what's wrong and how to fix it!

by Mary Hester
(Brooksville, KY, United States)

My dog had a litter of puppies. She had 7, we had a runt that was not eating so we bought her puppy formula. When I was feeding him he started gasping for air and bleeding out of it's butt.

1 day later another died but we didn't see anything wrong with it. The next day 3 more died they all had been bleeding out the butt too. We have 2 more please help us.

What's wrong and how do we fix it! HURRY




Hi Mary
I'm so sorry to hear about what's happening with your puppies, that must be just heartbreaking.

However, there is obviously something very, very wrong and the only way to get an answer to this is to have the remaining puppies, and their momma, examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

It sounds to me as though there may be an infection of some sort involved, but I'm not a vet and you NEED professional advice. Please get these little ones to a vet right away so that they have a chance.

Best of luck, hope they make it through.

puppy not eating and crys all the time

by Lora-Lee
(rocly mount)

why is my puppy crying all the time and not eating? she is pooping but she is also only 4 days old..




Hi Lora-Lee
Healthy newborn puppies should just nurse and sleep, they shouldn't be crying much at all.

It sounds as though this pup has a problem of some sort and I strongly recommend that you take her to your vet for an exam. It could be an infection, or some sort of congenital problem, it's impossible for me to say.

If a pup of this age isn't eating she is at risk of dying fairly quickly. Please have her seen by your vet right away.

I wish you the best of luck and hope that this little one recovers.

Puppy Aggressiveness

by Toni
(Jacksonville, FL )

I'm an angel when I'm sleeping - only

I have a 9 week old American/English Bulldog mix. She bites, lunges, barks, growls,snaps at our feet and exhibits very aggressive behavior - far above normal puppy stuff. It seems the more we say "no bite", the more aggressive she becomes.

I started leash training over the weekend; she got worse. She hates the leash - hates being confined. If we try to stop her bad behavior by holding her down she really goes nuts and bites feverishly.

I've never had a mean dog, but this one might be. Is there any help you can provide? I am afraid she is not trainable. What do we do?




Hi Toni
At 9 weeks old, truly aggressive behavior is pretty much never seen. It sounds to me as though your pup is strong-willed and wants to be dominant, plus bulldogs can be very stubborn, but I wouldn't say aggressive at this point.

The 'trick' if you can call it that, to training this sort of pup is to be very firm, but very calm. Consistency is the key. If you raise your voice, or raise the level of emotional intensity when interacting with her it's going to make the situation worse. Holding her down (ie the 'alpha roll' is ALWAYS a no-no, but with a pup like this it's absolutely counter-productive!)

I'd recommend that you read my Puppy Biting page and start to use the water-spray bottle method right away. This may be enough to curb the biting. Use if for lunging, growling etc. too. It's important to use the same correction EVERY SINGLE TIME and to be very firm with her. I'd discourage you from leash-training right now, give her a couple of weeks to get the other stuff under control first.

If you don't already have a crate I'd recommend getting one and follow my Crate Training A Puppy advice. Having a place of her own where she can relax and chill out may help her. Make sure she has plenty of sturdy safe chew toys to use up the excess energy on.

She needs a fair bit of exercise, but don't rough-house or play games which get her excited as that will ramp up the nipping and biting. Games of 'fetch' or 'catch' with a ball or frisbee may be good.

As soon as she's had all her vaccinations I'd suggest enrolling her in a puppy obedience class as it will be very good for her, and give you some extra one-on-one help with any problem areas. A good book or DVD (or even both) on puppy training may give you the help/advice you need.. check out Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 months, it's excellent. Also look at my Dog Books page and my Cesar Millan Dog Whisperer page.

At this age there's really no such thing as an 'untrainable' puppy, so don't panic or write her off. Her stubborness and willfulness is part of her personality, and you just need to find a way to channel it and control it. If you need more help I'd recommend talking to your vet and even approaching a local dog obedience school and talking with an experienced trainer.

This little girl just needs you to be in charge and to know that she's loved and can feel secure. It's more of a challenge to do that with some pups, but definitely not impossible. I wish you all the very best of luck and hope you manage to overcome these early obstacles.

shitzu too young to have puppies?

by christy
(kansas)

it's an emergency.

i don't know what to do. my male shitzu is 7 months old. my female is 5 months old. she came into her first heat and the two have been separated and watched constantly. somehow they got together and i came inside to hear yelping because they were stuck together. i'm afraid she too young to have these puppies.

what are the risks we are taking here. should we let her have these puppies. she's still so little.




