Puppy Care & Tips

PUPPY CARE TIPS:

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Be Prepared:  Before you bring your new puppy home, consider what you will need. We have a basic puppy checklist on OUR PUPPY STORE page. Here are some suggestions:  Purchase a adequate sized wire puppy crate, a harness or leash, a collar, shampoo designed for puppies, grooming brush, food/water dishes which will be short enough for your puppy to adequately eat and drink from, bottled water since water differs from one part of the country to the other, exercise playpen to keep your puppy safe, toys that are durable and cannot be chewed apart, a doggie toothbrush and toothpaste to maintain a healthy smile.

 

Never give your puppy or dog RAWHIDE chews! Please DO NOT leave toys inside the puppy crate with them unsupervised as these are choking hazards. ROPE TOYS are very dangerous! The puppy can eat the string and it can get lodge inside the digestive system and cause a blockage. Never leave ROPE type toys unsupervised with your puppy.
For recommended toys, crates, food and nutrients please visit OUR PUPPY STORE.

 

Our recommended puppy food:   We feed all of our dogs and puppies high quality Diamond Naturals Brand Small Breed Pet Food. Your puppy will come with a small starter packet of food. Feel free to change to another high quality brand dry food but it is VERY important to gradually introduce the new food to your puppy by adding a mixture of the food your puppy comes home with and the new food you choose for your puppy. NOTE:  your puppy should always have dry food and water set out for him or her anytime during the day or night.  We recommend feeding your new puppy twice a day with canned puppy food.

Leave a small bowl (1-2 cups) of dry food out for your puppy to nibble of throughout the day in case he/she gets hungry. This will reduce the risk of Hypoglycemia.  Always feed a high quality small-breed dry puppy food such as:  Diamond Naturals puppy food, Purina ProPlan, Blue Buffalo, Royal Canin, or another high quality of food source formulated for the high energy and nutritional need of your new puppy. Keep some Microbiotic to help stimulate the immune system and keep your puppy's health in tip-top shape, such as:  ProBios, Benebac, or FasTrack.  We use PROBIOS powdered probiotics supplements in each meal for our puppies (you can find this product in our online store).

 

Puppies love to jump from couches, bed, etc. but this can injure their hips, knees, and elbows.  Discourage any type of jumping to protect them.  Never leave them on the furniture unattended. 

 

Be careful, collars can cause collapsing trachea in small breed dogs.  Consider using a harness instead.
     

Your veterinarian is a good source of information concerning a number of topics with regards to the newest member of your family.  Make sure you discuss all your questions with your veterinarian.

It is Very Important to keep the puppy up-to-date on his vaccines. Your puppy will go home with age appropriate vaccines and it is your responsibility to follow-up with your vet for the remaining series of vaccines.   At your initial health check, be sure to bring along your puppies health records that we have provided you with and have your veterinarian schedule future appointments to maintain a current vaccination schedule.  Puppies are born with special immunity passed to them by their mother, but that last for a short period of time and ceases at different ages for different puppies.
 

 

Hypoglycemia:

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Hypoglycemia: low blood sugar, is a disorder that occurs mainly in small breed puppies and is often caused by stress and can occur without warning.  It might appear after the puppy has become exhausted from playing, or misses a meal, chills or has a digestive upset.  These upsets place an added strain on its energy levels and bring on the symptoms of lethargic, collapse or even what appear to be seizures.  It is a real threat to these little guys, so watch for your puppy becoming too tired or droopy.  The first signs of listlessness or depression are usually followed by muscular weakness, tremors and later convulsions, coma and even death.  The puppy may appear depressed or may be weak, wobbly and jerky, or found to be in a comatose state.  If your puppy has any symptoms that even appear to be those of hypoglycemia, you must act fast.  If the puppy is awake, give it Nutri-cal by mouth on your fingertip. If you don't have any Nutri-cal handy, you can also use clear Karo syrup or Pancake syrup in a pinch.  You should see improvements within 20-30 minutes.  If no improvements appear,  repeat another dose of Nutri-cal and then you must get them to a veterinarian.  If the puppy is unconscious, it should be taken to the emergency vet at once.

