black lab puppy feeding

Question
The puppies are 4 weeks old, at first she was feeding them consistantly but now it seems that she is only feeding them 1 or 2 times a day. Is this normal? When may I start them on soft food to ensure proper nurishment? We have purchased puppy milk but are not able to feed them consistantly.

Answer
Hi Poppy;
Try making a soft gruel with the puppy milk and some rice baby cereal.
Gerber puts out a box with a mix of the different sereals. Feed them rice the first few times, then go to oatmeal, and then the others. this will get their little digestive systems prepared gradually to accept solid food, just like it does a human baby.
The feedings will last them longer too.
You might try giving some formula to the mother.
Sometimes the mother gets low on milk. when this happens, I mix 1 part Pet milk, and 2 parts water, and a little bit of light corn syrup.
If you get the large can of pet ( or Carnation )milk, and add 2 cans of water, add about 1 tsp og corn syrup.
that is the formula they fed children up until they came out with this prepared formula junk, and I have fed it to puppies that were newborn ( before the puppy formula came out) and to the mother to make her milk come in better, and added it to the baby rice to feed in between nursings to help her wean them. Have used it for cats too.
Works well on all of them.
when you have been feeding them this for a couple of weeks, add the pet milk and water ( no corn syrup in this) to some puppy chow, and let it get very soft, and when they have had it a few times, let it be a little harder, until you work up to puppy chow right out of the bag, and they can crunch it up.
at this time, cut out all milk, and just feed puppy chow and water.
I would suggest the puppy formulas of Iams, Science Diet, Walthams, or Eukenuba. (That may be mispelled).
Those are all good brands with the correct nutrients and no fillers.
Charlotte