Hi Christy
This is something I think you should discuss with your veterinarian. At 5 months old your pup is still a baby, she's also a small breed pup and these little dogs can have difficulty whelping pups.

Obviously it's a personal decision, it is possible to have your dog spayed in this situation and if she has indeed become pregnant, this would terminate the pregnancy.

It's something that I know is difficult to think about, but it's better than risking her life and bringing unwanted puppies into the world. However, as I said I would recommend talking with your vet and asking his/her opinion.

Best of luck with whatever you choose to do.

my 10 month pup could be pregnant

Will it do my pup harm to be caught at 10 month? she is a german shepherd and the pup who caught her is 9 month dogue de bordeux



Hi
It's not advisable to let a pup that's so young have puppies as she's not really mature (large breeds mature more slowly than smaller ones). However in most cases, physically, it probably won't hurt her as she's not a tiny dog.

Dogue de Bordeaux are very large though, with big heads, this may cause a problem when she tries to deliver the pups so make sure your vet has checked her out thoroughly before she goes into labor, and have his number handy in case of emergency.

I'd recommend having her spayed as soon as she's recovered from having the pups, that way you won't be in the same situation again later on.

My New Born Puppie page has lots of tips and advice to help you when the pups come. Best of luck.

Is it normal for my Lab puppy to be SO mellow?

by Brooke Hays
(Caruthersville, MO )

We just got a new lab puppy (named Page) after the devastating loss of our other Lab, Gauge. It seems like she is VERY mellow for a puppy.

I don't mean to complain BUT Gauge was VERY ACTIVE and at times, he was annoyingly active. Page just seems to be very mellow. She plays with the kids but not as much, she LOVES to sleep and just lay around. I was just wondering if this was normal for a lab puppy? She is healthy, but I was just expecting a VERY rowdy, energetic puppy.

Although my husband LOVES Page's temperament, I just wanted to make sure it is normal. Page is about 10 weeks old.





Hi Brooke
If you've only just brought Page into your home, she is probably still adjusting to her new home and family, and although she looks very mellow - it is probably due to anxiety at all the changes she's been through. Some pups try to 'block it all out' by sleeping a lot, or withdrawing into themselves.

This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about at all (providing she seems happy and healthy otherwise, is eating and drinking normally and doesn't have any diarrhea or other signs of dog illnesses.

I'd recommend that you read my Bringing Home A New Puppy page which explains all this in more detail.

Of course, it's perfectly possible that Page IS just a very laid-back and easy going pup, but I think you will get a better idea of her real personality and temperament over the next few days or weeks.

Hope this helps. Best of luck with your new pup.

swollen eye

by abigail
(midland,tx united states)

My 4 day old puppy has one swollen eye - it's not red just the color underneath the fur is that eye about to open?




Hi Abigail
A puppys' eye shouldn't be swollen, that's not normal. Even if it's not red, or showing discharge, it could be infected or injured.

New born puppies don't usually open their eyes until around 10 days or so, and it's unlikely that this swelling is anything to do with the eye opening.

I'd strongly recommend that you let your veterinarian examine this pup so that if he needs treatment he can get it asap.

Best of luck, hope it all works out just fine.

my new puppy smells bad

by Torre Sharpe
( Bronx)

Hi,
i just brought my puppy from the farm he's a yorkie bichon.He got this bad odor, I gave him a bath with shampoo.

HE still got the bad smell on him. how often should i give my puppy a bath??





Hi Torre
If your pup came from a farm then he could have all sorts of animal scents on him, and if the environment the pups were kept in wasn't kept clean then it could take a couple of baths to remove all the left-over traces.

Generally you don't want to bathe a puppy too often, once every couple of months is enough. However, if a pup is smelly or dirty, bathing him a couple of times within a few days won't hurt.

Do make sure you keep him nice and warm until he's totally dry, and only use a gentle puppy shampoo so that his skin doesn't dry out too much. Check out my Bathing A Puppy page for lots of tips and advice.

Best of luck with your puppy.

puppy eyes are gooky in the mornings

by larry
(apex nc )

i have a 4 week old pitbull every morning his eyes are gooky green in color is my dog sick?

what can i do?



Hi Larry
Discharge like this usually indicates an infection of some sort. It could be a localized eye infection, or it could be due to some more systemic dog illness or disease

I'm afraid only a veterinarian can make a diagnosis, and I'd strongly recommend that you have your pup examined just as soon as you can. Generally the more quickly you can get something diagnosed, the faster, easier and less expensive, it is to treat.

