Puppy Care
Do NOT take your new puppy to a pet store, doggy park, visiting work or neighbors with dogs or any other public places until your vet tells you it's safe. This is usually at least 2 weeks after the last puppy vaccination. It can be deadly to do otherwise.
1. Treat your new puppy as you would a newborn baby. We recommend that you try to make the first few days together with your puppy as calm as possible. Remember, this is a very traumatic time for your puppy. Puppy may be nervous as he/she is is no longer experiencing familiar sounds and smells but this will pass shortly. Nervousness or change in diet may cause diarrhea. A puppy will play until it drops. It may play so much that it is too tired to eat. Especially be aware of the amount of time children play with your puppy. Beware of any changes in your puppy’s stool. Stress can trigger Coccidia.
2. We strongly recommend that you continue feeding only Life's Abundance (All Life Stages) premium grade dog food, Life's Abundance Tasty Rewards Treats and NuVet Supplement immune booster puppy has been eating. We believe it will save you money in the long run in vet's bills. It's that good! Your puppy will be kept very healthy if kept on Life's Abundance and NuVet. Please do not feed your puppy people food as it can make them sick, give them diarrhea and make them a picky eater. Some, but not all, puppies may need to be supplemented with a premium canned puppy food and Nutri-Cal for the first few weeks. Be sure puppy eats every 6 hours. Food should be available at all times for approximately 2 weeks after receiving your pup. You can then start routine feeding times, 3 to 4 times per day. The amount you feed per day depends on the weight of your pup. There is a suggested serving on your Life's Abundance dog food bag. Just divide that amount into 3 (for 3 times a day feedings) or 4 (4 times a day feedings). By 6 months feed twice daily.
If your puppy is being transported it will be given Nutri-Cal before it leaves it's home. You should give puppy some Nutri-Cal after it arrives and if puppy doesn't eat (even if just a few morsels) within a few hours after being home, we also recommend feeding puppy a jar of chicken baby food to help keep the blood sugar level elevated. Water should be available to your puppy at all times and if you use distilled or purified water there will be less chance of eye staining on light colored dogs. Also, food coloring increases eye stains so watch for that in other foods and treats. Teething can also cause additional tearing of the eyes and possible eye staining. This happens very young when new puppy teeth are coming in and again around 5-6 months when adult teeth are coming in. It will pass and eventually your pups face will be nice and clear again.
3. Spaying and neutering should be done around 4-6 months for males and 6-7 months for females. Your vet can remove any baby teeth that have not fallen out on their own at the same time your pup is being spayed or neutered.
4. We have found if you provide LOTS of chew toys, NO RAWHIDES, puppy will have no desire to chew on your furniture or your shoes or whatever!
5. During the first 2 weeks of getting your puppy home, give the puppy several times to rest each and every day. They need “time out” and need to have lots of sleep and rest time especially if you have small children wanting to play with your new puppy. This rest is extremely important.
6. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a health problem that affects many toy breeds of puppies between 5 and 16 weeks of age, especially, but not always, extremely tiny dogs. Hypoglycemia is recognized by a healthy puppy suddenly becoming weak, listless, depressed, unaware of its surroundings, and even unable to stand or walk. Advanced stages include seizures before lapsing into a coma, which is sometimes followed by death. If your puppy becomes hypoglycemic, it is very important that you react IMMEDIATELY!!! Give the puppy Nutri-Cal or Karo syrup. Administer the syrup with an eyedropper or if the puppy is too weak to take it, put it on your finger and rub it on the roof of its mouth. ITS' LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!!! Nutri-Cal is a fast acting, high calorie supplement and may be given off of your finger. Keep the puppy warm at all times and rub the puppy very easy, moving the head from side to side slowly rotating it, also move the arms and legs so the puppy will not get stiff. It may be necessary to give the puppy a couple of doses. If the puppy does not respond, GET IT TO A VET IMMEDIATELY! Hypoglycemia can occur without warning if a puppy is placed in a new home, misses a meal or is otherwise stressed. You must remember that puppies eat very small amounts, yet they exert large amounts of energy. Your puppy should eat 3-4 times a day. Remember if there is a problem with hypoglycemia, it will usually happen during the first few weeks while the puppy is adjusting. The puppy will outgrow this as it becomes adjusted.
Stages of Hypoglycemia:
FIRST STAGE: Possible Signs are:
Not playful
Refuses to eat
PALE GUMS
LETHARGY
Eyes look unusual
(stumbling, falling, staggering)
SECOND STAGE:
(Critical, seek Vet care)
Body becomes Limp
Puppy cannot lift his head easily
THIRD STAGE:
He becomes completely limp, the head may tilt backward and become stiff
Slow Heartbeat
Body Temp Drops
Mouth is stiff and gums become white
7. We recommend that you not leave your puppy alone for the first 48 hours so that you can monitor his food and water intake. This will combat any dehydration or hypoglycemia. After the first 24 hours, continue monitoring food and water intake. Do not allow pup full run of house as he can lose sense of where food and water is.
8. If your puppy is not eating anything, has diarrhea, or is vomiting contact your vet immediately!
9. Do not take your puppy to public parks, stores or let your puppy play on the ground (other than your fenced yard) until he has had all of his shots. He may pick up an illness that could cost him his life! For example, Parvovirus. The treatment for parvo costs anywhere from $200 to $600, yet it costs only $20 to $40 to have your vet help protect him with his vaccination. Remember, they are not safe until 2 weeks after they have had all of their vaccinations. So keep him out of public places until then! Do NOT forget to keep up with your puppy's shots. He must have them all for them to protect him. And don't forget to get their Rabies shot as well. Your puppy should also be de-wormed continuously as they may re-occur. Your vet will advise you what to do.
10. Do not let your puppy jump off couches, chairs or any other high place. This could cause broken bones or injure their legs, ankles or kneecaps.
11. If your puppy has long hair please remember to keep bottom shaved or trimmed. Sometimes the poo poo can get caught up in the hair and keep your puppy from being able to go potty. This can cause serious problems and even death.
12. NEVER leave your puppy or dog in your car for any amount of time, even if the window is cracked. If you wouldn't leave your child there, do not leave your dog either.
13. If any problems occur with your puppy’s health, call your vet immediately! Vets are on call 24 hours a day if you need one.
14. We also want to address dog collars/harnesses. Puppies and very small dogs have very delicate tracheas which can be damaged if you were to attach a leash onto their collar and have them pull on it. You could have a hurt puppy and very serious vet bill. All of that can be avoided. We recommend using a harness. They velcro around puppy's chest and underneath the neck. This does not pull so much on the trachea and is much easier on them. You can find them at Walmart, ebay, farm and ranch stores, amazon and most pet stores or look them up on the internet.
14. Give them lots of LOVE ALWAYS..............
The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is intended to be educational and should not be used as a substitute for professional veterinarian diagnosis and treatment.