Individual Meals or Free Choice???
Due to their small tummies and high metabolisms, tiny and teacup puppies need to eat more than once or twice a day.
My recommendation – and the least complicated feeding schedule to implement - is to have dry food available free choice!
This means there is always dry food in the bowl which is in the playpen or readily accessible in its living area, and the puppy can get to it 24/7. That also means, that if you are carrying the puppy around with you a lot, you need to take it back into its' playpen at least once every hour or more often, for it to snack a bit and grab a few mouthfuls!!!
Having food available Free Choice is the easiest way to assure yourself that your ittybitty pup has access to dry puppy food all the time, even if you are not home, or are running late. This also covers the spouse or the kids "forgetting to do" a routine meal, day trips or unexpected delays that keep you from getting home on time for the next meal.
If you prefer to feed individual meals, a teacup [under 2#, regardless of actual age] needs to eat at a minimum 4-6 times per day, including very early morning and evening feedings [no later than 5-6 am and the last meal around 11-12 pm]. This means not just nibbling a kibble as they wander by the bowl as many prefer to do – but actually a good table spoon full or more each time to fill their bellies. You must make sure the pup actually eats when you feed individual meals!!!
Neglecting to not only provide regular scheduled meals but also not monitoring food intake, or on the other spectrum providing your pup with low quality dog nutrition or over-sized bites that it cannot manage without frustration, will sooner or later most certainly cause hypoglycemic episodes.
Most toy breed dogs tend to be nibblers. Talk to anyone who has one – many will pick up a mouthful from the bowl in the kitchen and carry into a different room, eat it under the kitchen or dining room table, or sneak it into their crate or bed and consume it there. It seems to be a size specific idiosyncrasy - both my smaller poodles and chihuahuas tend to do this, and I have observed other toy breeds to do the same.
What this really means – other than having dog food crumbles where you really would prefer they are not, LOL - is that many are actually “snacking” or “grazing” throughout the day, rather than settling down to one or two large meals and be done eating. Having food available 24/7 or a "free choice feeding schedule", allows for snacking and grazing, and will keep your pup eating all day long, which is ideal for teacup puppies and tiny toys.
My recommendation – and the least complicated feeding schedule to implement - is to have dry food available free choice!
This means there is always dry food in the bowl which is in the playpen or readily accessible in its living area, and the puppy can get to it 24/7. That also means, that if you are carrying the puppy around with you a lot, you need to take it back into its' playpen at least once every hour or more often, for it to snack a bit and grab a few mouthfuls!!!
Having food available Free Choice is the easiest way to assure yourself that your ittybitty pup has access to dry puppy food all the time, even if you are not home, or are running late. This also covers the spouse or the kids "forgetting to do" a routine meal, day trips or unexpected delays that keep you from getting home on time for the next meal.
If you prefer to feed individual meals, a teacup [under 2#, regardless of actual age] needs to eat at a minimum 4-6 times per day, including very early morning and evening feedings [no later than 5-6 am and the last meal around 11-12 pm]. This means not just nibbling a kibble as they wander by the bowl as many prefer to do – but actually a good table spoon full or more each time to fill their bellies. You must make sure the pup actually eats when you feed individual meals!!!
Neglecting to not only provide regular scheduled meals but also not monitoring food intake, or on the other spectrum providing your pup with low quality dog nutrition or over-sized bites that it cannot manage without frustration, will sooner or later most certainly cause hypoglycemic episodes.
Most toy breed dogs tend to be nibblers. Talk to anyone who has one – many will pick up a mouthful from the bowl in the kitchen and carry into a different room, eat it under the kitchen or dining room table, or sneak it into their crate or bed and consume it there. It seems to be a size specific idiosyncrasy - both my smaller poodles and chihuahuas tend to do this, and I have observed other toy breeds to do the same.
What this really means – other than having dog food crumbles where you really would prefer they are not, LOL - is that many are actually “snacking” or “grazing” throughout the day, rather than settling down to one or two large meals and be done eating. Having food available 24/7 or a "free choice feeding schedule", allows for snacking and grazing, and will keep your pup eating all day long, which is ideal for teacup puppies and tiny toys.
