🐶 Puppy
Also known as: puppy, pup, puppies, dog pup, young dog
A puppy is a young dog: born with its eyes shut, it drinks colostrum first and begins moving on to solid food at 3 to 4 weeks.
A puppy is a young dog. It is born with its eyes shut and starts looking for a teat almost at once. The first milk, colostrum, carries the mother's antibodies. A puppy should get them in the first 16 hours, and absorption works best about eight hours after birth. After that the bitch keeps feeding the litter until the puppies are ready for solid food.
In the first two weeks a puppy sleeps or eats almost all the time and gains 5 to 10% of its weight a day. The eyes open somewhere between 7 and 14 days. If they are still closed by day 14, see a vet. Weaning begins at three to four weeks, first with a gruel of milk replacer and soaked puppy food, and by four to six weeks the puppy eats dry or canned food.
Bitch's milk is rich: about 132 g of fat per litre, and protein of up to 143 g per litre at first. With more than five puppies in a litter the milk may run short, and the puppies are given supplementary feeds.
Compare it with a foal, which is on its feet and suckling within two to three hours, while a puppy stays blind for days. A joey grows inside a pouch, and a moose calf starts on solid food within days. An orphan puppy gets a commercial puppy milk replacer. Vets advise against goat's milk, which is far too low in protein and fat.
Facts
| Animal | Domestic dog (a young dog); larger litters may need supplementary feeding 1 |
|---|---|
| Duration | Eyes open at 7–14 days; weaning begins at 3–4 weeks 1 |
| Nutrition | Bitch's milk: fat about 132 g/L, protein 82–143 g/L depending on the day 2 |
| Main use | Colostrum: antibodies needed within the first 16 hours; 10–20% of IgG crosses the placenta 2 |
| Temperature | Puppy milk replacer: warm to 35–37.8 °C 1 |
How it connects to milk
Links
- Fed with milk by
- 🐕 Dog
- Part of
- 🤱 Who drinks milk: young animals and feeding
Frequently asked questions
When do puppies open their eyes?
Most open them within 7 to 14 days. If they are still closed at 14 days, or there is swelling or discharge, a vet should look.
How soon must a puppy get colostrum?
In the first 16 hours is the target. Absorption is best about eight hours after birth and is mostly finished by 16 to 24 hours.
When does weaning start for puppies?
At three to four weeks, with a gruel of milk replacer and soaked puppy food. By four to six weeks most eat dry or canned food.
What should I feed an orphan puppy?
A commercial puppy milk replacer, warmed to 35–37.8 °C, every three to four hours in the first two weeks.
Is it true that goat's milk is fine for puppies?
No. It is far too low in protein and fat for them. Use a puppy milk replacer and ask your vet before trying any other milk.
Similar
🍼 Goat kid · 🍼 Lamb · 🍼 Buffalo calf · 🍼 Foal · 🍼 Donkey foal · 🍼 Reindeer calf
Sources
- VCA Animal Hospitals. Raising Puppies
- Rossi L. et al. Nutritional and Functional Properties of Colostrum in Puppies and Kittens. Animals 11(11):3260, 2021