When to start solid food?

[savedthroughgrace]

Hello! I was the lady with the wildfire oops litter. They have been growing wonderfully and their mother has been amazing with them. They will be 3 weeks old between 4 and 6 tomorrow morning (cause of course she started active labour at 1am). I have read they can start solids between 3-4 weeks old. I am wondering what age you start solids. They are getting very interested in the mom's food, so I no longer keep it in her whelping box (I'm worried they might choke if they suck one up). I was thinking at 3.5 weeks, but should I wait closer to 4?

Also, as a side question, what food do you feed? I have dogs of multiple ages and sizes. I feed my two dogs (the parents) Pro Plan All Life Stages Sport Performance 30/20 Salmon and Rice. I really don't want to buy multiple bags of food. The bag says it's good for puppies and maintenance. Just curious about what others feed.

Thank you so much!

 

[iamdainty]

@savedthroughgrace Baby puppies should be fed a mush - not straight to dry kibble. This link has a little summary, I imagine given the wildfires that you're not looking to feed a super elite blend. You should be able to use your existing kibble as the basis for your puppy mush.

 

[savedthroughgrace]

@iamdainty Thank you! This is very helpful

 

[smilerman312]

@savedthroughgrace I don't start solid food until 4 weeks. I use Victor Hi-pro as sometimes I have loose stools on Pro-Plan

 

[tanya30]

@savedthroughgrace 3.5-4 weeks old about. I usually start the first meals as pabulum to get them used to the idea of lapping at food instead of sucking it up. I mix Royal Canin Puppy starter mousse with milk replacer (some people use goats milk) and Gerber rice cereal. It's akin to glue, so the first meals are going to be MESSY. Then I gradually add in softened kibble that's been mashed up to the mix while weaning out the cereal and formula over about a week. I wean my puppies to PPP 30/20 chicken and rice.

 

[dukedesu]

@savedthroughgrace I start slowly at 3 weeks old.