Additional Wet Food Servings...
In addition to having dry food available and accessible all day long, for younger pups under the 3-4 month range, you should offer something a bit extra.
Twice a day - ideally first thing in the morning and before bed time - offer a large teaspoon full of canned food, raw hamburger or other raw meat chopped or cut into small pieces [no choking], or home cooked meat.
Don't overdo it - you do not want to give so much canned food or home cooked meat that your pup refuses to eat its dry food or wants to wait for the next wet food meal. One heaped tea spoon is all that is needed [subject to the size of your pup of course] to stimulate its appetite and you can place it onto the dry food, so that any juices or gravy will soak into the dry kibble, enticing it to eat more later...
The exception to this is raw meat - especially if you are looking to making the switch to 100% raw feeding. In my personal opinion, the pups can have all the raw food they want to eat [short of overeating and making themselves ill by eating too much] - it beats canned food, cooked food [destroyed enzymes] and dry food with preservatives.
As the pup gets passed the 4-5 month age range, you can decide if you want to continue offering the extra feeding or go with dry food only. Most pups will want it, but don't necessarily need it at that point ;o).
Twice a day - ideally first thing in the morning and before bed time - offer a large teaspoon full of canned food, raw hamburger or other raw meat chopped or cut into small pieces [no choking], or home cooked meat.
Don't overdo it - you do not want to give so much canned food or home cooked meat that your pup refuses to eat its dry food or wants to wait for the next wet food meal. One heaped tea spoon is all that is needed [subject to the size of your pup of course] to stimulate its appetite and you can place it onto the dry food, so that any juices or gravy will soak into the dry kibble, enticing it to eat more later...
The exception to this is raw meat - especially if you are looking to making the switch to 100% raw feeding. In my personal opinion, the pups can have all the raw food they want to eat [short of overeating and making themselves ill by eating too much] - it beats canned food, cooked food [destroyed enzymes] and dry food with preservatives.
As the pup gets passed the 4-5 month age range, you can decide if you want to continue offering the extra feeding or go with dry food only. Most pups will want it, but don't necessarily need it at that point ;o).
High Calorie Supplements
For a baby new to your home, a very young pup, or a pup with high energy requirements, or one that is living in a very busy + active home, be sure to also offer some Nutrical or Dyne for the first couple of weeks it is living with you.
Considering their small stomachs, offering extra and easy to digest calories will be helpful in maintaining a level blood sugar and to avoid hypoglycemic episodes.
Please read here for more detailed information about High Calorie Supplements!
Considering their small stomachs, offering extra and easy to digest calories will be helpful in maintaining a level blood sugar and to avoid hypoglycemic episodes.
Please read here for more detailed information about High Calorie Supplements!
Treats and Snacks
I do not recommend feeding treats or snacks. And certainly don't feed it spiced/herbed people food either.
Treats and snacks can throw off a pup of its regular eating routine, and will make it harder for you to monitor actual food intake! Many have no nutritional value at all and are basically concentrated food coloring, artificial food flavoring, MSGs and preservatives. In addition you may raise a picky eater by offering highly flavored but really unpalatable foods. The Food Recalls on treats and snacks are staggering if you keep up with the news and scary like hell!
Home cooked people food is usually spicy and overly salted - not good for most dogs, and certainly not for a fragile teacup puppy tummy. You need to do everything it takes, in order to avoid upset stomachs and the pup getting off its food - and people food and snacks can take you there very quickly.
Treats and snacks can throw off a pup of its regular eating routine, and will make it harder for you to monitor actual food intake! Many have no nutritional value at all and are basically concentrated food coloring, artificial food flavoring, MSGs and preservatives. In addition you may raise a picky eater by offering highly flavored but really unpalatable foods. The Food Recalls on treats and snacks are staggering if you keep up with the news and scary like hell!
Home cooked people food is usually spicy and overly salted - not good for most dogs, and certainly not for a fragile teacup puppy tummy. You need to do everything it takes, in order to avoid upset stomachs and the pup getting off its food - and people food and snacks can take you there very quickly.