How do I feed a 5-week-old Shih Tzu puppy without its mother's milk?

Barbi is too young to be separated from her mother at three weeks of age, and if she is and orphan or was rejected by her mother, she should still be feed with puppy formula. I recommend feeding her KMR via a bottle four times a days. Each day, she will need at least 25-35 milliliters of formula for every 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of body weight. Divide this number by four to get the amount she should be eating at each feeding. When she is four weeks old, she can start to be weaned onto a puppy mush. I would soak a high quality puppy formulated dry food in water water until soft. Then mix that with puppy formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry puppy food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until she is eating the dry puppy food only.

Please do not give Benji regular milk, it causes GI upset in dogs and should never be given to them. He may not be hungry, but if he's around four weeks of age, he can start being weaned onto puppy food. To help him wean and to get used to dry food, I would soak a high quality puppy formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with his puppy formula to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry puppy food and decrease the amount of water and puppy formula you use until he is eating the dry puppy food only. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At this stage you can try to feed him puppy food. You can water it down to make it softer or just feed him the wet kind. If he is not wanting to eat that yet, you may have to start him on a milk replacer until he is a bit older (perhaps a few more weeks) and try solid food again at that stage. Have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While not ideal, this can be done. The pups would have to be fed a milk replacement formula (which you can buy at your local pet store or online) until they are about 6 to 8 weeks at which time they can be introduced to kibble or canned food. Good luck and have a great day!

Congrats on your new puppy. I would first reference your puppy food, since every food has a different kcal/kibble ratio that will change how much you should feed her. However, on average you will feed a puppy 3 times a day and for a small breed dog it will be around 1/8-1/4 cup each feeding. Adjust your amount based on her specific needs and also the guidelines on the bag. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=5985068 Once she is 6-8 months of age you can reduce her feedings to twice daily instead of 3 times daily due to reduced calorie requirements as she matures into an adolescent. Best wishes with your new puppy and don't forget to go ahead and get her started on her puppy vaccines as well. 8 weeks is when we start the series in all breeds. Take care!

At this point mom has generally begun to wean her puppies. Offer water, regular dry kibble, kibble soaked in warm water and canned food. This does need to be a large breed puppy formula for the food. There’s a brand that makes a food specific for weaning puppies called Royal Canin and I recommend to pick some up at the pet store or online. You may need to smear some of the food on the puppy’s mouth so that it gets the idea. Also allow him to see mom eating so that he has the desire to copy her. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Congrats on your new puppy, Honey is very cute! No, it is not right to feed her milk, especially cow's milk. Dairy productions should never be fed to dogs due to GI upset, and milk alone is not a balanced diet for a puppy. It will not be providing her with the nutrients she needs to grow properly. Puppies need higher amounts of protein, calories, and calcium than adult dogs, and a puppy formulated food will give that to her. It may be that she isn't used to puppy food yet, and I can give you a method to try to get her used to puppy food. To help her get used to puppy food, I would soak a high quality puppy formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with puppy formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry puppy food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until she is eating the dry puppy food only.