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Feeding Shar-pei
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PUPPIES:
Due to the variation in size and energy level of each individual puppy, feeding schedules may vary. Check the amounts given on the food bag and adjust accordingly to your puppy's needs. It is not encouraged to feed puppies under 3-4 weeks on purpose. Hopefully, mother Shar-pei will do her duty, but there are always exceptions to this rule. Mom may get sick or not recover properly to feed her litter and then you must step in to save your puppies with a supplementary nursing formula. Use a normal size bottle and nipple for your puppy. Find a comfortable position for you and the puppy as natural as if it were his mother. Don't raise the bottle too much or too fast, let the puppy work a little for his meal, but don't overtire. This will develop his muscles so that he may develop naturally when older. Feed six to eight times a day, depending on size of the puppy and quantity successfully fed.
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Once mommy's milk is not enough, puppies will start to seek out alternative food sources around 3-5 weeks of age, mostly because they are getting bigger and hungrier as mom gets less willing to nurse. First food trial should be a soupy infant rice cereal. After a couple of weeks, start to blend with water soaked kibble into the rice cereal mixture. We recommend gradually changing the mixture to a cup of puppy kibble food (made soft by water), 1 tbs canned food, & a tsp of Pet-Tinic, for at least a month after solid food was introduced. Once eating on their own, we recommend to feed four times a day and allow young puppies to feed for only 5 to 10 minutes each meal, then pick up the dish until the next meal. Puppies are known to overfeed, and will bloat or get sick if they eat too much, so it's important to supervise closely during meals.
After about eight to twelve weeks, a puppy should be able to handle some dry puppy food softened by canned food, and vitamins (you can switch to Pet-Tabs). Make sure that the puppy is chewing his food and not choking it down. Add water when necessary, or alternate wet and dry meals. Increase the portion to 1 cup and feed only three times a day.
By the time the puppy is four months old, try to stop adding water to its' food. Keep water plentiful, but separated from the food dish. At six months of age, all of our puppies are weaned of wet food. By this time, the adult teeth are in and need to be kept clean. Feed only twice a day, adding canned food or cooked hamburger when necessary. It is important to stay consistent to avoid health problems.
Usually, all puppies remain on this schedule until their first birthday. It usually ends up about two cups twice a day, unless you are still adding canned food, then decrease one cup. Of course there are always exceptions to the rules. If your puppy is experiencing a strong growth period, it may need more to eat, or the opposite may happen, it may go off its food once in awhile. This is no cause for concern unless it continues. Watch for loose or strange looking stools. Stop feeding canned food if there is a problem. As long as your puppy in neither too thin or too fat, it will remain on puppy growth until one year of age.
If your puppy is too fat, consider mixing puppy food with adult formula to cut down on calories. If your puppy is too thin, continue with a third meal or add calories (like canned food). Call if you have any concerns about your puppy's health or feedings.
ADULTS:
For adults, food conditions may vary, according to type of living environment, such as areas prone to allergies or if in contact with sensitive plants or vegetation. Please also keep in mind that changes in diet may cause digestive issues or a difference in stool quantity and/or consistency, so it's important to make each change gradual. Improvement in skin health or weight gain/loss may take 2-4 weeks to notice.
We usually maintain consistency for sake of the dog's digestive system, with same or similar brands adult formulas from ProPlan, Sensible Choice, NutroMax, Nature's Recipe, or Diamond. If a show dog, a performance formula and supplemental stress vitamins may be necessary. For pregnant rescues, we usually feed them the puppy growth, daily multi-vitamins, vitamin C (500mg) tablets, and additional calcium (tablets, cottage cheese, yogurt) when nursing. For senior dogs with severe allergies or weakened health / old age conditions, we recently started using Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Adult Dog with good results.
Depending on the development of your Shar-pei, adult formula is first introduced from six to eighteen months. If prior to the first birthday, it is usually mixed (50/50) with puppy growth to reduce calories for big eaters or inactive puppies. If after the first birthday, it is because your puppy hasn't filled out enough or is an active personality requiring more energy to grow.
Adults, once fed adult formula, usually require only one large meal or two small meals a day. Any signs of vomiting or nausea could mean that your Shar-pei is not eating enough. This can be easily corrected by adding supplements like canned food, scrambled eggs, or cottage cheese to the morning meals. I don't encourage overuse of these items, since we lack knowledge in what really causes toxin buildup in animals that leads to organ damage and cancerous tumors. The best knowledge to a successful plan is when the end results in a happy fit dog. Call your vet if you are concerned about losing weight or recurring vomiting. These may be signs of a more complicated problem than picky eating.
During the winter, whether Shar-pei puppy or adult may require supplements, such as adding safflower or fish oil and use skin moisturizers, to eliminate dry skin problems caused by winter. We also encourage a daily vitamin to keep your Shar-pei extra healthy and strong to avoid unnecessary illnesses. Viruses can be very difficult to treat, especially in puppies or stressed adults, and may cause harmful, even deadly, reactions to a dog.
This adult schedule can be maintained until your Shar-pei starts to slow down, at about five to seven years of age. As with any older dog, diet needs to be adjusted to meet a slower/older lifestyle. A lower protein and fat food (to make it easier to digest), offered in two or three meals, will keep a Shar-pei happy the rest of its' life. Do not allow your older dog to gain unnecessary weight. It not only slows them down, it will make them more injury/health issue prone.
For Chinese Shar-pei (as in most breeds) receiving proper exercise, diet, and current immunizations will outline your dog's future health. It is up to each owner to see that their Shar-pei is given the proper health, nutrition, and medical care to live a happy life.
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