Mother won't feed 3week old pups - Page 1

Hi I'm new to posting on the internet but I have a German shepherd that's had her first litter and she had 11 but 1 was born dead and 1 the runt died 2 days later she's been brilliant with the 9 pups but there 3 weeks old today and she will not feed them I've been clipping the pups claws and her teats don't seem to have any problems I'm just asking is this normal because of the size of the litter and is it ok to start to wean them I've done lots of searching and reading but some say 1 thing and others say the total opposite the internet can be confusing and I apologise about my grammar any help will be appreciated thanks

I start feeding pups food at 3 weeks. Mom will want to feed them less and less. I do about 3 days of once a day, then go to two meals a day for about 5 days, then I go to 3 meals a day.

Christine

Yes this is the normal time for mom to cut them back from her and for you to start them on food.  My girls will start to regurgitate food for the pups at this age, so you need to provide the food.

Either softened dry or good quality raw, mine get raw that I make.

I just start them on three meals a days small to start 

When the puppies begin to get their teeth...It begins to hurt Mama and she will begin to cut them off because it's hurting her...Some people say as long as Mama will feed them they just let her do it...When the puppies begin to get their teeth (around 3 weeks of age) I begin to teach the puppies to drink milk (formula) and then more solid food...because Mama can cut them off at any time...then you might lose some puppies...
I do let Mama continue to feed the puppies basically as long as she will...but I begin supplementing them with milk/food...

~Bob~

I would like to add this point as I think many misunderstand or misuse the word.

To wean pups does not always mean to remove them from the mother.

Weaning is a slow process that nature uses to start the pups on the road to taking care of themselves.

First step is Mom to get them on solid food and be less dependent on her as she cannot feed them enough as they grow, but they still nurse from her as she is willing.

They still need her to nurture them as they grow.

 

My bet is that she is feeding them at night, still. As everyone else said, time to start feeding them puppy gruel (I use raw goat's milk and a dehydrated raw food - The Honest Kitchen, "Love" or a softened tiny kibble) in increasing amounts. I do it exactly like Blackthorn stated.

Buy several cans of milk substitute at PetSmart (or your local pet store).
Put two cups of dry dog food in a blender, add one half can of milk substitute and one cup of warm water.
Blend until it becomes the thickness of applesauce. add more water if needed.
Refrigerate the remaining milk for until you make the next batch. Make sure each puppy gets at least 4 times daily
This is an excellent nutritional way to feed puppies.

Clip the pups nails, I noticed my girl was having issues at around 3 weeks of age with heer pups. I also noticed the scratches on her tits from the pups sharp nails. I just took off the tips and mum had no issue feeding them again, I hope it is this easy to fix.

Ashah, he stated in his original post he'd already done that and had checked to ensure the mother was not irritated.

i have been using royal canin puppy mousse. it is amazing. open the can put your finger in put some in each pups mouth then with 11 pups i would put 2 cans worth on a flat plate sit down and watch the magic happen!! i have never ever seen pups eat like this and i use goats milk eith fresh , fresh frozen or canned myernbergs...you can buy it at pet smart or less expensive with jet.com and amazon.com AND MOMMIE LOVES IT ALSO