You Have Just Bought a New Puppy?
One of the biggest mistakes I have observed when people purchase a new puppy, is they immediately have to take it visiting to show it off. This is not a good idea. Take your puppy straight home and try your very best to keep it there until it has adjusted to it's new surrounding and it's new "parents". Don't do anything that stresses the puppy out.
VETERINARIAN INFORMATION:
It is recommended that you take your puppy to the vet soon after you pick him or her up. Within 72 hours is recommended. Keep your puppy in a crate or in your lap when visiting the Vet's office. Do not let it romp on the floor or furniture and most certainly do not allow it to socialize with other animals that also may be in the office at the same time. Where do all people take sick dogs? To the Vet!!! Where is the best place to pick up germs or contract disease? Naturally, it's where everyone takes sick dogs. To the Vet!!!
We do not give our puppies the Leptospirosis vaccination, and do not guarantee our puppies if you allow your vet to give it.
DIET & FEEDING:
If you were caring for a human baby you would be feeding it every few hours and constantly changing its diaper and keeping the environment clean. Same thing for a new puppy.
Keep clean water out for it at least 1/2 of the day. DON'T change the puppy's diet or eating routine too abruptly. The smaller the puppy, the more times a day it has to be fed. You have to remember that because of the small stomach's, they have to eat much more often just to sustain themselves.
HEIGHTS:
Puppies have no concept of heights. They will walk right off the edge of any furniture if they are left unattended. So please warn children not to play with them on the sofa or the bed. Play with them on the floor for their own safety.
STRESS:
Stress occurs when you take a new puppy out of its natural environment. This means that when you purchase a puppy and take it home, you are creating a stressful situation for this puppy. Stress kills off the good bacteria in the G. I. tract. When anything occurs out of the ordinary, it is stressful. Wormings, shots, shipping, and riding---all create stress for small animals.
YOGURT:
Plain yogurt culture puts the good bacteria back into their system so you will have a healthy puppy. So feed them all they want for the first couple of days until they adjust to the new environment. Yogurt can be force fed with a syringe in situations where your puppy has stopped eating and shows signs of being hypoglycemic. Of course you have to be very careful of the type of yogurt that you administer and you must be sure that your dog is not allergic to dairy - although most dogs with intolerance to dairy can consume plain natural yogurt. You should only give your dog PLAIN NATURAL YOGURT with no added flavors or sugars etc. NO ARTIFICIALLY SWEETENED!! This can be very harmful to dogs. The yogurt should also contain live bacteria cultures.
HYPOGLYCEMIA:
This is the scientific name for a condition where the sugar level suddenly drops in a small animals system. The first signs of this problem is usually staggering and falling over as though they are drunk. Or they can be observed lying on their side paddling with their front feet as though they are swimming. If these symptoms are observed, you must act very quickly in order to save your puppy's life. YOU HAVE TO GET THE SUGAR LEVEL UP TO BRING THE PUPPY OUT OF THIS SITUATION. AND IT MUST BE DONE VERY QUICKLY. Usually you do not have time to get them to a Vet before they suffer irreparable damage. Honey is the best remedy for this situation. But if honey is not available, use Corn Syrup or anything that is super sweet. If you don't have any of this on hand, then run about an inch of water in a coffee cup and stir in 2 or 3 teaspoons of sugar and stir quickly until it dissolves. Then you must get some of this mixture into the puppy. At this point, you will find the puppy clinch's it mouth shut and will not lap it up on its own. By inserting a finger in the corner of the puppy's mouth you can pry it open far enough to get a fingertip covered with honey into its mouth. Or in the case of the sugar water, an eyedropper, straw, or even dropping it through the opening in the mouth one-drop at a time from a spoon. Once the puppy gets a good taste of the sweet substance, it will usually start licking its tongue out and will start to recover in a very short time. Do not be surprised if diarrhea should follow when relieving it's self. If your puppy is experience episodes of hypoglycemia, it is usually a sign that it is not taking in enough food or it has an underlying problem that may need medical attention. Sometimes, this problem can be corrected by just stirring in a teaspoon of sugar to the puppy's water supply daily until the episodes subside.
COCCIDIA:
Is an "opportunist protozoon" that lives in the bowels of all dogs. Did that make sense? ALL DOGS carry coccidia. But something has got to weaken the immune system of an animal for the protozoa to have an opportunity to take hold and start multiplying. That "something " is usually stress of one kind or another. A loose, stinky stool that can even have streaks of bloody mucus in it usually accompanies coccidia. Some Vets will explain coccidia to their clients by saying the animal is loaded with parasites. This is sometimes interpreted by that client that the animal has worms. Coccidia is not exactly a parasite but can be just as hard to get rid of . A daily supply of yogurt prevents coccidia from getting a foothold as it keeps a good balance of bacteria in the G. I. tract. So long as good bacteria exist in an ample supply in the gut, coccidia can not grow. Coccidia is shed in the stool like a virus. If the animal is not shedding it when a stool sample is taken, the animal can be misdiagnosed as being free of the protozoa. If your puppy is put on antibiotics of any sort, feed yogurt to replenish the good bacteria that is killed off by the antibiotic. It will in no way affect the antibiotic from completing it's job but may save your animal from secondary infections caused by an imbalance of good bacteria. When coccidia does exist in the G. I. tract of your puppy, it can easily spread up through the system and into the lungs and if unchecked, it can cause pneumonia and eventually death. The first signs of coccidia is usually a lack of eating properly accompanied by a loose stinky stool and sometimes escalating into bouts of hypoglycemia. Coccidia can be transmitted to humans if hands are not washed and contaminated utensils are handled improperly. Coccidia should never be allowed to progress to a point that the puppy's life is threatened. If your puppy shows signs of this disease, immediately seek professional advice and treatment.
Please Note: These are tips and suggestions only. If you think your puppy might be sick, please contact your vet. Also feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks so much