In this brief guide, we will address the query, “When do puppies start eating food?” We will also discuss food that should be given to weaning puppies. Moreover, we will also talk about giving solid food to puppies and how many times a puppy should be fed per day.
When do puppies start eating food?
Puppies start eating food when their teeth start growing and this start at the age of 3-4 weeks. They are in the translation phase of building their body, bones, and teeth due to which puppies feeding on solid food is important because they aren’t able to get all the calories they needed from mother’s milk alone.
At the beginning of this weaning process, puppies are unable to eat dry food so special arrangements should be made for easy consumption. During this 3-4 weeks period, puppies need additional nutrition for their body, so nutritious food should be given but not in solid form.
Therefore, you should slurry food by adding milk substitutes and water to it, and you should gradually add more dry food to the diet each week to help the animals get used to it. During the weaning period, puppies need enough nutritious food for growth and development but they cannot digest too much food.
This is why you should take care of food limitations for the first few weeks of feeding. Not every food on the market is healthy, so choose the best food for your dog that complies with nutritional requirements. Avoid feeding your dog corn and other grains because they can upset their stomachs and trigger allergies.
What food should be given to weaning puppies?
The weaning puppies are in the translation phase of gaining weight, building bones, teeth, and many more transformations so they need complete and proper nutritious food. There are many commercial foods you can collect from groceries stores but get one best for your breed certified by AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials).
Puppies should only be given gruel dry puppy food mixed with milk replacer or water because they are not used to eating dry foods and they may also affect digestion, When you start the weaning process, only 10% of the puppies’ diets should be solid; by weeks 7-8, that percentage should gradually rise week after week until their diet is entirely composed of solid foods.
How much should I feed my puppy in a day?
After puppies start eating food they should be fed three times a day. Puppies are in the rapid translation phase of building their body, bones, and teeth due to which proper calorie food is essential. Until 3 months they should be provided with proper supplements because they aren’t able to get all the calories they needed from mother’s milk.
Nowadays, puppy food available on the market has proper feeding charts labeled based on their age and weight which you can follow for your puppy. After you estimate the amount of food essential for your puppy divide it into three small meals and give them at a regular interval of time. For details on the daily nutritional requirement for dogs, please click the link here.
When to start giving solid food to puppies?
When your puppies reached 90% of their expected weight that is basically after 9-12 months, you should shift towards adult dog food. The calories found in adult dog food are much less than the calories found in puppy food. After they reached their maturity they don’t need food for growth so quality dog treats should be given for their body maintenance.
During their growing periods they should be fed thrice a day for proper growth but when they matured feeding twice a day is enough. Proper essential amounts of food should be given to them regularly based on their weight if not they may be subject to various health issues.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we have addressed the query, “When do puppies start eating food?”. We have also discussed food that should be given to weaning puppies. Moreover, we have also talked about giving solid food to puppies and how many times a puppy should be fed per day.
Citations
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/puppy-food-types
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/puppy-raising#:~:text=%22At%20four%20weeks%2C%
