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For a puppy that desperately needs to be cared for, a 4 week old puppy is relatively young. Being a pet owner of such a young dog can be challenging, and if you don’t take certain precautions, it can be dangerous. To keep your puppy healthy and active, you’ll need to create a 4 week old puppy feeding schedule. Without a good feeding schedule, the puppy may develop serious health issues, which no owner wants to happen. A good owner must know how to feed 4 week old puppies and how much to feed a 4 week old puppy, and have a good feeding schedule. For example, how many cups of food to feed them each time and what type of food to feed them.
This is important because their digestive system is still developing into adult dog organs. If you give them the wrong food, you may end up doing more harm than good. It’s also necessary to keep an eye on overfeeding and underfeeding to prevent them from any digestive issues related. Let’s look at how to feed a 4 week old puppy with the proper food and amount to customize yourself to ensure that all requirements are met. Is your pup close to 5 week?
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Arrange Your 4 week old puppy Feeding Schedule
So, how much do you feed a 4-week-old puppy? The goal of sticking to a good feeding schedule is to ensure that your puppy’s needs are met while you go about your daily activities. There are a few key points to remember when creating the schedule to keep it on track:
Before making your puppy feeding schedule, here are some things you need to keep in mind:
- How much does a 4 week old puppy eat in a day?
- What is the time interval of each feeding period?
- Does it fit with your personal schedule?
You can now make it after remembering it. According to experts, if fed formulated dog foods, a 4 week old puppy cannot eat more than four times per day. Because a puppy is still dependent on its mother, you should keep in touch with them. However, if the puppy is orphaned or has lost contact with its mother, you must take charge of it and carefully care for it. Remember that they can only eat four times per day and that the time gap between each feeding period should be adjusted to fit your schedule. A 4 week old puppy should be fed every 4to 5 hours, no less and no more.
This is why you must also check your personal schedule to ensure that you have enough time to feed them at the appropriate times. If you don’t have a lot of free time at home, enlist the help of family or friends because this step is important. If you don’t have anyone to help you feed your puppy at home, you can buy an automatic feeder online for around $70. Take a look at this proper feeding schedule to help you make your own, regardless of the condition:
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
6:00 AM 2 tbs wet puppy food, 3 tsp milk replacer. | 7:00 AM 1 cup moist kibble. | 6:30 AM 1 cup Moist kibble, 2 tsp milk replacer. | 8:00 AM 1 cup moist kibble. | 7:30 AM 2 tbs wet food. | 6:00 AM 1 cup moist kibble. | 9:00 AM 1 cup moist kibble, 2 tsp milk replacer. |
11:00 AM 1 cup moist kibble, 2 tsp milk replacer. | 12:00 PM 1 cup moist kibble. | 11:30 AM 3 tbs Wet food. | 13:00 PM 2 tbs wet food, 3 tsp milk replacer. | 12:30 PM 1 cup moist kibble, 2 tsp milk replacer. | 11:00 AM 2 tbs wet food, 3 tsp milk replacer. | 14:00 PM 3 tbs wet food. |
16:00 PM 2 tbs wet food, 3 tsp milk replacer. | 16:00 PM 2 tbs wet puppy food, 3 tsp milk replacer. | 15:00 PM 3 tsp milk replacer, 2 tbs wet food. | 16:00 PM 2 tbs wet food. | 17:00 PM 1 cup moist kibble. | 16:00 PM 1 cup moist kibble. | 17:00 PM 3 tbs wet food, 3 tsp milk replacer. |
20:00 PM 1 cup moist kibble. | 20:00 PM 2 tbs wet puppy food, 3 tsp milk replacer. | 19:00 PM 1 cup moist kibble. | 21:00 PM 1 cup moist kibble, 2 tsp milk replacer. | 20:30 PM 3 tbs wet food, 2 tsp milk replacer. | 21:00 PM 3 tbs wet food, 2 tsp milk replacer. | 21:00 PM 1 cup moist kibble. |
As you can see from the table above, this routine would most likely fit into your daily routine as well as your dog’s nutritional needs. You can tailor them to your preferences; for example, set the first feeding period to be the safest for the next 5 hours before returning to feed the puppy. Always set the interval for a maximum of 3 hours per feeding because they aren’t usually hungry before that time. This, however, may change depending on the amount of food given per feeding, which we’ll discuss next. Next, we’ll talk about the best food for feeding 4 week old puppies, as well as how much do you feed a 4 week old puppy. If you’re still unsure about which brand to choose, we’ll also suggest the best puppy food for a 4 week old puppy.
FAQ
How much do you feed a 4-week-old puppy?
Expert breeders recommend that a 4 week old puppy eat no more than four times per day. This is since their digestive systems are still immature, causing them to become hungry in a short period. Always remember feeding a 4 week old puppy at the right time and in the right amount. The simplest way to figure out how much your puppy eats is to watch how much they eat; if they don’t want to eat anymore, it’s their portion of the meal. Trying to build muscles on your Pitbull puppy? Read the guide here.
Can 4-week-old puppies go all night without eating?
