Health
Issues and General Information you need to know for toy breeds
Diseases
All puppies need to be socialized at an early age. So hopefully
your breeder has done his job and this has been started BEFORE
you had taken possession of your new puppy. Once you have your
new puppy it is best to avoid taking your pet to the park, on
walks in the neighborhood, or around other pets until it has been
fully vaccinated and has a fully developed immune system (usually
16 weeks of age). This is because until your new puppy has not
had its full set of vaccinations, its immune system may not be
properly equipped to handle diseases with which it could come
in contact. Your puppy could easily get worms, parvovirus, or
Coccidia from contaminated feces it my come in contact with or
just by walking on the dirt . Yes, just by walking in the grass
or dirt may kill your new baby! I have made an effort to insure
that your puppy has not be exposed to any disease. Unfortunately,
these diseases can live in stray animal feces and on the ground
for many days, even years and can be easily transmitted to an
unprotected puppy. Puppies are very curious of their new surroundings
and will go smelling the ground,trees, rock, flower beds, anywhere
another dogs or cats may have left their markings is possibility
dangerous for your new puppy..
-Symptoms: Symptoms could vary widely, depending on which
disease your puppy has come in contact with. Parvo virus is the
top killer. It often causes either depression, vomiting, diarrhea
and/or cardiac problems (Myocarditis). Parvo has a strong odor
and the puppy will bleed from 'both ends'. Myocarditis [transmitted
form Mom to puppy] usually results in the puppy stopping nursing,
crying out, and gasping for breath. Coccidiosis can cause diarrhea,
dehydration, appetite loss, and anemia [also can be brought on
by stress].
-Treatment: Seek veterinary treatment immediately if your
puppy has come in contact with any of these diseases and has not
been fully vaccinated, as they can cause death in your puppy in
only 24 hours. Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure. Avoid contact with other animals and unknown places prior
to full vaccination of your puppy. Have those people who handle
the puppy wash their hands before handling. Since Parvo can also
be carried on the bottom of your shoes, it is a good idea to keep
shoes that you wear outdoors from contacting any area where the
puppy sleeps/plays. Do not allow you puppy to lick or play bite
hands, face or interact with children. We adults know how germs
can spread.
Low
Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)
-Description: This is the number one killer in toy breeds.
I CAN NOT stress this enough Because toy breeds have such a small
fat reserve around their liver, they are prone to low blood sugar.
Although this can occur at any time, it's especially important
to watch your new puppy due to it's small size.
-Symptoms: Lethargy, lack of coordination (stumbling, falling,
staggering), followed by seizures, coma and death if not treated.
IF a puppy acts like it is drunk it is a good indication that
it's sugar has gone down.
-Treatment: Although you should always consult your veterinarian
for the proper treatment of your particular breed, I recommend
you keep a source of 'sugar' handy (e.g. Nutri-Cal, Nutri-Stat,
Vitacal, Karo Syrup, honey, Pedialyte/sugar water UN-flavored)
to boost your little friend's blood sugar level when it starts
dropping. I, myself, will use 1. Nutri-Cal, 2.honey and . Pedialyte
[unflavored] 100% of the time to bring up a puppies sugar. On
a puppy I would suggest giving 1 cc of pure honey and maybe 1
cc of Pedialyte to drink to start off with. Do not over do it
because they have a tendency to throw it back up. Remember, just
like the sugar bottoming out the same thing can happen if it gets
to much in to fast of a time. Do NOT leave this puppy alone and
repeat in 15 minutes. You may offer the Pedialyte more often if
it will take it.
The Nutri-Cal supplement is essential for any pet owner's medicine
chest. It is specially formulated to give your pet the nutrition
it needs and fast. It has been known to bring a puppy suffering
from low blood sugar immediately out of the beginning stages of
a coma. It also has high potency vitamins, minerals, fats, and
carbohydrates which your puppy needs. Because it is high in B
vitamins, Nutri-Cal can actually stimulate your pet to start eating
right again. We recommend it be purchased before taking home any
puppy. Especially,because most of our babies are UNDER 2 pounds
at time of purchase. It can very easily save his life. It costs
less than $5.00, much less than an emergency trip to the vet.
