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Depending on which stage a puppy enters your life, different schedules and guides for feeding puppies apply. A puppy grows very fast, passing through several life stages quickly. Be responsive to your puppy’s special needs along the way.

Bottle Feeding Puppies

If a newborn pup is especially large, if there are many puppies in the litter, or if you have undertaken to adopt and raise a newborn puppy, you will have to bottle feed. For very small puppies, sometimes a needle-less syringe can substitute for a bottle. For puppies with larger mouths, your vet can recommend the appropriate type of bottle and silicone or rubber nipple. Commercial puppy milk formulas are readily available either from your vet or from large pet store chains. You can make your own formula — there are many to be discovered online— but check with your vet about the recipe you have chosen before using it. (Be sure to make a new batch every day to keep the food fresh.)

Heat the formula to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the milk drips, not streams, out of the nipple or syringe.

Feeding newborn puppies requires patience. Find a comfortable seat. Cradle the puppy in your hand or in a soft towel and introduce the nipple to his mouth. You want him to swallow the droplets from the syringe and learn to suck on the nipple, not flood him with formula and hope some goes down. Watch out for choking and avoid holding him on his back. Newborn puppies do not drink from their mothers lying on their backs, so such a posture would be unnatural.

Afterward, mimic what the mother dog would do. Rub a little cotton ball on the pup’s bottom to encourage him to defecate and urinate. After about 3 weeks, he’ll take over in that area. Also, remember to allow your puppy a little quiet time after eating. Carrying him about or allowing him to play vigorously with family members could cause a tummy upset that causes him to lose all you put in him.

Newborn puppies generally need about 1 cc of formula per ounce of body weight every three hours round the clock. Since puppies vary greatly according to breed as to how fast or large they will grow, this feeding guide for dogs needs to be modified according to your individual puppy’s special needs as outlined by your vet.

Weaning to Solid Food at About 3 to 4 Weeks

At about 3 or 4 weeks, as you see your puppy begin to explore his little world, you can begin to introduce solid puppy food, but do not immediately stop bottle feeding. Ask your vet what brand of high quality puppy food she recommends. Buy the best you can. Remember, what goes in, especially at this early stage, affects your puppy’s future health.

You can begin by spooning a little of the formula you have been using over the solid food just to get the puppy started. Offer solid food four times a day in small quantities and supervise your puppy’s eating to make sure he doesn’t choke or fall into the bowl. Discard uneaten food and put out fresh food the next time. Do not expect your puppy immediately to begin to gobble up this new food in spite of the fact that he seems to put everything else in his mouth. Puppies really love to nurse, so chewing may not appeal initially. For reluctant puppies, you might try putting a very small bit of the new solid food in his mouth and encouraging him cheerfully. If your puppy isn’t ready, don’t force him, but wait a few more days and try again.

As you introduce solid food, it is also time to introduce water. Boiled and cooled or filtered water is safest for young puppies. Put your puppy’s water in a small, shallow bowl, not one deep enough for him to drown in, and keep it fresh. Alternately, start with a water bottle with a ball and drip spout affixed to the side of the puppy’s crate. Show him how to approach the water and have him take a few drops from your hand initially. Continue to introduce him to the water until he drinks on his own. Water is essential for non-nursing puppies.

Introducing Puppies to Solid Food at About 6 to 8 Weeks

Always make sure feeding time is a positive, happy event. Remember that patience with training puppies yields cooperative and trusting adult dogs. By about 6 to 8 weeks, your puppy can be weaned off the formula and onto solid food. As your puppy grows, naturally, make the portions bigger, but remember, the idea is to support healthy growth, not a chronically plump little chowhound. Regular check ups with your vet will help you to ascertain if your puppy is attaining the proper weight.

As your puppy approaches his adult weight and size, reduce feedings to twice a day and remember to ask your vet when it’s time to either change to a junior food or to move on to adult food. As your puppy reaches adult size, he will need to eat less since he is growing less. Again, encourage growth in bone and muscle not fat. Once he’s reached his adult size he can only grow out, not up. If your puppy is overweight, see What to Do if Your Puppy is Overweight.

Kindness to your new puppy begins with nutrition and patience with feeding and builds trust for a lifetime.

Thumbnail: Photography ©WilleeCole | Thinkstock. 

Need more guidance on choosing the right puppy food? Check out this guide to puppy food on Whole Dog Journal >>

Read more about puppies on Dogster.com:

• When Do Dogs Stop Teething? What to Know About Puppy Teething and Dog Teeth
• How to Tell If a Puppy Is a Boy or a Girl
• Training Your Puppy and Dealing with Puppy Problems

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Plants are a great way to add some festive color and holiday cheer to your home. There’s nothing like entering a house and being greeted with the warm, iconic fragrance of pine to get you into the mood for bright celebration. Unless, of course, you’ve got a dog at home — and some of that holiday decor includes poisonous plants for dogs.

Check out this handy infographic of poisonous plants for dogs that come out around the holiday season:

List of poisonous holiday plants for dogs:

1. Poinsettia: This red-leafed plant doesn’t actually live up to all the hype — it’s actually only mildly toxic. However, even mild toxicity can be fatal when combined with other conditions. Better safe than sorry.
2. Mistletoe: While the mistletoe may be a symbol of merry-making, it’s toxic if swallowed — but not as toxic as once believed. Again — better safe than sorry!
3. Holly: Holly berries may be the most attractive to dogs, but the leaves, bark, and seeds are just as poisonous. The effect of holly on dogs is similar to that of caffeine and chocolate.
4. Amaryllis: Less common than the other plants on this list, amaryllis causes abdominal pain and convulsions, so keep an eye out for it!
5. Pine needles: Probably the least of your concerns here, pine needles may cause harm if swallowed, puncturing intestines or stomach lining. The tree oils might irritate mucous membranes, but just keeping your tree area tidy should prevent any problems.

Signs of poisoning may include:

• Abdominal pain
• Coma
• Convulsions
• Diarrhea
• Drooling
• Irregular heartbeat
• Labored breathing
• Lethargy
• Swollen limbs
• Vomiting

If you suspect your dog may have been poisoned, please seek immediate medical attention.

Happiest holidays! Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a bright and warm celebration!

Thumbnail: Photography by Lyashenko Egor / Shutterstock.

Read more about dogs and the holidays on Dogster.com:

• How to Stop Diarrhea in Dogs This Holiday Season
• 10 Unique Holiday Gifts for Dog Lovers
• 7 Dog Charities to Support This Holiday Season

About Liz Acosta: Dogster’s former Cuteness Correspondent, Liz still manages the site’s daily “Awws,” only now she also wrangles Dogster’s social media. That’s why she wants you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and — her personal favorite — Instagram. See ya there!

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The first study to actually count the number of cortical neurons in the brains of a number of carnivores, including cats and dogs, has found that dogs possess significantly more of them than cats.

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