Left untreated, any type of infection is likely to spread and cause more serious issues, so please take your pup to a vet asap. Best of luck, hope he's doing much better soon.

scratching herself constantly

by lawrence theisen
(marion,iowa)

my 9 week old mal-she shihtzu is always scratching herself.

i have written back to the previous owner with no reply. we have put some very good shampoo on her we got from the vet but she keeps it up....



Hi Lawrence
It sounds as though your pup may have dog allergies of some sort.

There are dog food allergies, plus allergies to fleas, contact allergies, seasonal allergies and more.

I'd recommend that you make sure that she doesn't have fleas as a first precaution, as just one or two fleas can set up quite a bit of irritation.

There are all sorts of products that you can use to relieve the symptoms of canine skin allergies, and they can really help to make your pup feel more comfortable. But finding the cause of the reaction (or 'trigger') is very important.

Changing her food (slowly, to avoid tummy upset), making sure that you don't put anything irritating on her skin (such as perfumed sprays, shampoos and so on), and using only very gentle and mild detergent to wash her clothing or bedding etc. may help. Your vet can also run some allergy tests if he feels it's necessary.

Best of luck, hope your little girl is feeling much better soon.

American Bulldog Puppy...back leg problems.

by Joan
(Kailua, HI)

I'm the new owner of a little American Bulldog pup. I got him from his previous owner at 3 months old, that no longer wanted him. He is very calm submissive, and a great dog as far as behavior wise.

My main concern is that when I first got him, his rear legs seem very weak, he would tumble, and would not be able to get it up on his own. I noticed he was a bit heavy, the pads on his paws were still soft and pink, and he had a foul smelling feces that would literally stink up a huge area of were he pooped.

So I changed his diet, got him on some organic puppy food, and I have been taking home on long walks, and play with him often to try and strengthen his legs. It's been about a month since I have gotten him, and he seems like a happy little guy, he doesn't tumble anymore, and he seems a lot stronger than before, but I noticed that one of his rear legs seems pretty stiff.

I took him to the Vet, and they said it was not normal, that it seems that his ligament was either too loose, and that he walked high on his toes, that he wasn't bending his leg normal when he walked or ran.

I don't know if anyone has had this problem before, if you have, did your dogs leg develop normally over time?





Hi Joan
This poor little guy seems to have had a bit of a rough start, he's very lucky to have found a loving home with you and it sounds as though your TLC has helped him improve greatly.

I'm afraid I've not had personal experience of this sort of leg problem, but there are all sorts of abnormalities that can occur in pups, some minor and some major. It could be a genetic defect, or the result of some injury when he was very young.

It would seem that although it's causing some mobility problems, that it's not interfering too greatly with his life in general. Keeping him from getting too overweight, or from jumping up and down from any height would be good measures to take to make sure that he doesn't complicate the issue.

American Bulldogs are a breed that can suffer from hip dysplasia, but the symptoms you describe aren't classic signs of this condition. Those would include difficulty getting up from a lying down position, a jumping or 'bunny hopping' gait, weakness in the rear leg/s or a hearing a 'clicking' sound when the pup walks.

At this young age even X-rays often can't give any definitive answers as the bones and joints are still so immature. Did your vet give any indication as to whether or not there's a treatment for what he thinks is wrong? Or any prognosis as to whether it will get better, or worse as he gets older?

Getting him on a premium organic food is great as that will help make sure that he gets all the nutrients his growing body needs.

If you're worried about this problem, I'd suggest asking your vet to recommend you to a specialist who could give you more info. on your pups' condition. It's always good to know what you're dealing with. There may be certain exercises or something that you can do to help strengthen this leg and a vet or veterinary orthopedist should be able to give you some suggestions.

If any of my visitors who are reading this have any ideas, suggestions or have been through something similar I hope they'll join in and add their comments.

I'm sorry I can't help more, but I think this is one for the professionals, but I have to say that it sounds as though you're doing a wonderful job with this little guy and I wish you both the very best of luck.

puppy attention towards your other dog

by Nikki
(Altoona, PA)

I have two labs: Parker and Axle. Parker was my first, he's almost two, i've had him since he was about 9 weeks old. He was super easy to train and is an amazing dog.

However, when i got my second lab (axle) he is very high strung and the complete opposite of parker. he is now almost 6mo old and when they're playing axle is constantly jealous of anything parker does. he is always biting at his ankles or ears and at times it gets nasty because parker only takes so much at a time.

i would love to stop this problem now before i have two fully grown labs and they're tearing each other apart. This has begun a problem when it comes time for me to give attention because one always gets too jealous and they begin fighting.

