puppy food?

[Jaren10]

my catahoula gyp recently had a litter and they are about to be 4wks old wednesday. the gyp seems like she is done with having them feed on her so i need to get them started on dogfood. ive tried soaking the dogfood i have (blue retriever high protien) and they will eat a little bit of it but not enough. can yall tell me what kind of puppy food yall use and any tricks or better ways to get them to eat it.

[KevinN]

If it's a big litter and the gyp doesn't seem to keep up (pups ribs showing) I start the pups off about 3 1/2-4 weeks mixing up some milk replacer...pouring that (almost boiling hot) over puppy food. Let it sit till it's soft and serve it up. They usually don't eat much the first few times...pretty common. I still have them on momma at this point. They really need the good stuff she can provide. Double/triple her feed if you have to...keep her fat and happy.

A few days of that and they are usually going at it pretty good. Then I'll just use boiling hot water over puppy food. The hotter it is the faster it soaks in...usually within 5-7 minutes your good. Do that for a few days to a week. I'll still have them on momma unless she is constantly getting on to them ( problem I was having)...then I'll just go ahead and pull them.

By 5 weeks I've got them on dry puppy food and they are eating it no problem.

Just beware...the faster you pull then off momma the faster they lose those good anti- bodies she provides.

[jimco]

I don't use Diamond feed but I do use Diamond Puppy feed when I have pups. For about 8 pups I feed about a quart and 1/2  of feed and I mix  up a quart of milk replacer and pour over the feed .  Keep them wormed every 2 weeks. Increase amount of feed as they grow.

[halfbreed]

yep diamond puppy I'm a big fan of it  . I start at 3 wks mixed with milk replacer  .

[Reuben]

I perfected the time it takes to feed...at least for "me", over the years...and they get exactly the same dog food as the grown dogs...

I soak enough now, at this feeding for the next feeding...the first week or 2 I use cow milk...usually takes about 3 or 4 gallons total...I add enough milk to totally saturate the dog food...by time the next feeding rolls around the dog food is soft...I dump the food in the metal feed pan and warm it on the stove on low heat with more milk added to make it a little soupy...I stir with my finger and mash it some...I use the finger to judge the exact temperature I want...I then feed the pups and repeat the process...this way the puppy food is always at the right consistency...this has been the best way for me that I worked out through the years...I like easy...I expose the pups to gun fire and gun powder at 5 weeks old when I call them out to feed...they learn that gunfire is good and they learn to come...I pet them up and talk to them...but I socialize them with an old sweaty T-shirt when they are 2.5 weeks...I make sure I wear it for a couple of days to totally get my scent on it and then I throw it in the dog box so they are on it (ME) 24-7...part of the puppy food routine...

[WayOutWest]

I had some bad experience with puppy food. Especially the hi budget hi protein puppy food. I have had puppy legs go crooked as all get out in a short time and my vet said get em off puppy food. They straightened over the next few weeks. I just talked to friends and they just had the same issue with Blue Buffalo puppy food. I use the same adult food as my adults now.

[Teag_D]

Any one use just good old fashioned lard? I use the regular dog food but when I know the dam took I start to add lard to her food and continue through weening. Pups get the same, dog food put in a bag and crushed up w a rubber mallet then soaked w warm water, add some lard. Lard melts so its evenly distributed. Cheap, easy, dogs / pups love it. Do the same basically in the winter to add a cpl lbs to the dogs.

[halfbreed]

   yes I use lard quite often when hunting in the winter months to boost the fat intake on the dogs just don't overdo it or you will wind up with a lot of gut fat which is of no use to an animal or human  .

[laurendaniel1995]

Ive had good luck with the blue retriever 27%. I was feeding all my pups the valu pak 24/20 and they were bad stunted and would not grow. talking about 3-4 month old puppies looking like they were 6-8 weeks old. tried the blue bag of retriever and they have shot up big time! I have not switched them back over to the 24/20 yet they are still on the blue bag and they are 4-6 months old and still shooting up. they were boney and thin on the 24/20 and were getting free choice. I will never feed it to puppies again

[halfbreed]

I tried the value- pak for my dogs when they were out of the caliber 24/20 it's junk . I have had no issues with the caliber and that is what I feed my grown dogs now . puppies need more protein than 24% that is why most puppy food is 30% or more , puppy food also contains more calcium as well as other minerals necessary for growth and development in quantity's not available in adult feed . you can skimp on price of feed when raising a litter but it shows down the road .

[Jaren10]

How about that purina puppy chow?

[KevinN]

I use to feed Diamond puppy but the last few years it's been straight Purina Puppy till they were 4-5 months. No issues.

[TChunter]

   yes I use lard quite often when hunting in the winter months to boost the fat intake on the dogs just don't overdo it or you will wind up with a lot of gut fat which is of no use to an animal or human  .

how much lard do you feed each dog?

[laurendaniel1995]

I tried the value- pak for my dogs when they were out of the caliber 24/20 it's junk . I have had no issues with the caliber and that is what I feed my grown dogs now . puppies need more protein than 24% that is why most puppy food is 30% or more , puppy food also contains more calcium as well as other minerals necessary for growth and development in quantity's not available in adult feed . you can skimp on price of feed when raising a litter but it shows down the road .

The valu-pak works for my dogs they get 2 cups a day and stay fat. I get it for $19.50 per 50 lb bag. I will not feed it to pups though. Some peoples dogs keep well on it and some dont.

[halfbreed]

 hunter usually just about a tablespoon per dog around every other day or so .

[Hunt the Grunt]

Not trying to Hijack the thread, but at what age do ya'll make the switch from puppy food to Adult dog food? My last litter of birddog crosses, I fed them puppy food until they were almost a year old. I now have a greyhound/pit and a bulldog puppy that are both 4 months old that I have already started feeding Sportsman's Pride adult dog food 26/18. I'm just wondering if switching to early will stunt their growth?

[Teag_D]

I never start with puppy, just straight to dog food