Switching Foods

by Damaris
(Louisville, KY)

Charlie!

I recently got a Cockapoo and have had him for 1 week and a half. When I got him he was only 5 weeks old, so I decided to feed him formula milk and he loved it. Then I started to give him his dry food but he had a really hard time biting it.

So then I decided to soak the pieces in water and wait until they were really soft for him to eat the pieces on his own. Now I want him to start eating the dry food pieces as they are but he can't break them down with his teeth and everytime he tries he looks like he's about to choke.

What should I do? Please help. Thank you.



Hi Damaris
Congratulations on your new puppy, he's soooo cute!

It sounds as though you've done the right things so far, and your pup is doing just fine. It's probably a good idea to keep him on the food that has been soaked in warm water for a bit longer. From what you say he's still only about 6 1/2 weeks old, a tiny, tiny baby!

He'll have plenty of time to graduate onto dry kibble, and I'd recommend waiting until he's at least 8 weeks old before switching him over to that.

Be sure to buy a good quality, 'small breed' puppy food as that will have been formulated to meet the specific nutritional needs of small breeds, and should be in pieces that are of a manageable size.

You can check out my Puppy Kibble page for lots of tips and advice on feeding your puppy.

Best of luck with that cutie :o)