CARE OF YOUR NEW PUPPY .

Caring for Your New Puppy .................. Just some  ideas to keep you on a healthy track.

Vet Appointment

I recommend your puppy be  checked by a vet within 72 hours of purchase .

Your puppy will be up to date on vaccinations and wormed. We use Neopar ( straight Parvo ) at 4 weeks as the first shot  it has proven to give the quickest protection .View medical records sent with the pup for everything he/she has been given .

Your vet should  continue a vaccination schedule, which you must follow and keep up with. Puppies get a series of vaccinations just like children go through immunizations. It is typically one booster shot per month until they are about 16 weeks of age. Pups are wormed here every 3 weeks  with Panacur . They should not have any worms by the time they go home but it is always a good idea to take a fresh stool sample to your vet to have it checked for protozoa’s and parasites just in case.

Coccidiosis (aka Coccidia)

We also want all of our customers to be well aware of the signs of stress in a puppy. Lots of puppies can stress out from the move. Think about it, new sounds, new smells, new voices, new faces and absolutely everything is different. This can cause a little puppy to become very scared. Even though you shower your puppy with attention and love, he or she can still become stressed from the changes. The first sign of stress is a loose stool. First it can get loose, then mucousy or even a tint of pink may appear in it (blood). Not to worry, it is very curable! This is what is diagnosed as Coccidiosis (aka Coccidia). I have done lots of research on this and the best way I can describe it is as follows. Coccidia is a protozoa that is dormant like in the intestines. It is commonly referred to as a parasite but it is indeed a protozoa. Not that it matters, they are treated pretty much the same. When a puppy gets upset, this protozoa can become active  and multiply to quickly  and irritate the intestinal lining which thus causes the loose stool, mucous and blood. If ignored, it can be very serious and fatal. If you know what to watch for, you can catch it and treat it right away. All dogs have it but  their body keeps it under control until the stress  makes it multiply to fast .

Most vets prescribe an oral antibiotic called Albon. Albon is a sweet tasting oral antibiotic that is given once a day for about 10 days. It is remarkable how quickly it takes affect. Within 24 hours usually you will see a big change. Now remember this is if you are keeping watch on your puppy and looking for signs. If ignored, a puppy will get diarrhea and it only goes down hill from there. Worse case would be not only the diarrhea but also vomiting and eventually becoming lethargic and dehydrated. The smaller the puppy, the quicker you can lose them. Although this may be very scary to you, It can be treated ... Time is critical  ....  If you wait to long to go to the vet you can lose  the puppy .! We have only seen it show up in pups at two times. The first time is when they are being weaned from the mom if it happens too quickly and the other is when they move to their new home. I have read that it can come on in a matter of only seven hours!

Hypoglycemia

If you are in the market for a  Chihuahua, puppy, you may have read already about the risks of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in the smaller puppies. First of all there has to be a reason for a puppy’s blood sugar level to drop. A happy, healthy puppy is not going to just get low blood sugar for no reason! It can be brought on by poor diet or an illness, or from stress,  moving to a new family is stressful the pup has just left everyone it knows and its  home ...Or even from just playing to long and  not eating often enough .. First and far most important, they must be eating well.A PUPPY HAS TO EAT  >>>>>>>>>>>>!

If a puppy refuses to eat because they are still adjusting, we recommend feeding them pretty much whatever they will eat! I have found that puppies will eat their dry kibble much easier if there is something moist mixed in with it. Try adding cottage cheese or yogurt, some canned puppy food or baby food chicken out of the jar along with some corn syrup. This is much more enticing than just a bowl of dry puppy food. You can even add this syrup to you puppy’s drinking water as a constant source of sugar. You can even put a little warm water or pedialite over their food. Some people will boil chicken for a puppy or brown some ground beef and add rice to it. This is great for a puppy and they love it! There are many different things you can make up for a puppy but these are what I know have worked in the past.

Don't worry about spoiling them once they are comfortable in their new home they will get   back to eating dog food and do just great .Of course here mine are spoiled with   boiled chicken and treats that are good for them everyday !!

Typically a puppy is scared when they get home, not for long but they may not want to eat on the first evening. Don’t be alarmed. This is very common and by the next day they eat like they are starving and everything is back to normal, we send a tube of Nutra Cal home with the puppy your puppy is not eating that first evening give an M&M size  amount of the nutri-cal every 4-5 hours . This is a vitamin supplement that the main ingredient in it is corn syrup. This is what saves a lot of puppies that stand a chance of getting hypoglycemic. It can be given every two hours if needed but typically not but maybe 4 times a day. When the puppy is eating well and into his/her routine, Nutra Cal can be given once a day as a vitamin supplement. Some people have used corn syrup when there is nothing else available and their puppy is very weak (becoming hypoglycemic). I also love to give my puppies honey nut cheerios as they are a great treat and  help with  preventing sugar drops .

