| Weaning
By Robin Carver  |
Weaning a litter of pups does not have to
be a heart wrenching time for either the pups or their dam. If done slowly, weaning will
appear to happen as if on it's own and will insure your bitch against weaning mastitis as
well as the worry and stress that many bitches feel when being weaned. Many people start to wean their pups at the fifth week and take the bitch away permanently at the sixth week. I have found this method to be debilitating for the bitch and of no benefit to the pups. If you have a Bouvier size litter of 10 pups or more, asking the bitch to be the source of nutrition for five weeks is a sure way of running your bitch down. The pups will be show more reluctant to eat puppy porridge if allowed to stay on the bitch for that length of time. Experience has taught me that the best way to wean pups is to do it slowly, starting at three weeks of age and ending at six weeks of age. Here is the method that I use. 3-4 weeks of age: The pups are given thin
gruel of pureed kibble, goats milk with acidophilus and a small amount of high quality
canned meat. Close the whelping pen so that the dam cannot get in and give this gruel to
the pups 3-4 times a day. Start the pups by showing them where the food is and putting a
bit of gruel in their mouths with a clean finger or a demitasse spoon. One taste is
usually enough to send them looking for more. After they have had their fill, open the pen
for the dam to come in, she'll clean the pups and finish the last of the gruel. The pups
will nurse when mom comes in but their tummies will not hold as much milk as before. The
less milk that the pups are able to take from mom, the less she will produce.
|
4-5 week of age:
The gruel should now be thicker about the consistency of hot oatmeal, the dam's food is
being cut back to pre-pup levels and the pups are being given the food every 3-4 hours.
The kibble no longer gets pureed, but is soaked until soft and then mashed in with the
goats' milk and meat. The bitch's access to the pups is being restricted, you'll find that
she has started to show less interest in her pups and more interest in rejoining her human
family. You should be in the pen handling the pups several times a day, this is also the
time to let the pups out of their pen as soon as they show a desire to explore their
environment. 5-6 weeks: The food for the pups is now mixed with water, meat, no more goats milk, and given to them without soaking, mom is allowed in to the pups every other day for a short stay, perhaps 10 minutes, or less until the end of the week when she no longer goes into the pups pen. The bitch should be just about dries up by now and will be allowed to play with her pups as soon as she no longer has milk. You will find that back at week five she has started to become very reluctant to let them nurse and now will not stand still unless mobbed by the pups for nursing. By now you will have some very chubby happy babies that will follow you everywhere. I take this opportunity to introduce them to the yard. All areas not puppy friendly are blocked off and I lead the pack out of their pen into the yard where they can frolic under my watchful eyes and play with my daughter my husband and me. The pups are in direct interactive contact with people for at least 6 hours a day and eating 4-5 times a day. This method has worked successfully for me and was developed after my first experience in raising a Bouvier litter. My poor bitch was so debilitated that I considered spaying her. It was despairing to see my girl run down and take so long to recuperate. I was determined to find a way that mimicked nature. I hope you have as much success with this method as I have |
|