Puppy's Fifth Week
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This week has some more changes in the routine. I begin adding ground up puppy chow to the pablum and meat. If you don't have a grinder to do this, then soak the next day's amount of puppy chow in water the night before and add this mushy puppy food to your previous mixture. Do not add too much chow too quickly or the pups will get diarrhea. Select a brand of chow that has a tiny kibble, rather than a large kibble, and one that is designed for growing puppies. I give about 1 teaspoon of wet chow at the most, with about 3 teaspoons of dry pablum (pre-mixed with water), and the marble size of meat all mixed to-gether with added water to give a moist mixture. This amount is based on my size of puppies, who are about 3 1/2 lbs. at this time in their life You will have to gauge the amount based on your pups' weight. As you increase the chow amount this week, decrease the pablum amount. Make sure you have fresh water available all the time for the puppies. There are heavy ceramic bowls in the pet stores, or a corning ware casserole will work too. Pups at this age have a tendency to drag things around, and if the water bowl is lightweight plastic, it may get 'dumped' regularly. There is a lot more play fighting and growling this week. The 'pecking order' is still being decided, and you'll notice who's the bully, who's sweet and who's shy. The dam likes to check them about 4 times a day, and at this age, I usually let her sleep away from them if she wants to. She is still nursing them when she visits them. She may regurgitate ( barf up) her last meal for them to eat when she visits them. Don't be disgusted by this! It is normal instinctive behaviour. She knows that puppy guts are not ready for regular food, so she brings them partially digested food. As the puppy food amount increases, so does the size and number of the bowel movements, so there's a lot of cleaning up ahead of you. About the middle of this week is a good time to take these puppies outside for the first time with their dam. Ten minutes of this strenuous play and running is about all they can handle. If it's winter, cold and snowy, about five minutes is plenty. If the weather is warm, make sure you have a bowl of water outside for them. They'll fall asleep after this outdoor playtime. I like to get them outside at least once a day through this week. Don't forget to cut their nails!! |
Copyright 
2001 Marilyn Brotherton
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Disclaimer: The information, techniques and methods described in this web site are based on my experiences over many years.They may not be suitable for you.Nothing that I have written or demonstrated is intended as a substitute for professional advice from your own qualified Veterinarian. I assume no responsibility or liability of any kind regarding the use and application of any of the advice provided or methods and techniques depicted on this web site.