Is 4 weeks too young for Shih Tzu puppies to leave their mom?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While not ideal, this can be ok as long as she is fed a milk replacer formula until she is about 6 to 8 weeks when she starts eating kibble or canned food. They usually can do ok by themselves. Good luck and have a great day!

At five weeks he is old enough to be weaned - I recommend using a complete puppy kibble to ensure he is receiving a fully balanced diet meeting all of his nutritional needs. You may need to soak it in a little warm water for the first few days until he gets used to it, or even to ad some boiled chicken and broth or eggs to tempt him. Discard any moistened food within 20mins if not eaten to try to prevent bowel upsets and diarrhoea. Be sure to keep him up to date with deworming medications also

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.

Ideally, they should stay with the mother and litter until at least 8 weeks of age. This can prevent behavioral issues as they get older. They can start weaning to solid foods beginning at about 4 weeks of age. If they can stay with the mother and litter while weaning, this would be best for them in the long run.

It depends on the puppies. Tiny breeds like Shih Tzus are prone to hypoglycemia, so make sure that they have food available or that you come home every 4 hours to give them a snack. 8 week old puppies shouldn't be expected to "hold it" longer than 3 or 4 hours, so they will need potty breaks if you do not want them urinating in the house. You should also consider crate training before you go back to work, so they have a safe place to stay while you are gone and won't be able to chew up things that could cause them harm.

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!

Hello. Puppies do best when they are adopted at 8-9 weeks of age. Take Candy ( yes, a very cute name ) to your vet within 3 days of arrival for a good health check-up & to be checked for intestinal parasites. Usually we start vaccinations at this age, with boosters at 12 & 16 weeks. Shi Tzus are very popular breeds, generally very healthy, but they do need regular grooming & brushing to prevent their coats from tangling. You should feed her the best quality puppy food you can afford for the first year of her life, spay her at 6 months if you do not plan to breed her & make sure she gets plenty of exercise. I hope you have many happy years together & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.