newThingstoknow

PupELuv

This website and all its' contents and photos are Copyrighted by
the Pet Professionals of PupELuv.com and the Howard family.
918-951-4996 All rights reserved, do not download, copy, or
distribute any information or photos on this website.

Hypoglycemia, Dehydration, and Hypothermia and Feeding
Instructions

Items needed: remember to puppy proof your home, food and
water bowls, brush, tooth brush and paste,
heating pad, bedding, play pen or puppy gates, food, toys and
nutri-cal.

Food: Eukanuba and Purina Puppy Chow Dry Puppy Food
mixed, Little Caesars or Pedigree canned puppy food. Keep
dry food
and water with puppy 24/7. Feed wet food 1 tsp per pound of
body weight, 3-4 times a day for the first 6 months.

Suggestions for low appetite: Nutri-Cal, Cottage Cheese, Plain
yogurt. Grind Dry food into powder, A/D science diet.

Fighting Hypoglycemia & Loss of Appetite In Puppies

Low blood sugar can be quite dangerous to puppies. It's
essential that a new puppy owner be able to
recognize, prevent and treat this hazardous condition

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a serious condition that
can occur in young pup¬pies, especially toy breeds. Early
recognition and proper treatment is the key to preventing
potentially serious health consequences. If a puppy is bright,
alert and bouncing one minute, but is down, depressed and
disoriented the next, it could be a sign of hypoglycemia. The
maintenance of proper blood sugar levels is vital, as the
puppy's brain is entirely dependent on blood sugar as a source
of energy. Thus, signs of low blood sugar are usually related to
nervous system dysfunction.

Clinical signs of hypoglycemia can vary according to how
rapidly the blood glucose falls below normal. A rapid fall
results in dilated (enlarged) pupils, increased heart rate,
nervousness, tremors, vocalizing and irritability. A gradual fall
in blood glucose can result in visual disturbances (apparent
blindness), mental
dullness, confusion, seizures, decreased heart rate and coma.
Both scenarios can also result in dehydration and hypothermia
(decreased body temperature).

THE CAUSE. This condition is typically caused by a puppy being
unable to adapt to less frequent feeding during the post-
weaning period. Young puppies must receive nutrition every
few hours. Puppies typically have very few fat reserves to
provide energy in a crisis. If nutrition is not provided on a
frequent schedule, body glucose stores may become depleted.
If this occurs, a puppy's immature liver may be unable to
produce/process glucose quickly enough to meet body needs.

Other common causes: Stress from social and environmental
changes, Small children, Lack of rest, Car Travel; Airline
Travel, Being held to long and etc.

PREVENTION: In order to prevent or limit hypoglycemia, be
sure that the puppies have food available at all times and you
monitor for adequate consumption. Also be aware that many
factors can contribute to a puppy not eating as it should. These
include any type of stress, such as infections, vaccinations,
excess physical exertion (playing too hard), weaning, poor
nutrition, ypothermia, gastric upset, etc.

TREATMENT: Since hypoglycemia, dehydration, and
hypothermia often all occur together, all three conditions must
be corrected. Treatment should begin by first by giving oral
sugar supplementation (dextrose, syrup, honey, kayro syrup or
nutra-cal), the puppy can swallow typically one cc or ml per
pound of body weight every hour. Maintaining a warm, humid
environment (85 degrees, 85 percent humidity) is very
important. The body temperature should be raised and
maintained above 95 degrees (hot water bottles, heating pad
wrapped in a towel, hair dryer, etc.). As the condition
improves, moist food and water
should then be offered (forced, if necessary) while slowly
weaning the pup off of the sugar supplementation. A
veterinarian may start an intravenous line or subcutaneous
fluids if the condition
warrants it. Frequent high-protein, high-carbohydrate feedings
are necessary to prevent re-occurrence. The condition usually
resolves in a short period of time with steady food intake,
stress reduction and maturity.

If you think your puppy may be suffering from hypoglycemia,
start the above treatment and call us. We will help to
determine if veterinarian treatment is warranted. Following
our advice, in most cases, treatment of this condition will be
100 percent successful.

Hypoglycemia is not a sign of an unhealthy puppy. A healthy
puppy may experience hypoglycemia caused by one of the
above reasons.

Potty Training Your Puppy

Just Say " Good Dog" Teaching the Family Dog By Linda
Goodman is a great reference on training your puppy.