Nutri-Cal is especially beneficial for pets that are stressed
due to recovering from illness or injury[also due to a change
in environment, a new home,and shipping] . It is also specially
formulated to be gentle on sensitive digestive tracts, and can
also be used for kittens. This may be able obtain through your
veterinarian or local pet store. For severe cases of low blood
sugar, your veterinarian may need to give an IV of a sugar solution.
As a precaution, you can always make sure that when you're going
to be away for a while that your little friend eats before you
go and that you leave him food for when you're gone. Don't feed
him candy, as this can cause the blood sugar level to surge and
then drop drastically. Be advised that Lap Dogs Kennel WILL NOT
be held libel for sugar loss reguardless of levals AND any/all
positive test of Coccidia once you have a puppy in you possession.
(Being by plane or meeting in person)
Slipped
Stifle (Luxating Patella)
-Description: Slipping knee joints (also referred to as
luxating patella's, slipped stifles) is a common problem in small
breeds. In this condition, the kneecap slips out of its groove
and moves against the thighbone (femur) instead of along its natural
groove. Although most will argue that this is a heritable condition
only, I like other breeders and Vets tend to think small, active
breeds are likely to cause and irritate it through the course
of their natural activities as in jumping up and down, around
taller objects such as furniture, doing tricks,playing hard that
involves running & turning.
Although, my Vet has screened my parents for this their really
is no way I can foresee it in back generations. I would love to
guarantee against this but it is just not possible. It would be
like comparing it to the Doctor promising you that your child
will never get freckles. In my eyes it just cant be done!
-Symptoms: Rear leg lameness, shifting from one leg to
another, hopping and/or skipping, and an inability to fully extend
the leg, and can result in arthritis over time.
-Treatment: Treatment usually involves correcting the problem
threw a Vet. If treated early enough, the condition can be repaired
such that the pet can lead a normal, healthy life. This condition
should not cause a dog to be put down. However, it may require
it to lead a quiet, low key life.
Stress
(another biggie on my list)
Because the doggies I breed are smaller then the average breeds,
stress can affect them physically. Such as diet changes, moving
to a new home, shipping, etc. Along with the sugar drop this can
kill your puppy within hours if it is not caught on time.
-Symptoms: Coughing, Diarrhea, Hypoglycemia, refuse to
eat, Infection, uncontrollable shaking, throwing up, no energy,
no interest in anything and even a positive test for Coccidia.
(Reminder: your pup has been treated 7 days for Coccidia, but
stress can and will cause it to reoccur. This is why I will not
cover Coccidia regardless of reason.)
-Treatment: Always check first with your veterinarian to
rule out a more serious reason for these symptoms, but coughing,
diarrhea, and low blood sugar are fairly common responses to stress.
Many of these symptoms are temporary and will go away once the
puppy gets used to their new environment or situation. Of course,
you need to treat low blood sugar as described above. Because
stress can cause the immune system to become depressed, this may
make the puppy susceptible to bacterial and/or viral infections.
Your veterinarian will best be able to diagnose this and prescribe
antibiotics in the case of a bacterial infection. Another thing
that most people don't realize is that by you holding your new
baby to much, and yes it can be done, can also stress it out.
When you first receive your puppy give him/her plenty of down
time. Keep noise to a minimum. Don't play to much with them at
first. Don't decide to go on vacation, family gathering or to
even to your child's ball game to show him or her off. If your
are meeting me in person it usually means you have some travel
time. Remember I had to travel to meet you and that alone can
stress him/her out. So, think of your new baby and go straight
home so that it can rest and get use to it's new home. Another
suggestion is to fix the bed [or a box is excellent because it
is tall on the sides] with a heating pad on one side of it. Make
it to where if wanted he/she can lye on the heated side or lye
on the cool side. Make sure to use with plenty of cover so they
cant get to the pad and overheat. In adults dogs I still offer
this when they have puppies or they look like they are having
an 'off' day.
Vaccines
Because Toy breeds are so small and because vaccine manufacturers
recommend giving the same amount of vaccine to a toy breed as
to a large breed like a Saint Bernard, they may be more susceptible
to vaccine related problems (as in reaction).
Possible Symptoms: Lethargy, depression, fever, and possibly death
-Treatment: Vaccines are a very controversial subject and
one you should discuss with your veterinarian. The information
presented here is just an opinion and not to be used as a substitute
for proper veterinary advice. Many toy breeders were losing puppies
a few days after giving vaccines (especially the tiny ones like
ours) and once they started giving half doses of vaccines (the
killed vaccines rather than the modified live ones), and they
quit losing their puppies.
