The process known as weaning puppies is a crucial one for any young dog to go through. Weaning is the process by which a puppy begins to rely less and less upon its mother's milk and consequently to eat its own food. This is important for several reasons; as the puppy grows, the mother will no longer be able to support its body with an adequate amount of sustenance. Additionally, the puppy will be better able to get a wider mix of nutrients by eating its own food as opposed to gleaning off of the food that it's mother has eaten. Weaning puppies at home can be a challenging process, but it's an exciting time in a young dog's life and it is ultimately important that it be done properly.
Benefits of a Raw Puppy Food Diet
A raw food diet will give a number of advantages to your puppy. Raw milk products and meats are generally more full of nutrients than their pasteurized counterparts. Because the puppy requires every bit of nutrition that he can manage in order to grow properly and to begin to develop in a variety of important ways, it's crucial that he have as many nutrients in the foods that he eats as possible.
Beginning the Weaning
Begin weaning your puppy at around 4 weeks of ago or so. Beginning earlier can cause emotional and social problems as the young dog is separated out from his mother. When you first wean a litter of pups, do not plan to force the food on them at all. Mix raw, unpasteurized goat's milk in with a tablespoon or so of honey. Thicken up the mixture with a fiber based gruel of some kind (available at health food stores and pet supply stores as well) and bring the entire mixture to a very low temperature. It should be lukewarm, the same temperature as the milk that the puppies have been used to eating. Place the milk nearby to the litter and encourage them to drink.
Continuing Weaning
As the puppies become used to the alternative milk mixture, begin to add in human grade barley or other oats to the mixture. This should help to thicken it up. Continue to include the other ingredients and to warm the mixture slightly as you have been doing before. This will help to encourage the puppies to continue to eat it. About one half cup of this mixture per puppy is good for the next couple of weeks.
After about a month or 5 weeks of this, continue by adding in raw meat that is easily digested. This is to mimic the way that a mother dog would wean her puppies in the wild, where she would eat and partially digest food before vomiting it up for her pups.
By continuing to wean your puppies in this manner, you can provide them with the benefits of a raw food diet in a natural way.