Young puppies feed on their mother’s milk until about 3 weeks. From this point, the diet can be gradually diversified. At the beginning it should be liquid or semi-liquid food given 3-5 times a day. It’s worth to ask the breeder about the way of feeding – radical change of diet is not advisable.
3 weeks of life – what the puppy should get to eat?
At the beginning, puppy’s diet should be gradually introduced to meat in crumbled or ground form. This can be lean beef or chicken. To this we can add egg yolk (soft boiled), mixed vegetables and white cheese can be used as a supplement. If you opt for ready-made food, it’s worth diluting it with meat broth. In the fourth week solid food can be introduced.
How many times a day to feed a puppy?
In the case of small puppies, we don’t have to worry about overfeeding. At this age, they can eat to their heart’s content. Over time, however, we should reduce the number of meals per day – at the point when it no longer feeds on its mother’s milk. We can use the following scheme (unless we got the guidelines from the breeder):
| Age of puppy | Number of meals per day |
| 5-6 weeks | 4 to 5 |
| Up to 5 months | 4 |
| From 5 months | 3 |
| From 9 months | 2 |
In the first phase of weaning, baby food and crushed vegetables can be added to the food. However, it is important to keep the right proportions. Up to 5 months, 75% of the food should be meat (or raw meat).
Puppies, due to their mobility, have a high energy requirement, but it’s also important to ensure that they get enough vitamins and minerals.