To prevent Hypoglycemia follow this advice:  allow only 10-15 minutes or less of play at one time, followed by a good rest.  Do not allow the puppy to overtire.  Supervise the interactions between the puppy and children.  Keep your puppy warm, a nice heating pad on low is great to keep it from becoming chilled.   Your puppy needs to eat at least every 3-4 hours, more often if it is a very small puppy.  In the event that you can't get them to eat their regular puppy food due to stress or changes. Small pieces of freshly cooked chicken cab be given (Bland/no seasoning.)  You can also try giving a spoonful of all-natural plain or yogurt, or small curd cottage cheese is also a helpful food to keep them eating. Give  a small amount of Nutri-cal or clear Karo syrup each morning and night for the first 7 days to prevent the low blood sugar that can come with the excitement and stress of going to a new home.

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Additional Precautions:

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Always consider your puppy just like a newborn baby, as it will need all the love, care and attention that you would give a newborn baby.   Here are some helpful suggestions:

    1)  Don't leave your puppy unattended for extended lengths of time, until your puppy has totally acclimated himself/herself to its new home.  Long periods of time left alone in a new, strange environment may cause anxiety and additional stress.  You will want to be with your baby as much as possible in the first few weeks.  Hold your puppy often... It helps with bonding.
If you have to be away from home for more than 4 hours, such as going to work, then please consider a pet sitter or family member to come in to your home and watch your new puppy for you. They will need to pay special attention to feeding schedules, access to fresh water, food, room temperatures, limited play times, and periodic Nutri-cal supplements. Nutri-Cal can be purchased from Our Puppy Store page on this website.

   

    2)   Prepare a comfortable WARM place for your puppy to consider its own home.   You may want to invest in a heating pad (for smaller breeds); set it on LOW with a baby blanket or towel on top of it; and make sure puppy cannot get to the cord.  You may only need a little additional warmth for several days.  A nice warm bed and blankets are a nice addition so they can be cozy.  For larger breed Saint Bernard puppies you will find that they prefer the cooler temperatures and often enjoy the air conditioner and fans to be comfortable.

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    3)   Always have dry food and water sitting out for your puppy to graze on anytime.   For the first week or so, make sure your puppy gets whatever he/she wants to eat.  Do not be afraid to offer small meals several times a day to your puppy. If your puppy won't eat the food, you can try feeding canned puppy food, slightly warmed, and you can offer it on the tip of your finger to the puppy while holding her. This usually works for the most spoiled puppies. There may be a time period where your puppy will not want to eat at all, but don't let this happen.   If need be, finger feed your puppy, try different foods, and even try Gerber baby food meats if all else fails. Yogurt (all-natural, plain with live cultures) work well, or try offering small curd cottage cheese. We give this to our puppies when they are finicky, and they love it!  Pedigree canned puppy food, ProPlan canned puppy food, seems to be their favorites.  There will come a time when puppy will begin to eat more and more of his/her hard kibble,  but for a period of time you need to "baby" your puppy.  Always make sure your puppy is eating  about every 3-4 hours during the day.  Always feed your puppy before bedtime too, and give a couple fingertip doses of Nutri-cal before bedtime. We do NOT recommend feeding your new puppy a raw meat diet. This is controversial with many breeders, but we do not support this method of nutrition for puppies. If interested in feeding a raw food diet, please research first and introduce to your puppy after he/she is 12 months old.

   

   4)  Nutri-cal vitamin supplement will also encourage your puppy's appetite, help raise sugar level, and increase energy.   For small breed puppies, always make sure you are using your Nutri-cal:  morning, noon, dinnertime, and before bedtime.   If need be,  increase your supplement to more times during the day if puppy is not eating or drinking well.   We also recommend that you also have a good Microbiotic for your puppy to help stimulate and boost its immune system, such as:  Pro-Bios, Benebac, or FasTrack.

