Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My yearling dog just had two puppies last night and I need some tips for the mother, ie., diet, do's and don't's with the pups, and more.

This is her first time giving birth. The pups are beautiful, black and white, but I can't keep them. When are puppies old enough to be weened?

First of all Mom is going to need a lot more food (maybe 3 to 4 times as much) while she is feeding those puppies. Chilling is a major hazard for newborn puppies (you can use hot water bottles or heating pads set on low, covered with towels between the pad & the pups to keep them warm). You can begin weaning around 3 weeks of age with baby rice cereal & formula for puppies or any high quality canned food or moistened dry food. By the time they are 5 to 7 weeks old they can be completely weaned if they are eating well but do this gradually. But let them stay with Mom until at least 8 weeks old if they are a medium to large breed or longer if they are a toy breed (11 to 12 weeks). They learn important lessons from Mom and their sibling during this time. Good luck with them!
staffordmom

Thanks for the info. It helped.