The Puppy Diaries: Bambi and her Basset Bambino's Part Two
By Debbie and Malcolm Ellrich, Malrich Basset Hounds
PART TWO - FEEDING AND WEANING
It’s been a whole month since Bambi gave birth to 11 puppies!
In the first 3 weeks the puppies had Bambi with them 24/7. As the puppies were so little, we also made sure to stay with them during this time to make sure there were no accidents.
Bambi nursed the puppies and fortunately we didn't need to give extra feeds as they were growing well - even the little boy who has just hit the 2lb weight and the others are now over 3.5lbs.
We started to wean them just before they turned 3 weeks with the Wellness CORE Puppy Original Recipe for Small and Medium Breeds.
We added hot water to soak the CORE Puppy kibble and then use an electric hand blender to make it into a porridge like consistency, then we wait for it to cool down before feeding it.
After they aquaplaned through the first few feeds, they start to realise they should be eating it!
To begin with we started with a very small amount of CORE Puppy kibble and increased the amount every few days at this stage. After this the first few days, we have been increasing the amount of kibble each week.
We keep Bambi separate whilst they eat but she goes in with them after each feed and stays in as long as she wants… but now they have started to get sharp teeth, occasionally, she asks to come out quickly!
Now that they are 4 weeks old, they are eating 280g of Wellness CORE Puppy Original 4 times a day. And as you can see… it’s a messy process!!
Due to the size of her litter, Bambi is also having 4 meals a day of 200g and we’re still using the Wellness CORE Puppy Original recipe for her as this recipe contains higher amounts of protein, fat, fatty acids, and vitamins to help Bambi recover.
The Puppies have started to play, and you can hear them barking and growling with each other, chewing each other's legs and ears resulting in the occasional ‘yelp’ when someone has gone a bit too far!.
The first couple of new owners are coming to see them this weekend, I update them every few days with photos on our Facebook page. All except one new owner is on their second or third Basset from us and some are coming back for their fourth!
The other one new owner has previously used two of our stud dogs in the past so not really a newbie to us either!
Follow the next step of our journey with the puppies as they continue growing, playing, and eating, and to their first introduction with their new families.
