Gruel plays a huge role when it comes to weaning puppies off of their mother’s milk, but when should we introduce it to our puppy’s diet?
So, when should we introduce puppies to gruel? We can start feeding puppies gruel as early as when they’re three or four weeks old. This is not going to be the only thing they eat in their diet because they will also be receiving the majority of the nutrition they need from their mother’s milk at first.
But how much gruel should you serve the puppies, and how can you make the puppies eat the gruel when they have their mother’s milk? If you want to learn more about that plus get five different gruel recipes, then continue reading this blog post.
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When should we introduce puppies to gruel?
Gruel is a great meal that is going to help your puppy become more independent when it comes to eating. It is going to help your puppy wean off their mother’s milk gradually and introduce them to solid foods.
Gruel is a semi-solid in which its consistency ( how runny it is or how thick it could be) can be easily controlled. Of course, the gruel’s consistency should be super runny when it is introduced to the puppy’s diet for the first time.
But how are we going to do that? What is going to make your dog leave their mother’s milk and encourage them to eat more solid foods? These are all great questions that I am going to start answering right now.
The perfect time to introduce your puppy to gruel is during their weaning periods. The weaning period should be implemented when the puppy is three to four weeks old.
During that time, the mother is going to be taken away from her litter box for a few hours at a time. As soon as the mother is removed from the litter box, a plate or pan of gruel is added to the litter box.
This timing is perfect because the puppy has no access to their mother’s milk, but they have another food option that is easy to eat thanks to its soup texture.
How to introduce puppies to gruel?
We have discussed the puppy’s first gruel meal, but there is so much more than what just meets the eye. Though it seems like the puppy is going to eat the gruel when their mother isn’t around to breastfeed them, that isn’t always the case. But let us see how exactly we’re going to introduce a weaning puppy to gruel.
First things first, you should start by using the same nutritious, high-quality puppy food that they are going to continue eating after they are completely weaned off their mother’s milk.
By giving your puppy the same type of solid food they are going to get weaned in a gruel form while they’re getting weaned, you are going to make your life a little bit easier.
To turn the nutritious dry puppy food that they’re going to eat during their growth phase into the soup gruel they are going to eat throughout their weaning period, simply add warm water to the puppy’s food or add warm canine milk.
Make sure that the amount of liquids added is more than the dry food to achieve a soupy consistency.
The soupy texture of the gruel is crucial because it is going to be one of the factors that are going to encourage the puppy to start consuming semi-solid foods.
When food is moistened and warm, it is going to have a stronger aroma; thus it is also going to appeal to their taste sense, which helps the puppies get more encouraged to eat the gruel even more.
However, that is not enough. You will have to encourage the puppies to eat the first few times their mother is taken away from the litter box.
Don’t worry. You can do this very easily by taking your clean, properly washed finger and dipping it into the gruel. Then, you are going to place your finger near the puppy’s mouth to encourage them to lick it. Once they start licking the gruel off of your finger, lead them towards the plate of gruel.
Please don’t forget to leave a bowl of water inside the litter box. Once the weaning process has started, puppies are going to need water to get hydrated. Their mother’s milk is no longer enough.
Here are the five different gruel recipes
Before we start talking about these different gruel recipes, let talk about the essential ingredients to make a gruel.
To keep it simple, let us say that all you need to make a gruel out of any nutritional food by adding warm water or canine milk to make the solid food mushier. Soupy foods are the perfect way to transition the puppy from living on liquid foods ( their mother’s milk) to solid food.
Without any further ado, let us talk the five different gruel recipes that you can make for your weaning puppy and for your recently weaned puppy. Generally speaking, as the puppy grows older, the less liquid the gruel should have until the puppy reaches a point where they are perfectly capable of eating and digesting dry puppy food.
Recipe number one
You are going to need the following:
- One and three-quarters of a teaspoon of powdered puppy food that is high in quality. ( To turn the dry puppy food to powder, just blend it in the blender).
- Add a quarter of a cup of replacement canine milk formula
- Add water that has a temperature of one hundred and five degrees ( the gruel is then going to be served to the puppies when cooled down a bit to one hundred degrees.
If your puppy isn’t in their very early weaning phase, then you can also add this ingredient as well.
4. Add a tablespoon and a half of rice cereal. ( This acts as a thicker)
Now, mix all of the ingredients together with a fork and make sure that the gruel has a smooth texture before you serve it to the puppies. If you have a blender, you can blend all of the ingredients more efficiently.
Make sure you skip adding rice cereal to the mixture if this is your puppy’s first few gruel meals.
Recipe number two
This gruel recipe is literally going to bring all of the puppies to the plate of gruel. Don’t believe me? Then just watch this video!
This five-step gruel recipe is so simple and easy to make. Here is what you are going to do:
- Put two cups of high-quality dry food into the blender.
- Pour two and a half cups of hot water into the blender.
- Allow the dry food to soak in hot water in the blender for ten minutes.
- After the ten minutes are up, blend the ingredients together for two minutes.
- Finally, just pour the gruel on a tray or a flat plate and give it to your puppies.
P.S: Unlike the first recipe, this one could feed about six puppies. So you will have to do the math depending on how many weaning puppies you need to feed.
Recipe number three
In this recipe, we are going to use minced meat. Here is what you are going to do:
- Put two cups of high-quality dry food into the blender.
- Add a bit of boiled minced meat into the blender
- Add a cup and a half of puppy milk formula.
- Add a two and a half cups of warm water into the blender or just fill up the blender with warm water all the way to the maximum possible top.
- Blend the ingredients properly, then serve it to the puppies.
P.S: Unlike the first recipe, this one could feed about six puppies. So you will have to do the math depending on how many weaning puppies you need to feed.
Recipe number four
This is yet another simple gruel recipe. Here is what you’re going to do:
- Put two cups of high-quality dry food into the blender.
- Pour two and a half cups of hot chicken broth into the blender.
- Allow the dry food to soak in the hot chicken broth in the blender for ten minutes.
- After the ten minutes are up, blend the ingredients together for two minutes.
- Finally, just pour the gruel on a tray or a flat plate and give it to your puppies.
P.S: Unlike the first recipe, this one could feed about six puppies. So you will have to do the math depending on how many weaning puppies you need to feed.
Recipe number five
This recipe is for puppies who are almost done with their weaning process. It is one of the easiest gruel recipes ever.
All you have to do is soak their dry food with a little bit of water only to soften it up. It won’t have a soupy texture; it is only a little bit softer when compared to the dry food on its own.
Other questions related to it when should we introduce puppies to gruel
When should you wean a puppy?
The weaning process of puppy usually begins when they are three or four weeks old and ends when they’re about eight weeks old. The weaning process is a gradual one and should never be rushed.
If you want to learn more about the weaning process, like how it should be done, then make sure you check out my When Should You Wean A Puppy blog post.
When can you remove a puppy from their litter box?
A puppy can be separated from their mother and litter box when they are eight weeks old.
What happens if you separate a puppy from their mother and litter box before they turn eight weeks old?
Separating a puppy from their mother and litter box before they turn eight weeks old makes them prone to developing behavioral and mental issues.
That’s it for today’s post. You should now know when to introduce your puppy to gruel. If you have any questions related to puppies eat gruel, them leave them as replies in the comments section down.
If you have recently started giving your puppy gruel, what gruel recipes is your pup enjoying the most? If you are comfortable enough to share with us your gruel recipes, then feel free to leave them in the comments section as well!
Sources
- PUPPY MUSH & PUPPY GRUEL RECIPES
- Weaning Puppies: What to Do
- When Do Puppies Stop Nursing From Their Mother?
- When Should You Wean A Puppy?
