeks and he was already weaned to wet/dry mix, and very shortly to all dry. He's 6 1/2 months and he is a thriving bundle of energy!


----------



## tlspiegel (Jan 22, 2006)

I got Chico at 'almost' 6 weeks and he was on a mix of dry kibble w/water. He ate like a piggy - after about a week I had weaned him onto all dry puppy kibble. Take a stool sample into the vet asap. Have them check for worms. 

Chico was extremely tiny (scary tiny) until he was about 5 months... way small and the parents (I was told) were very small also. I never saw the parents. I rescued him from a BYB. 

He was always full of energy and healthy as could be, had a good temperament, loved people and other dogs. The vet wouldn't neuter him until he was slightly over 6 months because he was too tiny. He started putting on weight shortly after and ended up at 7.14 - 8.2 lbs. Love your puppy a lot, be sure to socialize him a lot because he is very young and needs his littermates - but if you do it right he'll end up just terrific. 

Prince my first Poodle I also got at 'almost' 6 weeks... and he was great too. I realize that is way too young, but sometimes circumstances don't allow the puppy to remain with parents and littermates. 

Good Luck to you!


----------

