QUICK GUIDE "Our Puppy At Home"
Essentials for before arrival:
Think of what Royal Canin Starter mini is eating. It will not be rationed, it will always be left on.
Canned wet food (Royal Canin Starter mouse or Royal Canin Mini Junior)
Vitamins "Nutriplus Gel" brand Virbac (The amount of a teaspoon of dessert distributed in 1-2 times a day will be given)
Feeder and Drinker (Stainless steel or ceramic)
Bed
Toy (preferably noisemaker, stuffed animal or ball)
puppy park
soakers
OPTIONAL: Readings for the education of the puppy. "The Book of the Good Dog" or "Now that you have your puppy", author Ian Dumbar. "Home Alone, Canine Separation Anxiety," author James O'Heare.
Other things that must be purchased before or during the first weeks:
Internal antiparasitic "Panacur Oral Paste" (We will use it to give it 5 days in a row between the 2nd and 3rd week of the arrival of the puppy at home)
External antiparasitic "Stronghold Puppies (Revolution Puppies)" or "Advocate up to 4kg" (We will put it a month after the puppy arrives home, NOT coinciding with the puppy's bath)
Collar/Harness (preferably once we have our puppy to choose the size well)
Otic cleaner (Ears) but do not remove hair. We will clean them approximately every 15 days or coinciding with the puppy's bath, always before the bath.
Intense hydration shampoo or puppy shampoo. It must be high-end cosmetics, such as Pure Paws, Crown Royale, Hydra... Baths can be performed as often as desired, every 2, 3 or 4 weeks.
Intense hydration conditioner. Same brand as the shampoo.
Soft Carding
Nail clipper
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
How many times and how much feed should you eat?
The puppy must have the feed available all day and eat what he wants, throughout his life. The wet food (can) can be given approximately half a can divided into two times a day, in the morning and at night during the first week.
IMPORTANT: If we observe that the puppy is listless, does not want to play, sleeps a lot, has its tail down, it is very likely that it has low blood sugar, so we will have to give it sugar water with a syringe by mouth, approximately 6ml .
How long should vitamins be given?
The vitamins will be given twice a day, approximately one tablespoon of dessert, morning and night until the bottle is finished. Then if you want you can continue with them or not.
When do I deworm internally and externally?
Externally: A pipette (Stronghold/Revolution or Advocate) will be used for dogs up to 4kg, once a month during the spring, summer and fall months.
Internally: We will use Panacur Oral Paste for 5 days in a row from the second week that the puppy is with us at home.
IMPORTANT: If in the days after the puppy arrives home, we observe that there is mucus and a little blood in the feces, it is normal, it could be perfectly due to the stress of moving house. If after 3-4 days this persists, ask the veterinarian to prescribe Flagyl (metronidazole syrup) and give the dose recommended by the veterinarian between 7 and 14 days.
When should the next vaccine be given?
The next vaccine should be given after 4 weeks of being with us at home and after having dewormed the puppy internally. Once set, you can go outside and be with other dogs.
I notice that the puppy makes a noise like he wants to vomit or has a cough, what do I do?
It is quite common for puppies to catch a cold, just like babies or children. In principle, you do not need to do anything. The cough in most cases goes away on its own without giving any type of medication. It must be remembered that it is not good to administer antibiotics without a truly justified cause. We should not despair if we see that a week goes by and the puppy still has a cough, since in some cases it can last up to a month, but if the problem becomes more frequent and goes on, we see the puppy down or persist for more than a month, first, the vet should prescribe amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (in the pharmacy it would be Augmentin syrup for children, it is cheaper than the vet), and administer it twice a day for 14 days. If the problem continues, the next step would be to administer Azithromycin.
YOUR PUPPY'S FIRST DAY AT HOME
After the trip, when you get home, put water for him to drink. Then offer him a little feed in a feeder. If he refuses to eat, patiently try feeding him loose grains by hand.
Some puppies take a little longer to adjust than others. The first days that your puppy spends away from his mother and siblings will be a great shock and stress, due to the great change that this implies. Therefore, when you take it home, you will have to give them your full attention. If you can take time to show him around his new home, feed him and play with him, it will help him feel happy and tired before he goes to sleep.
In times of stress they can manifest different symptoms. Some don't eat, others cry, have a little diarrhoea... It's normal, now everything is new for them.
Whenever any questions arise, do not hesitate to contact me.
IMPORTANT: Very young puppies can have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially if they have not eaten for a long time. Symptoms of mild hypoglycemia are pale or whitish gums, weakness, tremors, lethargy, or unusual tiredness. If this happens, give him a little sugar water by mouth with a syringe (without a needle). Within a few minutes he should recover and want to eat.
Let your pup sniff and explore
Start by letting your pup sniff everything, then show him his bed. Let him explore his new environment at the pace he wants.
Let your puppy sleep
If you have small children, it is easy for them to want to play with the puppy all the time and tire him out. You must impose the rule of never waking the puppy. So once your pup falls asleep, don't disturb him.
Let your puppy learn to stay alone and get "bored"
Try and get him used to being alone. For the first few nights, the puppy is likely to be restless and cry when left alone. A hot water bottle can be very calming. But don't worry too much, it will soon feel like home.
During the day he should also learn to stay alone in the park, to play alone with his toys and to "get bored", this will help the puppy pick up the pace of eating, sleeping and playing as needed.
IMPORTANT: The use of the puppy park is essential for the first weeks of adaptation of our puppy. We have to keep in mind that he is still a baby, and that mainly what he needs is to eat and sleep, so at first, the puppy will spend a large part of the day inside the park and will go out in short periods of time. Little by little we will increase the time of departures.
Start teaching him to relieve himself outside the home
Before taking the puppy out on the street, it must be fully vaccinated.
In this time, we can put a soaker in the ground. I advise putting one inside the park and one outside of it. Don't get mad at your pup if they urinate on the carpet, as they are often mistaken for the underpad.
Put him in the underpad every half hour to hour, and after every meal, or every time he wakes up from a nap. Reward him with lots of praise or treats every time he relieves himself in the right place.
NOTE: The puppy will be able to go outside before having all its vaccinations (and it is recommended for its socialization), if it is carried in the arms, it will NEVER be put on the ground or be in contact with other animals on the street.
At the vet we will never leave it on the ground either. It is one of the highest risk sites along with parks and areas frequented by dogs.