Weaning and Shots Questions

Frank7ptbk · Post by **Frank7ptbk** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 9:13 am

My females first litter of puppies (4 male, 2 female) just turned 4 weeks old yesterday. I already started them on wormer.
My questions are in regards to weaning and first series of shots.
What is the best method and age to start weaning the pups? The mother already doesn't want to be around them nearly as much. I have started giving them dry dog food soaked in water. They gulp it down like pigs!!! How many time a day should I give it to them? I am also assuming that I should start giving it to them drier and drier. At what age should they be eating dry food?

My next question is in regards to their shots.
My local farm store has a 7 in 1 puppy shot but the directions said to give it at 9 weeks of age. I've been reading other posts with people saying to start their shots at 6 weeks then 8 and so on.
What is the best method and the best shots?

I prefer to do it myself, I have given my adult dogs all their shots (excepts rabies vacc.) but this is my first experience with puppies.

Thanks,
Frank7ptbk

oakhill · Post by **oakhill** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 12:30 pm

I start my pups on wet food at 3 wks. And yes the mother does get tired of them after a while especially when they are moving around good and she can't get away from them. She might get a little fussy with them and put them in their place. Sometime the dam will try to wean them off too early. Ususally, depending on the way the dam is treating the pups, I will start to wean at about 7 wks. I will pull the dam off during the day and put her in during the night. The I spead it out for longer times. This lets her milk dry up slowly and will keep her from getting mastitis. Which is very painful. By 8 wks they are weaned.

I start worming somewhere between 2 and 3 wks and every 2 wks after that for at least 3 worming or until I like the looks of their poop.

I start the 7 in 1 shots at 6 wks and every 3 wks there after until they have pasted the 16 wk birth date. Remember there is a window in there when the mom's immunity wears off of the pups and the shots can take effect. At this pt the pups are very susceptible to those dreaded viruses. That is why you give them the shots every 3 wks so you can hit that window.

At about 4 wks I leave dry food in the kennel for the pups. But if your dam eats it all then that defeats the purpose. My pups eat dry at 4 wks with some wet in the morning and evening.

Good luck,

Sally

Emery · Post by **Emery** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:22 pm

Just one thing to add that didn't get an answer. Give the puppies all the food that they will eat. I have raised two litters and went through three bags of puppy food each time (of course, mom eats most of it because I feed it to her while she is nursing.) I also had rather large litters 7 & 8 respectively. What wasn't gone from the third bag, I gave away in equal increments to the new puppy owners so they could gradually change over to whatever type of food they were going to use.

Emery

oakhill · Post by **oakhill** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:32 pm

Good answer!!!!!!! I second that!!!!!!

Sally

samlyn0001 · Post by **samlyn0001** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 8:23 am

This is what I do. I start weaning the pups off mom at five to five and a half weeks. When I take her out of the pup pen she only gets little water and ice the first day. The second day she gets a quarter of what her normal ration of food was pre-pregnancy and free water. The third day she gets half, fourth three quarters, and the fifth day she is back up to the norm.

I worm the pups at 3,6,9,12, and 16 weeks. They get their first DHPP at six weeks, then nine, at twelve they get their third one and a rabies. If you have alot of hounds then you should give one more shot at sixteen is what I am told.

I free feed my pups pup chow until five months old. I start them with pup chow mixed with water so it is like a gruel. I start by feeding once a day until they take off on it really good then go up to twice a day. once they are chowing down on that I start to firm it up. I make sure to have dry in the pup pen so that they can nibble on that before they get weaned.

Enjoy your pups
Lyn

Doc S · Post by **Doc S** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:32 pm

I am not very sure how much I can answer to this thread. We have some very good replies already on here. I recommend vaccinating at 6, 9, 12, and 16 weeks with a few special exceptions. Watch buying vaccines at the farm supply stores; they are not always handled properly. Had a friend go in to buy some at his local farm supply. They didn't have any in the cooler, but found a WARM box of vaccine behind a counter to dust off and sell to him!!! Scarey, eh? Doc S