Weaning a 3-week-old Abyssinian pup

A three-week-old Abyssinian pup still nursing — you're right in the thick of the weaning window. At this age, solid food introduction is about supplementing milk, not replacing it. Before I point you toward anything specific, a couple of quick questions: is the pup still with its mother and nursing normally, or is there a reason you're needing to push weaning earlier than usual? And is the litter otherwise healthy and gaining weight steadily?

Good — nursing normally at three weeks is exactly right, and you're not trying to rush anything, just supplement gently. That's the ideal scenario. One more thing: how many pups in the litter, and are you the breeder yourself or have you taken one home already? I ask because if mum is still feeding, you want something the pups can lap or mouth without any effort — texture matters a lot at this stage.

Perfect — five pups with mum still doing the heavy lifting, you just want to begin the association. What I'd recommend is Royal Canin Starter Mousse. It's specifically formulated for puppies from weaning age, the texture is soft enough that a three-week-old can manage it without chewing, and the nutrient profile complements rather than disrupts what they're getting from mum. You can put a small flat dish down once a day — don't be surprised if they walk through it before they eat from it, that's completely normal at this age. Warm it very slightly to bring out the smell, which encourages them to investigate.

At three weeks, quantity is almost irrelevant — you're building habit not calories. A tablespoon spread across a flat dish for all five is plenty. Most of it will be sniffed, stepped in, and ignored for the first few days. By weeks four to five you'll notice them actively seeking it out, and that's when you gradually increase the amount and start reducing water content if you've been loosening it at all. Keep mum's feeding schedule completely unchanged throughout — don't limit her access to them.

At three weeks, honestly, less is more. Keep the weaning dish separate from where mum eats, make sure fresh water is accessible even though they won't really drink independently yet, and just observe. If any pup seems consistently uninterested or is losing ground on weight compared to siblings, that's worth a vet call — but from what you're describing, this litter sounds on track. The mousse alone will do the job for now.