Yes, absolutely. If given enough food during the day, a four-week-old puppy can go all night without eating. This is why it’s essential to keep a good 4 week old puppy feeding schedule in place so that the puppy has enough food during the day to stay active at night.
Can 4-week-old puppies drink water?
A puppy does not need to drink water until it is around 6 weeks old. They can continue to drink their mother’s milk or use a milk substitute. It’s best not to give them water; milk is still one of the most important sources of nutrition and vitamins for them. Read more about giving puppy water here.
Can you overfeed a 4-week-old puppy?
Overfeeding is a common mistake new owners make when feeding 4 week old puppies. A puppy can be overfed if there isn’t a good 4 week old puppy feeding schedule in place, which is very dangerous for them. If a four-week-old puppy is overfed for just one day, they may lose interest in eating and have a quick litter, but this will pass in two days. However, if the puppy is overfed beyond that, it may develop diarrhea that lasts for weeks. Read more about puppy’s diarrhea here.
How much milk should a 4 week old puppy drink?
A 4 week old puppy can identify how much they should drink milk on their own. If the puppy still has access to their mother, keep them close and not worry about this problem. However, if you have to give them milk replacer, you can only give them ¼ ounce of milk replacer per ounce of body weight.
Feeding 4 week old puppies: What to Do and Not to Do
It’s important to maintain and monitor your puppy’s food after establishing your ideal 4 week old puppy feeding schedule. It’s difficult to feed a puppy because their teeth make it difficult to eat regular food. They are still developing their teeth to eat regularly, but this takes time if the puppy hasn’t had any chewing practice. To teach them how to chew food, we must train them to eat hard foods designed for them so that they do not harm the puppies. Because puppies are still weaned from their mothers, they usually refuse to eat regular dog food.
This is why, if they aren’t interested in eating regular foods, it’s best to leave them with their mother for a while. If they do, you can begin feeding puppy-formulated canned dog food, or a well-known modified puppy meal, moistened kibble.
Moistened kibble / soggy kibble
A moistened kibble is a puppy food that has been altered to make the puppy recognize the smell of milk and thus entice them to eat. In a nutshell, a moistened kibble is a regular food formulated for puppies that have been moistened by combining it with a dog milk replacer. For a simple analogy, it works exactly like regular human cereal. The milk that has been mixed with the kibble will absorb into the kibble, making it wet and soggy, which is safe for 4 week old puppies to eat.
The smell of the milk also reminds them of their mother’s milk, making it easier to get them to eat. Even if the kibble has been softened, it still has hard parts, allowing the puppy to practice eating regular dog foods. You can begin making this food by purchasing a suggested puppy food and a milk replacer from your local pet store. Follow these steps to make moistened kibble for your puppy once you’ve gathered all of the ingredients.
Here’s how you can make your own moistened kibble for feeding a 4 week old puppy at home:
- Put 2 tablespoons of milk replacer powder into an empty bowl.
- Pour around 4 tablespoons of warm water into the bowl.
- Stir well until all of the powder dissolves.
- Put in around half a measuring cup of your puppy formulated kibble into the bowl.
- Give a little mix, make sure all of the kibbles is damped with the milk.
- Wait around 3 minutes for the milk to be absorbed.
- Give the moistened kibble to your puppy.
When your moistened kibble is ready, simply feed it to your puppy at the time you designated earlier. Examine how much food your puppy consumes; this is crucial because it can indicate how much food your puppy consumes. Each puppy has different eating requirements, but they typically consume up to a third of a cup of food. If they eat more than that, you should take your puppy to the veterinarian to rule out any health issues.
It’s also worth noting that they usually litter after each meal, so you should allow your puppy to go outside for about 15 minutes to do so. You now know how much do you feed a 4 week old puppy; always keep the amount of food you give. Let’s take a look at some of the dog food products that your puppy will enjoy.
Recommended dog food products
It’s important to be aware that certain puppy foods, such as corn, rendered fat, and bones are not permitted for consumption by puppies. Always check the dog food’s ingredients on the label hidden behind the packaging. Farmina and Acana are two well-known puppy kibble brands that we recommend. Both of these products are high in protein, which is beneficial to your puppy. They’re also free of salt and grains, making them easier for your puppy to eat. Esbilac Powder is a milk substitute that you can mix with your puppy’s kibbles. It has a milk formula that your puppy will love.
Conclusion
The most challenging aspect of being a good pet owner is sticking to their puppy’s feeding schedule. A good 4 week old puppy feeding schedule is essential because it can affect various factors, including growth and health. Although a puppy this age may still contact their mother regularly, you should have a backup alternative if it becomes unavailable.
Feeding them a milk substitute can solve the problem and is one of the most effective ways to keep the puppy interested in eating. Despite that their teeth aren’t fully formed, puppies should be trained with modified food to gradually adapt to regular food. It’s also worth noting that feeding 4 week old puppy needs to be done right from the component selection.
Some food components in dog food aren’t suitable for your puppy and can cause harm. They also have a specific rule on how much they eat because if they got too much or too little food, they would get overfed or underfed. To avoid overfeeding or underfeeding, keep a close eye on the amount of food you give each feeding. If everything is done correctly, it will make your puppy will be healthy and active.