New Arrival

Mc Love

I'd imagine these threads crop up every now and again, as we have a new arrival in our family (an 8 week old Shih tzu) after the death of our last dog (also a shih tzu)

Does anyone know what type of food we should be feeding her? We have left the dog nuts out for her on a saucer and also some milk, she does drink the milk and has very little nuts, although she does prefer to eat from the floor and from our hands (and eat anything she can get her mouth around ha ha).

Its probably because she is only a puppy that she isnt eating that much

Dali art

it might also be to do with you giving the puppy milk instead of water

Cherry Blossom

Don't feed your pup milk firstly. Secondly did the breeder not tell you what they had been feeding her? You need to feed her the food she's used to at first and if you decide to change it, do so very gradually or she will get a very upset tummy. You can moisten the nuts with a small bit of warm water, or blast them in the microwave for about 5 seconds to make them smell a bit more tasty. Take it away after 15 minutes regardless of whether she eats it or not and try again at the next mealtime (3-4 meals a day for young pup)

Mc Love

Thanks - I have seen that on other threads. Will give it a try for sure!

The other members of my family picked the dog up, so cant say for sure what the breeder said. But my sister wanted to know if its okay to give them food like scrambled eggs/ham or cheese?

michael999999

wrap a ticking clock in a towel and leave it in her bed.it sounds like her mothers heartbeat.of it.
the person you bought the pup off should have given you some of the food they were feeding her.you should ring tomorrow and find out the name .

HelenT

As mentioned I would contact the breeder to ask what the diet was up to now and keep her on it until she (or he!) has settled in well to new home. Then you can slowly introduce change if you want. Regarding the milk - goats milk is easier digested than cows milk but a pup that is eating should not need it unless they are underweight. Also if they are not used to milk they will likely get diarrhoea.

Hope you are really enjoying your new addition and I am looking forward to some pics.

Cherry Blossom

Mc Love wrote: »

Thanks - I have seen that on other threads. Will give it a try for sure!

The other members of my family picked the dog up, so cant say for sure what the breeder said. But my sister wanted to know if its okay to give them food like scrambled eggs/ham or cheese?

In general terms people food isn't recommended, however if you are unsure what to feed, give something very bland eg. boiled potato, boiled rice, boiled chicken. Ham will have a lot of salt in it so I wouldn't recommend it, some dogs can deal with cheese but it is difficult for them to digest and a lot of dogs are intollerant to it (so I wouldn't chance it with an 8 wk old puppy). You can feed a small amount of scrambled egg but it must be made with water instead of milk. I wouldn't recommend feeding like this for any recommended length of time though, contact the breeder as soon as you can tomorrow and find out what to get for her.

lorebringer

As with all things puppy related - start as you mean to go on! By feeding her extras to kibble (milk, eggs etc.) she will expect them in the future and may get very picky about what she eat if she knows something tastier is on the way. Feed only puppy food for the first while, a good quality brand introduced slowly, leaving it down for 15/20 minutes and taking it up even if she hasn't eaten it. Give her nothing until her nest meal. She will eventually realise that there is nothing else coming along and will eat what is given to her. Feeding 3/4 times per day is how often she needs to be getting food and this can be reduced (with bigger portions) over time. Heating it up at the start to entice her to eat is perfectly fine and can be phased out over time. Milk and dairy are not recommended because they have the tendency to run though them and the last thing you want is a puppy with a runny tummy. Once she is eating well and has developed a routine, you can introduce very small amounts of other foods as a treat.

On the side of most puppy food bag there is a recommended amount the needs to be fed daily based on predicted adult weight - some days she will eat less and others she will eat more but as long as she is getting something into her every day and is growing normally she is fine. If she is not eating and is very down - doesn't want to play, tired, shows little interest in things - or if she gets a dodgy belly (from either end!), she will need to be seen by a vet asap.

Dry food is the best. Steer clear of Supermarket brands (Pedigree, Bakers, Supermarket own brands etc.) because they tend to be very low in quality. If the breeder has been feeding one of these foods, do some research, find a brand you are happy with and switch her over very slowly.

Good luck!

Mc Love

Here's a pic of Ruby!

ashblag

OMG I want her!!.
She is beautifull. Congrats hope she brings you years of happiness:D:D

Goldenegg

Mc Love wrote: »

Here's a pic of Ruby!

She is adorable! Exactly the same as my little one! She is just 3months at this stage! Great dogs!