Article: On one hand, you’ll need your pregnant bitch to gain roughly 15-20% of its original weight by the time it gives birth to its litter. Puppy food is high in protein and basic nutrients and as such will help your dog gain that much needed weight. With this in mind, you don’t want to cause your dog to gain too much weight. You might choose to begin feeding your pregnant pooch puppy food when you discover her pregnancy or if you know that your dog is prone to weight fluctuations, you might decide to wait until 2-3 weeks before its whelping (the birth). Moreover, you should choose the puppy chow that you plan on feeding your puppies. This will make it easier for the puppies to transition to puppy food — in terms of their overall health and more specifically their GI balance. Begin when they turn 3 weeks old. You won’t completely — cold turkey — wean them off of their mother. You’ll begin by giving them puppy food for approximately 10% of their daily caloric intake. They’ll continue to nurse off of their mother, while they get used to eating their puppy food. Over the next 2 to 3 weeks, you'll feed them puppy food more and more and they'll nurse less and less. Do not rush weaning for any puppies that are slow to eat on their own. This can lead to malnourishment. It's better to let them continue to nurse from their mother and slow the puppy weaning process a bit. Most likely, if you place the puppy in front of its food, it will eat it. Some puppies, on rare occasions, may resist eating the puppy chow. Simply pick up the puppy and place it in front of its food. Do this once or twice. Eventually, your puppy will chow down on the food. Start by separating the puppies from their mother for 1 hour, 2 or 3 times a day. Take the mother to another part of the yard or house. Leave the puppies with their food bowls. They’ll undoubtedly whine at first. Eventually, they’ll learn that their food bowls contain delicious and healthy food. You are mimicking the process that occurs in the wild, so don’t feel bad. During the weaning process, monitor their health. Make sure that they are gaining weight equally. Check for vomit and diarrhea. Consult your veterinarian if any problems or questions arise. As with all the other steps, the key is gradual change. Begin by replacing 1/4 of her puppy food with her regular adult food. This will help her digestive system cope with the change and it will continue to give her milk the nutrients of the puppy chow. Over the next couple of weeks, switch her entirely back to her normal adult dog food. At around 7 weeks old your puppy should be completely weaned. They should also be eating dry puppy food and drinking water.
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Transition your pregnant dog to puppy food early. Gradually offer your puppies puppy food. Encourage your pup to eat their puppy chow. Remove the mother while they feed on puppy chow. Keep a close eye on your pups. Switch the mother back to regular dog food at 4 weeks. Completely wean your puppies off their mother's milk.