I would love any tips on how to resolve this before it gets out of hand.





Hi Nikki
Given their different personalities, and the fact that they're both males, this isn't terribly surprising. They're like two kids fighting for moms' attention!

This sort of behavior is more common when you have two dogs of the same sex, and if these guys aren't already neutered I'd strongly recommend getting that taken care of. It has huge health benefits and also can 'take the edge off' aggressive/territorial behavior, particularly in adolescents.

You're going to need to be the 'referee' in the disputes between Parker and Axle, and if Axle starts to get out of hand, or irritate the heck out of Parker, you need to step in and separate them, correcting Axle verbally and redirecting his attention. Don't give him much attention as you do this though or you'll reinforce the behavior instead. It's a fine line to walk and you know your dogs best so use your instincts.

If they get along fine when you're not in the picture that is good, as hopefully when Axle matures he'll settle down and become more self-confident which will lessen this jealous behavior. If they don't get along without you, don't leave them alone together unsupervised as there could be trouble.

Much of this behavior is stemming from Axles' age and personality, it sounds as though he's an anxious and not very confident pup, and if you can relieve these feelings his behavior should improve. I'd recommend that you take a look at my Dog Separation Anxiety Medication page, because although he's not experiencing that particular behavior problem, the natural products on that page are designed to reduce general anxiety as well and may help Axle.

I'd also recommend that you enroll Axle)in a basic dog obedience class and start working with him. The extra one-on-one attention will help you both to communicate better and bond more, and the positive reinforcement from his success in this type of environment will help bolster Axles' confidence which will help his behavior in general. An added bonus is that you will be able to get hands-on help with any issues that are bothering you.

Do also make sure that each dog gets some 'mommy' time with you by themselves, and that there are plenty of toys, treats, attention and resources to share so that they don't feel the need to fight over everything. This is a tricky situation, but it's really just a 'phase' and if you deal with it correctly, Axle will grow out of this behavior.

I hope this has helped some. Best of luck with both your dogs.

Sarahs' dog food comparisons technique

by Amanda
(Wichita, KS)

What education does "Sarah" have? Where did the information in this dog food comparison come from, what validates it as realistic? Was any college or testing facility involved with this?

Because we feed our dog a different food, we were denied being able to rescue-adopt a puppy based on this food comparison. My husband is a veterinarian, we would've provided a GREAT home to another dog.

I was just curious as to where this information originated.

Thanks!




Hi Amanda
I'm so sorry to hear that you've not been allowed to adopt a rescued pup because you don't feed a particular food that 'fits' with Sarahs' system. That doesn't seem fair or logical to me, especially as your husband is a veterinarian and you both obviously know how to take good care of a pet and have access to all the information and experience you need. If I were you, I would try other rescue centers, I've never heard of such a thing happening before, and I'm sure there's a pup out there for you.

As for Sarah Irick and her dog food comparisons and rating system... Sarah is a dog owner and rescue volunteer, and an Engineer by profession - not a vet or dog nutrition specialist. However, she put considerable time and effort into developing her 'rating system' in an effort to help other dog owners. These are some quotes directly from Sarah:

'I designed this rating system specifically to help those who have trouble deciphering dog food labels and the many articles about what ingredients are.'



and also for people if...

'they are looking for a quality food and would like some guidance on choosing between seemingly equal brands in the store'



'Is it exact science? No. I don't claim for it to be...... I don't officially support any one food; anywhere that I personally posted grades on specific foods it was to give an idea of where these foods fell so people didn't always have to do the math...'


Choosing a good dog food can be a bit of a minefield and the formulas, brands, popularities etc. are constantly changing which makes it difficult for the average dog owner (who doesn't have weeks to spend evaluating foods) to determine what's the best choice for their dog.

Sarah's system, and other recommendations, are simply provided to give some guidance and help make it a bit easier for dog owners to negotiate the 'dog food maze'. BUT they're not 'written in stone' rules or regulations at all, just suggestions and recommendations. Obviously all dogs, and situations, are different and it's up to the owner to gather as much information as they are able, and then to make a choice (an informed choice) that suits their dog and lifestyle.

From what I understand, Sarah is happy to answer questions or help individuals whenever possible, if you want to go to my Contact Us page and email me, I would be happy to give you the email address where you can reach her if that would help.

I wish you the best of luck with your dog adoption efforts.

7 1/2 wk old pittbull

by haley
(corona)

he's my dauqhters 1st puppy :)

i just qot a 7 1/2 wk old pitbull and i was wonderinq exactly how much should i be feedinq him daily?

he's the runt of his litter so he's really small..






