Dog Life Span - Stages & Steps. 3 great stages in dog life

The Puppy and the Young Dog's first food is the mother's milk. During 2 days, the puppy will breast feed on colostrum, a kind of yellowish milk, which is very rich and concentrated than normal breast milk. This liquid gives the puppy provisional immunity until it can develop its own immunity. Later, the puppy will breast feed on concentrated and very energetic milk until weaning, which depending on the breed and animal's health will happen after 2 weeks or 2 months after birth. After this time we can substitute the breast milk with milk that has been adapted for dogs and the age of the puppy. Cow milk will not be used to feed the dog because of its composition. The denominated milk as maternal milk usually comes as a powder, so we must mix it with water before feeding it to the dog. Weaning must finish close to 8 weeks after birth. At this age we will try to cover the qualitative and quantitative necessities of proteins, aminoacids, vitamins and minerals, since a lack of these would harm the puppy's growth. The contribution of energy during this period comes mainly from lipids. It is obvious that estimating the necessities of a pure bred dog are easier because we can imagine what their size and weight will be when they grow. If there is any doubt it is convenient to ask the veterinarian.

Estimated Energetic Growth Necessities According to the Age and Type of Dog (In kcal/day)*