WEANING IN DOGS - WITHIN-LITTER AND BETWEEN-LITTER VARIATION IN MILK AND SOLID FOOD-INTAKE

Several studies indicate that the weaning process is affected by costs and benefits linked with getting milk or solid food for the young. It has even been proposed that optimal weaning time would vary within li tters and that it may be possible to identify different weaning strate gies for the young. In the present study the within-litter and between -litter variations in milk and solid food intake in domestic dog pups were described, and possible existence of different weaning strategies of pups was examined, Four litters of the breed Swedish Dachsbracken and their mothers were observed during Weeks 2-7 post partum, by manua l observations. All pups were weighed regularly in connection with suc kling and eating solid food and measurements of amount of milk ingeste d per pup and suckling and of solid food intake per pup and meal were made. The variations in milk intake and solid food intake were high th roughout the period, In general, the correlations between milk intake and solid food intake were small but negative, Pups with a higher inta ke of solids tended to weigh more at Day 49 and had a significantly la rger weight gain between Days 21 and 49. In total, there seemed to exi st a certain compensation between milk and solid food intake, but it w as not obvious within litters, No direct support was found for the the ory of weaning strategies, but there was a trend that pups getting mor e milk were also more active towards the mother. Furthermore, there wa s a highly significant consistency between solid food intake and weigh t of the pups and in solid food intake between weeks throughout the pe riod. This could be an indication that weaning strategies exist, even though the importance of the psychological satisfaction of suckling it self in such a complicated process as weaning should not be underestim ated in social animals like the dog.