Is wet or dry food better for puppies?įor neonatal puppies, dry food soften with water is better than wet food.

This is normal and is not cause for alarm as long as the puppies remain well-hydrated. Wet food may be too rich for some puppies, so introduce only small amounts at first and ensure there is no gastrointestinal upset – such as vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, or bloating – before you increase the amount of wet food you are offering to the puppies.īecause wet food has a high moisture content, you may notice that the puppies drink slightly less water than they did when they were eating a solely dry food diet. For most puppies, wet food can safely be introduced at around 6-8 weeks of age. When the puppies are eating solid dry food consistently and are no longer nursing from their mother, wet food can be introduced into their diet. (Image credit: Getty Images) When to start feeding puppies wet food This, combined with their newfound interest in solid foods, will naturally wean the puppies off of milk and onto puppy food.

During this time, the mother should be naturally weaning the puppies by decreasing their access to her milk supply. Provide fresh waterīe sure to also provide a shallow tray of fresh water for the puppies to drink from – and possibly play in! Once the puppies are eating the mush well, you can gradually decrease the water content to make the mush more solid. It’s also important to let the puppies see mom eating solid food during this time, because puppies will often mimic their mother’s behavior. Most puppies will start eating the mush right away, but some may need a day or two to get used to the idea. This mush can then be heated in a microwave (mix thoroughly and check carefully for hot spots!) and offered to the puppies. This can be made by mixing an appropriate dry puppy food with water and allowing it to sit overnight in the refrigerator, forming a soft mush. During the weaning stage, puppies should be fed mush.

Bets soft puppy food