If your puppy seems to be acting normal one minute, running and playing and then all of a sudden they are so tired they cannot lift their head, this is a sure sign of hypoglycemia. If ignored, the puppy will become almost lifeless, have seizures and lose conscience. This would be near death and nothing to be ignored. A puppy can die very quickly if not treated. The best thing to do is get some corn syrup down them quickly (pancake syrup …something very sweet) and rush the puppy to your vet. After giving them the sugar, they should respond within 30 minutes, if they are not acting fairly normal within 30 mins it is time to call the vet . They can almost return to normal but you need to find out what the cause is many times they have  just played to hard and not eaten  often enough .. If you puppy has several  bouts of what seems to be sugar crashes it is  best to see a vet as there maybe an underlying cause  such as a cold starting .

Tiny  Dogs  need to be watched constantly because they have to eat often and get lots of TLC or they can stress and die. A very small dog is not a good idea to own if you and your family are gone a lot and have busy schedules. A Chihuahua needs a human around and should not be left alone for more than a few hours at a time. A larger Chihuahua is not as fragile but they do still require lots of TLC.

Remember their is  much more to getting a dog than just the purchase price ... there are dog supplies, food, crate, leash,treats etc, and  there is the  cost of vet care when needed .

Training

There are options to choose from when it comes to training your new puppy. One option is to crate train. Another option is to train the puppy to go potty on a piddle pad (aka wee wee pad or puppy training pad, I use the washable ones )  or on newspaper.The washable potty pads can be purchased at any medical supply  they are the water proof pads used for bed wetter's . The last option that has become pretty popular now is litter box training.

Dos and Don'ts

No matter what way you choose to train your Chihuahua puppy, be sure to always praise the pup and give him/her a treat when the job is well done. Using a stern, lower voice is enough scolding to a small breed dog. Please do not harm your puppy in any way when getting frustrated in training. Remember, they are only going to learn if you are consistent in teaching them. So many people give up or do not try hard enough to properly train a dog. A Chihuahua is one of the most intelligent breeds out there and they are not difficult to train if the trainer is consistent.

Puppies sleep a lot so make sure you have an area designated just for puppy. A blanket, towel or doggy bed in the corner of a room will work just fine. If you are crate training your puppy, the crate is a safe place for the puppy to nap. Once the crate training is finished, you can always remove the door from the crate and that will remain the puppy’s safe spot to rest. Dogs like small confined spaces like this. Make sure your crate is not too big (just enough room for them to lay down and turn around).

Children should be supervised when playing with puppies. If a puppy is mistreated, it could change that puppy’s personality for the rest of his or her life! Make sure that the puppy is never left unattended with children you are unsure about. Some children are very respectful of animals and as we all know, some are never taught to be respectful.The rule here for anyone under 15 is to hold a pup you have  sit on the floor  ...

Never leave a puppy unattended on furniture. A Chihuahua puppy can think he is very brave at times and may try to jump. To avoid any broken bones or worse, be sure to make a house rule of never leaving your puppy on the sofa or bed. Stairs are something that a Chihuahua can learn to go up and down, as they get older. Even a  tiny one  can run up and down stairs if they put their mind to it. I have some very small Chihuahua's that run up and down the stairs safely and quickly. However, I also have some full size Chihuahua's  that are scared to death of a flight of stairs. It is all in what you expose them to and what they feel safe doing.

As most of us know, Chihuahua's are very popular dogs. Never leave your puppy unattended to outdoors. I have actually had a customer report that their dog was stolen from their yard! Don’t take any chances; keep a watchful eye on your dog no matter what his/her age is. Also be careful of large birds. Eagles, Hawks and Owls are large enough to swoop down and grab a puppy. That is a horrible thought but it has happened!

Some foods a puppy should not have are Chocolate, anything high in caffeine, raisins, grapes , very fatty foods such as the skin off of chicken or the fat off of pork or beef .Be cause if you have houseplants as many are toxic and can be fatal to a tiny dog .

Also do not leave your puppy unattended in your house as electric cords can be very attracting to small  dogs .

Lastly, do not take your puppy anywhere in the public that an ill animal could have been until they are fully vaccinated. This usually means at least 16 weeks of age. Once they have all of their vaccinations in them, they are usually immune to the diseases. Public parks, pet stores that allow you to bring your pets in and vet clinics are the main places to be careful of. Of course you have to take your puppy to the vet clinic for vaccinations. However, do not put him/her down on the floor. Make sure the office is clean and the tables are cleaned with a disinfectant that tills viruses.  IF in question ask your vet to wipe it down before you set a puppy down .... I have  more than once ask my  vet to wash his hands before touching my puppies .You can never be too safe!

If you have any  question or I can be of any help  please contact me ..

Sue,                Lavida Chihuahua's    785-799-6551     lavida@bbwi.net

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