Hello everyone, Just curious if anyone has used very tiny pieces of cooked breast for treats for young puppies? I have been using her kibble for treats up to now but sometimes she is turning up her nose at the kibble. Just curious.
I didn't, but I certainly would these days I cannot think they can do harm, good idea to introduce different foods while the pups are still young.
I used cooked chicken, roast lamb, cheese from 8 weeks old. It's ideal to use just their daily kibble ration as treats throughout the day, but I didn't know this at the time and so introduced the "high value" rewards like cooked meat early.
Just about all of Betsy's very early training was done for kibble - I didn't introduce anything else until she was about 14 weeks, and then it was for lead walking outside, sitting when she saw other dogs etc. I had no use for anything else before that. It's a bit strange she is turning her nose up at kibble at such a young age (I have an older dog that isn't all that thrilled with working for food, but that's a bit different). Does she like her kibble generally? If yes, I wonder if perhaps you could cut her food down a bit, or otherwise work out what's going on.
I also give only kibble until about 16 weeks - then introduce different treats one at a time to check their poo stays firm.
It's fine. Just watch total intake so that the balance of the food is not thrown off. I like to introduce a variety of foods early. Bits of apple, cheese, peanut butter. Bits, little bits.
Your answer is in the poop but bits of chicken, cooked or raw, shouldn't be a problem. Just everything in moderation. BTW no cheese please. Dogs are generally lactose intolerant.
Thank you so much for your responses. I think I might wait a bit. She has three days left of 1/2 pill Albon for treatment of Coxidia. Breeder told me that sometimes stress on the puppy coming to their new home can cause the parasite to be active and Albon pills correct this. She likes her kibble just fine, it's only when I use it as treat she does not always eat it. I'm also in process of switching her from Purna Puppy Chow which breeder had her on to Eucunaba slowly. I replace some of the Purina with the Eucanuba, it'll probably take me two weeks. Her. Stools are normal and firm most of time but soft sometimes also, not diahrea. I feed her 4 small meals daily and she usually has four poops a day. I had called my vet and Eucanuba was one she recommended in lieu of Purina puppy chow. I kept her on the Purina for five days and now switching slowly. I'm kind of thinking it's the medication giving her soft stools. I have first vet appointment for her three weeks from today. She had her first shot from breeder day we brought her home last week. I made appointment when 2nd shot is due. She has tons of energy, drinks lots of water, and is starting to be a crockopup.
Harley was fed on chicken and rice a lot when she was little due to an intolerance which we found out about a few months later, so chicken is fine, just decrease her kibble to accommodate for this. We use cheese in training, especially in agility and have never had a problem with it, and Harley has a very sensitive tummy.
Not all dogs are lactose intolerant, though many are and are not supposed to have milk or cheese. Mine have both and it hasn't upset them. My previous five dogs had milk and they were fine.
Many many articles online about this issue. Do a google search. I heard this first from my vet who said not to give any dairy products. Didn't really know why until I did some research. A secondary issue for dogs that get dairy is constipation.
This lactose content chart shows many cheeses are far lower in lactose than an equal weight of milk. Another chart I found included cheddar, which is the cheese I mostly use for treats. Cheddar per unit weight is about the same as whole milk but I probably would use less cheese as treats than milk I might give to drink. I don't give milk to the dog but a couple of the cats like it and get maybe a couple of tablespoons once a day, they're fine with it. http://www.foodintolerances.org/lactose-food-table.aspx
I read recently that all adult mammals are lactose intolerant to some degree, including humans. It happens when baby animals are weaned. Doesn't stop me eating cheese though.....