Hi Haley
At this age he should be eating 3 times a day, and he can eat as much as he wants each time. If he's really tiny he may have been short on nutrition both in the womb and when battling his siblings for the food bowl, so he may have some catching up to do.

Pitbulls are one of the breeds that are especially vulnerable to Canine Parvovirus, which can be deadly to puppies. Make sure he's been to the vet to have his puppy shots and deworming taken care of.

I'd recommend that you check out my Puppy Kibble page (and the pages it links to) as you'll find tons of useful tips and advice there.

Best of luck with your puppy.

I FOUND A SCHNAUZER AND SHE IS VOMITING AN POOPING

by DONMONIQUE
(HOUSTON)

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?


Hi Donminique
It means that she's sick in some way. It could be that she's eaten something she shouldn't, or she could have a dog illness of some sort.

She needs to see a vet asap, and if you have other dogs (especially if you have unvaccinated pups, or dogs that aren't up to date with their puppy shots ) then you need to keep them separated from this Schnauzer until you know what is causing her symptoms.

I recommend that you check out my Puppy Diarrhea and my Puppy Vomiting pages, as they have lots of information on these conditions.

I wish you the best of luck and hope that this dog is doing much better soon.

Bathing my puppy.......

by Maggie
(Pflugerville, TX ,USA)

My Shih Tzu is 9 weeks old. We were starting to give her a bath everyday, but then we saw on a web site that your not supposed to give your puppy a bath everyday. We have many doubts in that though, she really stinks every day. It grosses us out.

We want to give her a bath everyday, but we are concerned because of what we have read. Please help us.




Hi Maggie
There's no reason for a puppy to smell bad on a daily basis - unless she's outside running around in the dirt, or rolling in stuff she shouldn't (that happens sometimes!). Puppies don't smell like humans, but they definitely shouldn't stink!

It's definitely not a good idea to bathe a puppy daily, that can cause overdry skin, irritations and all sorts of problems. Once every month or two is usually enough. If she's getting really dirty you can do it more often than that, but it's generally not necessary.

If your pup really is smelly, then she could have some sort of skin condition such as a yeast infection, and it would be a good idea to have her checked out by your vet.

You can find lots of tips and advice about bathing puppies on my Bathing A Puppy page.

Hope this helps, best of luck with your little girl.

Constipation in Pekingnese puppy

by Nicky G
(Gauteng)

My daughters little Pekingnese of 5 weeks are constipated, not interested in eating. seems to get weak.



Hi Nicky
A pup with these symptoms needs to be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Especially as they're a tiny breed, and very young.

A constipated puppy isn't that unusual, especially in the small or tiny breeds, and there are some simple measures you can take to help relieve that.

However, if a pup is showing other signs of illness, then it could be much more serious. Please get professional help asap as they could be sick and that's not something I can help with I'm afraid.

I wish you the best of luck.

MinPin vomiting bile

MY MINPIN THE LAST TWO MORNINGS HAS VOMITED A SMALL AMOUNT OF YELLOW THICK BILE, BUT IS VERY ACTIVE AND SEEMS TO BE HIMSELF.

HE ATE A SMALL STALK OF CORN LAST WEEK OUTSIDE AND VOMITED IT UP 3 DAYS AGO.

HE IS TWELVE YEARS OLD




Hi
Vomiting up bile first thing in the morning is often due to the dog having a 'too-empty' tummy overnight.

Often giving him a couple of plain dog biscuits or something similar before bedtime can help prevent the problem.

However, as your dog ate a corn stalk, it could have irritated his stomach, so if the above suggestion doesn't help, have him examined by your vet to make sure there's no underlying problems.

Best of luck.

difficulty walking

My 10 month old Morkie is having difficulty walking all of a sudden....





Hi
I'm afraid it's impossible for me to say why your pup is having difficulty as there's a whole host of possibilities.

It could be that she's injured her leg by jumping or falling, or it could be a neurological or spinal problem, a hip/pastern problem..... or more.

Only a vet can make a diagnosis so please have her examined by your vet asap. Best of luck, hope she's back to normal soon.

puppy separation from mom

by beverly
(houston,texas harris)

How old should puppies be before they are sold, or given away?




Hi Beverly
Puppies need to be at least 8 weeks old before they leave their momma. For tiny and toy breeds, 10 weeks is better.

If they leave to early they're more at risk of disease or injury, and can also experience behavioral/social problems such as fearfulness or excessive biting.

You might find my Puppy Development and New Born Puppies pages helpful if you're raising a litter.

Best of luck.