Your puppy is three weeks old now.
Food
Pups are currently eating Purina One Lamb and Rice.
Some of you may ask why Purina? I like Purina products. Purina has a long history of high quality foods with very few recalls and they typically offer a great product. The dogs also do really well on them.
I switched Trouble’s food to Purina one Lamb and Rice early on during her first litter at my house. I had a bag waiting on the steps in my garage and Trouble just stood there staring at it and then me as if she was saying this is the food I want. Prior to switching foods, it was a struggle to get her to eat anything.
general food information
I don’t think puppies need “more” to grow correctly (looking to wild dogs, puppies get the leftovers after the pack is finished, they get the junk food from the carcass), I am not a big fan of puppy food unless it is specifically for giant breeds puppies.
I like a food that is slightly lower in protein and fat. I have fed foods up to about 30% protein and that is fine, but each litter grows differently, each pup grows differently, I will give you the info of what these guys are eating before they go home and send a small bag of food with you when you pickup or have it delivered to your house if you are having your pup delivered or shipped.
Puppies typically like lamb flavor quite well. It has a stronger taste (supposedly, I haven’t tried it) which makes it more enticing to pups. If you choose to switch foods, wait to do this after they have fully settled into your home. I’ll be sending you a bag of food that your puppy is eating, that way you’ll have the correct food on hand for when your pup gets home.
I want you to keep the pup on the food I’m sending you home with for a full month, then if you want to switch, do it slowly. Slowly means, mix the food to the following ratio, 75% old food/25% new food, for AT LEAST a week. Then mix it at a 50/50% ratio for at least a week. hen go 25% old food/75% new food for at least a week. Then go all new food.
Every dog is different (you’ll hear me say that a lot through your dogs life), so some will do fine with that week transition, others won’t, some will need more time. You’ll notice if they need more time by their stools getting looser (softer). You want the stool to remain at the consistency it was prior to the mix. If it starts to soften too much, back off a bit on the % of mix and let them stabilize, then slowly mix again and take it slower than you did.
You might ask why I want them kept on the food their eating. Pups leaving home is a very stressful transitional period in their lives, no matter if they would be going 5 minutes down the road or half way around the world. They have left mom, siblings and me, they don’t know their yard or home. Everything has changed. So by keeping them on their food, at least one thing in their lives is still okay and the same for them. It takes time for them to settle in, so don’t rush switching the food.
Supplements
I feel strongly about supplementing your dogs, I don’t feel there is any food out there that is 100% perfect for the dogs. Thus giving them a good daily supplement is important. Once the pups start to eat, they’ll be getting NuVet Plus and in time you’ll add, NuJoint Plus.
nuvet plus
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nujoint plus
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The pups will be on NuVet here. When they arrive home to you, I want you to give a half tab for the first two months, then bump up to the full dose of a full tab. The reason I say a 1/2 to start is I am giving them NuVet in the form of powder vs the tabs and I will be feeding the pups as a group, so it is hard for me to say exactly how much they are getting each, so I would rather you start at the 1/2 dose and then work up to giving them the full dose.
NuJoint Plus – I want you to wait to give them this until they are 4-5 months old, but order it now, so you have it on hand. Then again, start with a 1/2 a tab and work up to the full tab.
With both the NuVet and the NuJoint, read the bottle dosing for when they go over 100#.
The NuJoint will be in addition to the NuVet, so you will be giving both to your dog.
I will be sending out a couple of emails about the supplement. You can order NuVet directly from them by calling them at 800-474-7044 You will need my breeder referral # to order. It is #81392 Please order yours well in advance of the puppy coming home.