Logically, you would wonder: "Why give the same dose of a
vaccine to a 90 pound dog that you would to a 2 pound dog?"
Even within the breeding community, there is discussion about
which vaccines and how much to give to a toy breed puppy. One
breeder has quit giving the Leptospirosis Vaccine [like I] to
their puppies based upon research at Kansas State University that
suggests that there are more reactions to this vaccine than to
others, and that Leptospirosis virus is pretty rare so why use
it. Other breeders have not had any problems with this particular
vaccine, although it is not given to their pups until 4 months
of age. In the final analysis, the decision when and how much
to vaccinate is left to the owner's and their veterinarian's discretion.
We here at Lap Dogs Kennel choose NOT to use Lepto on ANY pups
and only give 1/2 a dose to the tiny, tiny puppies. However, being
said we DO use it on our adult dogs when they receive a booster
vaccines one every year along with a Rabies and Kennel Cough.
In our purchase agreement we have out lined what we request but
we understand that you have no control over what a Vet does in
his own practices. So please rely on you Vets advice.
Feeding
As stated above toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, it is
especially important to make sure that they do not go without
food for too long of a time. For this reason, we recommend either
free feeding or feeding several small meals a day. With free feeding,
you will need to insure that your pet does not overeat and that
other pets do not keep any one pet from eating. We recommend that
you do not feed table scraps but to feeding a premium small bite
puppy food. Ask you vet for a suggestion.
Just like a child you CAN teach you puppy to like certain 'treats'.....
as is raw green beans, carrots, and yes-even broccoli. You can
make 'Chicken Broth' ice cubes for a treat on a hot day. How about
a scoop of cottage cheese & diced apples? What about a piece
of toast cut into 4's with peanut butter on it? Just remember,
it's not worth it to give a sample of chocolate and if it will
give you gas, it will give them gas. Same thing about diarrhea!
Coccidiosis
Information
This is just a medical awareness more then anything, anyone purchasing
a puppy should be aware of this parasite, it lives in every dog
or puppy. While here your puppy has been treated for this parasite
- we just try to do everything in our grasp to make new owners
aware!!
Coccidia are tiny parasites that live in the cells of a dog's
intestines. IT IS COMMON in dogs/puppies to have this parasite
and when the dog/puppy is stressed (such as moving to a new home,
shots, worming, shipping, anything suddenly new to the puppy etc.)
this parasite may surface. All/Any type of stress could cause
this parasite to surface. This parasite, as with other parasites,
cannot effectively be treated until it is there to treat. So basically
the puppy can leave the breeders home showing no signs at all,
even be negative by doing a fecal exam, than show signs a few
days later at their new home. You should take a fecal exam to
your puppies new Veterinarian and have him/her check for this.
What to watch For:
Loose stools, usually with blood or muccus-but not always.
Coughing.
Acting Depressed!
Not eating or drinking!
Sleeping a lot more than a normal puppy should.
Lifeless.
If you see any signs of any of these things, please have your
Vet do a fecal exam right away, this will show if there is a problem
with Coccidiosis. Your Veterinarian will then know how to treat
your puppy. Treatment is usually 5 days on Albon or another type
of sulfa drug.
As a breeder and someone who cares about our puppies we try to
do everything to make sure your puppy does NOT have Coccidiosis
when he/she leaves our home, your puppy has already been treated
at least once @ 5 days with Albon. But be sure, have your Veterinarian
check for this parasite.
Please note: Regular worming medication is not effective on this
parasite, you must obtain the medication required for Coccidiosis
from your Veterinarian!!!
Something else we want to bring to your attention is even though
we worm here for all worms your puppy has the potential to still
have a worm called tape worm. This is a little worm that look
like grains of rice when it is expelled in the puppies/dogs stool.
It is caused by fleas or flea eggs that is ingested by the dog/puppy.
Due to that we believe puppies should not be raised in cages and
should be able to explore the grounds here, your puppy have been
exposed to fleas that may live in the dirt. If you should see
a tapeworm don't be alarmed, just ask your Vet for a pill called
Dronict, it is a one time pill and works wonders.