   

   5)  Water -- make sure you use bottled water for the 1st 2 - 3 weeks and then gradually wean your puppy off the bottled water onto the water you have in your home.   Water can be a definite detriment to your puppy's system when changing from one water source to the next.

   

   6)  Play time and Rest time:   Make sure you spend lots of quality time with your baby.   Play should be limited to 10-15 minutes for the small breeds.  A worn out puppy will quickly crash with hypoglycemia as it has exhausted its energy supply.   Make sure you allow your puppy to have plenty of rest.  Babies usually eat and sleep during the first 3 months of life -- your puppy is no different.  It will require plenty of food/water and plenty of rest.

   

   7)  Hypoglycemia -- should your puppy show signs of hypoglycemia: lethargic,  loss of appetite,  droopy,  tail tucked,  drooling,  limp,  staggered walk, won't play, or seizure fits.   Rub about a dime size of  Nutri-cal or Karo syrup to the gums or top of the tongue, wait for your puppy to respond.   Give several Nutri-cal fingertip doses until puppy is regaining a normal composure (repeat about every 10-15 mins if puppy is not responding well).   If the puppy is in a drooling, limp or seizure state, you should get the puppy to the Vet quickly and bring the Nutri-cal with you and rub it on to the gums and tongue during travel.  However, if the puppy is eating, drinking and you are following the above recommendations, your puppy should not ever end up in this state.   Please contact us if you have any questions.

   

   8)  If the puppy needs veterinarian attention,  please make sure you find a qualified Vet well ahead of time. One that has experience and specializes in Small breeds such as Chihuahua's.  There are many veterinarians who do not know the first thing about these tiny Chihuahua puppies.  These tiny ones are a whole new situation unlike medium or large breed puppies.  We have been raising puppies for many years, as well as gaining knowledge from fellow professional breeders who have dealt with toys, t-cups, and giant large breeds.   Our instructions for you and your baby, have been researched and practiced for many years. 
      One thing is you should have your vet check for coccidiosis if our puppy has been feeling ill, weak, or has diarrhea.  Your puppy will more than likely break with coccidiosis under hypoglycemia conditions.   The trip, new environment, new people, new home, new water source, new everything can cause coccidiosis to break in your puppy.   As a preventative, we treat the puppies before they leave with a special formula of Albon in hopes that the puppy will not experience any healthy issues, but with our tiny tiny ones it could happen anyway.   We suggest your Vet use Albon as a treatment for at least 7 - 10 days if your puppy contracts Coccidia.
       We would suggest that your young puppy NOT remain at the vet's office unless absolutely necessary, because you are introducing your new baby into another new environment, new people, cold temperatures, possible bacteria and viruses which adds even more stress and possible infection to your puppy.   Ask your vet what you can do to stabilize the puppy and if your vet will show you what procedures to follow to help your puppy regain its health.    If your baby can be with you,  this will be the best solution.    As a new mother, you need to make sure that you consider the proper decisions to alleviate any unwarranted stress as possible.   If the vet feels that IVs are necessary, please have them consider SQ method if possible, which would be less stressful.   You and your vet will need to make the decisions together.     If you puppy is left in the care of the veterinarian and his/her staff, find out if someone will be caring for the baby personally;  if food will be spoon-fed or syringe fed to your baby should it not want to eat; visit the location where your baby will be cared for (is it a warm, cozy comfortable place?)   Do everything possible to insure your baby gets as good as care as if you were there.  
    Please have your veterinarian and staff feed your puppy canned A/D dog food along with yogurt if possible;  also a good microbiotic such as ProBios, Benebac, or FastTrack is a MUST. Nutri-Cal or Pet Tenic is also very important.  This will help your puppy regain its strength and vitality much quicker and keep the digestive system running smoothly.  

   

   9)   Please email, text or call us if a situation arises.  We will do our best to follow through with all the help we can provide to help you and your veterinarian care for your new baby.