Puppy Feeding Guide: How Much to Feed a Puppy & More

Feeding Puppies From Birth Through 4 Weeks of Age

The best puppy food for your puppy’s first month of life is their mother’s milk, which has the best balance of nutrients for a growing puppy.

Read more

Puppy Feeding Guide: How Much to Feed a Puppy#Puppies #puppylove #DogsofTwittter https://t.co/yGqWwwD9Hy

— feedguides.com (@feedguides) October 14, 2022

If you are raising puppies yourself without the mother, or you need to supplement puppies for another reason, a formula specifically made for puppies is the best option. (Don’t substitute a kitten or human formula.)

Puppies should be weighed daily. While a pup may not gain weight the first day (a healthy starting weight is different for each breed and can be determined by your veterinarian), there should be steady weight gains after that. If a puppy loses weight or fails to gain, contact your veterinarian.

How to Bottle Feed Puppies

Whenever possible, puppies should be nursed and raised by their mothers. There are times, however, when bottle feeding puppies becomes necessary (such as when a pup is orphaned). But bottle feeding the wrong thing, the wrong way, the wrong amount or on the wrong schedule can lead to illness or even death. Here is how to bottle feed puppies:

Milk replacers designed specifically for puppies is the best alternative to mother’s milk. You’ll also need several pet nurser bottles as well as a variety of nipples.

• Reconstitute powdered milk replacer per label instructions or use a premixed variety.
• Warm the bottle by placing it in a cup of hot water until the milk reaches body temperature.
• Test the nipple before every feeding to ensure that milk only drips from the opening.

Puppies are best fed in a belly-down position. Place the pup on your lap or on a towel on a table and insert the nipple into their mouth. Tip the bottle so that any air inside stays away from the nipple.

Continue feeding until the puppy’s suckling stops or slows dramatically. Put a finger against the puppy’s throat to feel if they are still swallowing.

Newborn puppies need to eat every 2 to 3 hours, but as long as they get four to five full-sized meals in the course of the day, nighttime feedings are generally not necessary.

A 2 to 4-week-old puppy feeding schedule should consist of feedings every 6 to 8 hours.

Young puppies must be stimulated to urinate and defecate. Wipe the area around the anus and penis or vulva with a warm, wet washcloth after every feeding.