LITTER BOX TRAINING BY RANDY DEROUEN
my males picked up on it faster than my females. I have
taught a total of 5 my males picked up on it faster than my
females. I have taught a total of 5 chihuahuas and 4 out of the
5 still do their business in the liter box today. The 1 that
doesn't do it quit after getting pregnant and I could never get
her to go back. that
doesn't do it quit after getting pregnant and I could never get
her to go back.

The first step I took in training them to go in the liter box is
where are you going to place the litter box. It was easy for me
since I live alone and have 2 bathrooms; I decided to give my
pups their own bathroom. Other places that would be good is
laundry rooms or somewhere that a doggy door can lead to. If
you
have a doggydoor from your house into your garage; that
would be perfect. Each of my pups began using pee pads for
about a week. Wherever I put the pee pad (newspaper will do
also) is pretty much where I will end up putting the litter box. I
would chance the pee pad everyday and put it in a garbage bag
and don't throw it away. Once you have the pup regularly using
the pads then it is time to take action and pray. (JK).

I went to Home depot and bought a roll of black tarp. I cut the
tarp in squares a little bit bigger than the liter box and place
the tarp in the litter box then place the litter on top of the tarp
covering it up. I found this step easier for cleaning because i
can just take the ends of the tarp with the litter in it and wrap
it up and dispose of it into the garbage can. The only time they
bring it out of the box is when it first put in a fresh bag of
litter and they will rarely pull it out once it is settled in. If they
pull the litter out of the box; spray bitter apple over it and they
wont pull it out or chew it again.

The next step is to cut the old pee pads into little pieces and
mixing it really good with dog litter. I have 2 over sized litter
boxes even though I have Chihuahuas because it gives them
more space in case of accidents. When I would leave the house
for a short time; I found it easier to lock the pup in my
bathroom
with thel itter box so the pup would get used to it. It also helps
to immediately put the pup in the litter box right when you get
up in the morning from sleeping. This is the key to everything;
If the pup wont go when you set him/her in it; block him/her in
the box to where it cant get out forcing it to use the potty in
the litter box. I used the bathroom wall and a few boards to
lock the pup in. This will most likely work every time. After a
few minutes; the pup will eventually potty. Make sure to have
the pups favorite treat handy for when the potty takes place
and give him/her as much praise as it takes. The younger the
pup the better. Once you have repeated the procedures with
the pup; it should take off on its own. I usually change my
litter every Sunday. I keep a Pooper scooper handy to scoop up
the mess once it happens.

And don't let your little critters fool you either! My male
Chihuahua is very very smart and knows all the tricks to the
trade. When he first learned to use the litter box; I noticed he
was going to the bathroom in the liter box way too much. Once
he would get out of the liter box; he would run to the treat
area and wait for a treat and of course I would give him one. It
took me 2 weeks to find out that he was faking me out by
acting like he
was peeing and was just doing it for the treats. Stupid me. The
treat I use for litter box that works best for me is the
Chocomilk Drops. My dogs go nuts over these and they aren't
that expensive. They come in a bright orange can at your pet
stores. They are $3.00 a can and will last a long time.

HOUSE TRAINING
As with most things in life, there are hard ways and there are
easy ways to get things done. Rubbing a puppy's nose in a mess
is an inappropriate way to house train. Using ample amounts of
supervision and positive reinforcement is the easy way.

STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK
The first course of action in house training is to promote the
desired behavior. You need to:
· Designate an appropriate elimination area
· Frequently guide your puppy there to do its potty business
· Heartily praise the dog when it eliminates

By occasionally giving a food reward immediately after your
puppy finishes, you can encourage it to eliminate in the desired
area. The odor left from previous visits to that area would
quickly mark it as the place for the yorkie to do his business.
If the puppy makes a mistake and eliminates on the floor blot
it up
with a paper towel, and then place the wet paper towel on the
potty pad. At my home all puppies are left with the mother till
the age of 12 weeks, this makes house training so much
easier. The puppies see the mother using the potty pad and
learn this is the place to eliminate.

TIMING IS IMPORTANT!
Puppies should be encouraged to use the potty pad.
· After waking in the morning
· After naps
· After meals
· After playing or training
· After being left alone
· Immediately before being put to bed

ELIMINATING ON COMMAND
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy to get
the job done, you may want to teach it to eliminate on
command. Each time the puppy is in the act of eliminating,
simply repeat a unique command, such as "hurry up" or
"potty",” be a big yorkie”, in an upbeat tone of voice. After a
few weeks of
training, you will notice that when you say the command your
puppy will begin pre-elimination sniffing,circling, and then
eliminate shortly after you give the command. Be sure to
praise the puppy for accomplishments.

