We regularly add new pet health videos you don’t want to miss! Now let’s talk dog weaning. Lisa, when is the best time to start weaning puppies? LISA: It helps to start offering water at three to four weeks in a heavy shallow dish, like a pie plate. Then start a weaning diet. Weaning starts when a puppy starts eating solid food or gruel. At some point in a puppy’s nursing life, milk alone will not cut it anymore and the puppy will begin to need more calories for growth. You may notice the puppy starting to try mom’s food and that is a good sign that it is time to start weaning. This process of when to wean puppies starts at different times and lasts several weeks. SHELLEY: So weaning typically starts around three weeks of age correct? LISA: Right, but it’s good to note, in small breeds weaning usually starts around five to six weeks and in giant breeds usually start weaning little earlier at about three and a half weeks.
SHELLEY: Weaning is stressful for puppies. What should you look for to tell if a puppy is stressed due to weaning? LISA: Diarrhea and lack of weight gain are the two biggest signs of stress. During weaning, digestive upset can happen and the stress of weaning can lower immune function. That means diarrhea. SHELLEY: If your weaning puppies have diarrhea, what can you do to help? LISA: I suggest mixing Doc Roy's GI Synbiotics Granules into the puppy gruel to support a healthy transition so they don’t get diarrhea during this time.
GI Synbiotics is a probiotic and prebiotic that works great for dogs of all ages. In addition, Kaolin Pectin works well in this situation as well. SHELLEY: But it’s important to note, diarrhea during weaning doesn’t necessarily mean it’s because of the diet change? LISA: That’s right. Worms in the gut can also lead to diarrhea so deworming should be done at this same time as well. SHELLEY: Good advice. Now, what about weight gain. Puppies should continue to gain weight during weaning. LISA: That’s right. When weaning, watch for the puppy that does not do well off mom.
One option is to wean most of the litter but leave mom with two puppies for one extra week if needed. That is okay and desirable if one of the puppies is slow to transition to solid food. Giving Breeders' Edge Wean Help once a day for seven days will help puppies make the transition to solid food. Puppies with issues and small breeds should get Wean Help twice a day to encourage moving to solid food. If you notice a puppy not gaining weight during weaning, see your vet or give us a call for help. SHELLEY: Now let’s talk making gruel or as some people call it puppy mush. What is a good puppy gruel recipe? LISA: I suggest starting with a mixture of warm water, milk replacers such as Breeders’ Edge Foster Care, rice baby cereal and baby chicken food.
Also, Royal Canine Starter Mousse works well. You’ll want to make a thin liquid when you start as they will want to drink more than eat. As they begin to know what it is, you can thicken it and add soaked puppy food to the mix. After a week, eliminate the rice cereal and go full puppy food, warm water, and milk replacer. SHELLEY: So what is the best way to go about feeding the gruel for the first time? LISA: When it comes time to feed the gruel, put it in a flat heavy shallow pan and lock mom out. The puppies will get messy the first few times and that’s okay! Think of a toddler learning to eat. It’s pretty much the same thing! SHELLEY: That is a mess! LISA: Yep, for sure! When they are done, let mom back in and she will clean them up by licking them.
Puppies think they are getting cleaned up because "mom likes me best" and mom likes the gruel so it's a win-win. You’ll want to slowly increase the gruel twice a day. This will back them off their dependence on mom's milk. Usually, mom is removed during the day and placed back with puppies at night. Limiting access to mom makes puppies move to gruel and away from milk. SHELLEY: Now before we talk about mom and her milk supply during weaning, if you are finding this video helpful, click the like button below or type the phrase “puppy weaning win” in the comments below.
Okay, now let’s talk about mom. You get asked a lot, what can you expect from her during weaning? Will her milk just dry up? LISA: During weaning, watch mom closely. At this point, we want her to shrink her mammary gland up to her body, except for her prominent nipples. We want no sign that she raised and weaned a litter. Glands that won't stop producing become painful and can develop mastitis. To help reduce the risk of her developing mastitis, give her probiotics and cut her food and water in half for a few days. There are also some prescriptions available that can help stop milk production. It’s best to talk to your vet to see if this is the best option for your dog.
SHELLEY: What about any other at home remedies for drying up milk? LISA: There are a few homeopathic treatments you can try. Applying witch hazel as a lotion or cabbage leaves help as natural treatment options. In addition, a topical mustard plaster is an old remedy used in humans for drying up milk and it works well in dogs too. SHELLEY: Right, and we put a link below to the article How to Dry up a Dog’s Milk. In that article, you can find the recipe for creating that topical mustard plaster that Lisa mentioned. Now, what about mom’s diet during this time. Can that play a role in drying up her milk supply? LISA: Absolutely it can. If a few days before removing the puppies, you notice she has several mammary glands that are still hanging down, that indicates she did not dry up well. To help correct this, give her a lower calorie maintenance food for a few days before removing the puppies. This helps back off milk production. For a heavy milking mom, we may have to remove food for 24 hours when the puppies are removed to back off milking.
The back pressure from not nursing will stop milk production totally and her glands will shrink. SHELLEY: And you want to be sure she is trying to dry up before you remove puppies. LISA: Exactly. SHELLEY: Thank you for these great weaning tips, Lisa! If you’ve found this advice helpful, make sure to share this video with a friend who you think could benefit. And if you have questions or other weaning tips, comment below to share with the Revival community! Remember we all want a puppy weaning to win! I’m Shelley with the Revival education team. This is Lisa, a Revival Pet Care Pro.
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