FEEDING SCHEDULES
Most puppies will eliminate within an hour after eating. Once
you take control of your puppy's feeding schedule, you will
have some control over when it needs to eliminate.

· Schedule your puppy's dinner times so that you will be
available to take it to the potty pad or outside after eating.

· Avoid giving your puppy a large meal just prior to confining it
or the puppy may have to eliminate when you are not around
to take it to the potty pad. Schedule feeding two to three times
daily on a consistent schedule.

· The last feeding of the day should be completed several hours
before it is confined for the night. By controlling the feeding
schedules, exercise sessions, confinement periods, and
elimination area, your puppy will quickly develop a reliable
schedule for eliminating.

CRATE TRAINING
Training a puppy to be comfortable in a crate is a popular way
to provide safe confinement during house training. The
majority of puppies will rapidly accept crate confinement when
you make the introduction fun. Since it is important to
associate favorable things with the area where your puppy is
confined, it is a good
idea to play with it there, or simply spend some time reading or
watching television nearby as the puppy relaxes with a favorite
chew toy. If the puppy is only in the area when you leave, it
becomes a social isolation area that it eventually may resist
entering. A good time to start crate training is at dinnertime.
Feed your puppy its dinner in the crate. My yorkies love their
crates I leave them with the door open it isa favorite place to
take a nap or cuddle with a toy. You should not use the crate
for periods that exceed the length of time the puppy can
actually control the urge to urinate or defecate. If you are
gone for long
periods each day, you will need to provide a larger confinement
area. You may want to consider using an exercise pen or small
room. Baby gates are wonderful to keep a puppy in a room that
has a hard surface floor no carpet if the puppy makes a
mistake you want the floor easy to clean up.

EXPECT SOME MISTAKES
Left on its own, the untrained puppy is very likely to make a
mistake. Never give the puppy full run of your home until you
are sure it is house trained. Close supervision is a very
important part of training. Do not consider your puppy house
trained until it has gone at least four consecutive weeks
without eliminating in
the wrong place. For older dogs, this period should be even
longer.
Until then:
· Your puppy should constantly be within eyesight

· Baby gates can be helpful to control movement throughout
the house and to aid supervision

· Keep them in the crate, exercise pen or a room with vinyl
when unsupervised. When you are away from
home, sleeping, or if you are just too busy to closely monitor
your pet's activities, confine it to a small, safe
area in the home.

DIRECT THE PUPPY AWAY FROM PROBLEM AREAS
Urine and fecal odor should be thoroughly removed to keep
your dog from returning to areas of the home where it made a
mess.

· Be sure to use a good commercial product manufactured
specifically to clean up doggy odors. Follow the manufacturer
recommendations for usage. On vinyl I use white vinegar and
water mixed half-and-half in a spray bottle to clean up
mistakes.

· If a carpeted area has been soaked with urine, be sure to
saturate it with the clean up product and not merely spray the
surface.

· Rooms in the home where your dog has had frequent
mistakes should be closed off for several months. The puppy
should only be allowed to enter when accompanied by a family
member.

DON'T MAKE THINGS WORSE
It is a rare dog or puppy that can be house trained without
making an occasional mess, so you need to be ready to handle
the inevitable problems.

· Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This
approach usually does not work, and may actually delay
training.

· An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a
moderate, startling distraction. You should only do this when
you see your dog in the act of eliminating in the wrong place.

· A sharp noise, such as a loud "No" or a quick stomp on the
floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Just do
not be too loud or your pet may learn to avoid eliminating in
front of you.

PRACTICE PATIENCE

· Do not continue to scold or correct your dog after it has
stopped soiling. When it stops, quickly take the puppy to the
potty pad so that it will finish in the appropriate area and be
praised.

· Never rub your dog's nose in a mess. There is absolutely no
way this will help training, and may actually make the puppy
afraid of you.

SUCCESS!
The basic principles of house training are pretty simple, but a
fair amount of patience is required. The most challenging part
is always keeping an eye on your active dog or puppy. If you
maintain control, take your dog to the potty pad frequently,
and consistently praise the desirable behavior, soon you should
have
a house trained canine companion.