Quote:
Originally Posted by Bella dolce  Hi guys- what a weekend! It was so scary finding baby bella in a hypoglycemic episode yesterday. She'd fallen flat on her tummy legs splayed out when I found her. I was able to revive her a bit, although while crying and in shock. Got her to the vet. She was again on IV fluids all day. The real problem is that for one entire week Bella has had no appetite at ALL!!! She simply will not eat on her own. Will drink her water on occasion. So to me, there has to be some reason for this which the Banfield vets have no clue about. I'm not crazy about banfield hospital but we bought the Wellness plan to cover office visits, spaying and shots for her first year. However, I am thinking of taking her to an independent vet tomorrow to get another opinion. What are your thoughts on this? We are not rich and have so far spent an additional $600 on Bella's vet bills this week alone. As for the breeder, who takes no responsibility for her having Coccidia, I still blame him for selling Bella away from her mommy too soon and lying about her age. We would have gladly waited 2 more months for her. Instead, she's been suffering and we have been in emotional pain watching her feel so bad. The one year health guarantee says the breeder will replace the puppy at his discretion. The breeders are John and Okie Kang of Kang's farm in Social Circle, GA. Ever Heard of them? We found them on Oodle Tampa Classifieds - Search Tampa Classifieds and Post Free Classifieds.
So I've been on baby duty for the night shift for 3 weeks & I am physically and emotionally drained. I am just waking up for the day while my husband and daughter have taken over this morning. Not sure how much longer I can endure!! Never expected to have a sick puppy with all we have going on. This is our very first pet ever. I own my own business, hubby works full time, all 3 kids are in school- it's a nuthouse around here!!!
With all the venting out of the way- please forgive my new mommy-sleep deprives- emotional tantrum!!!! LOL WE remain determined to help Bella get well. We don't want a different puppy, we want her to be healthy. My hubby is calling the breeder again today- what should we say to him? I know the hypoglycemia wasn't his fault, but if she'd never been infected with Coccidia, she would still have her appetite! Any advice on how to best communicate with the breeder is so needed.
Further, anyone with experience with babies who completely refuse food?? what types of health issues might cause this? How expensive could this be to determine the cause? How much longer should we wait to take her to a different vet?
Big thanks and lots of love to Carmen who has been our guiding light thru this, as well as everyone here. We APPRECIATE YOU!!! THANK YOU AND PLS KEEP PRAYING FOR OUR BABY GIRL!! & for me--  |
Carmen: Please correct me but: I believe young puppies aren't weened till the 5-7 weeks of age. Up til that point, they drink only Momma's milk (or goat's milk).
They can be offered mushy solid foods when the weening process is started, but they only take little bits at a time and are still dependent on the milk being the major part of their diet. (Just like a human baby)
As they grow, they will start to take more and more solid mush food as their bodies adjust to it.
So to expect a pup under 8 weeks of of age to eat solely on it's own is unrealistic. Even at 8-12 weeks of age they need to be closely supervised, as hypoglycemia is common in pups this young.
Is this pup eating the goat's milk readily? Also, at her age, she should be fed 6-8 times a day, and each time she is fed, her tummy should look nice and plump. If she's not getting enough, she may be anorexic, and you'll have to gradually force her to eat a little more each time.
If she's not pooping regularly, right before feeding her, take a cotton ball moistened with warm water and dab/wipe her butt, this will simulate her Mom cleaning her and will stimulate her to poop. Pups that don't poop won't eat. You can do the same to stimulate her to pee (use a separate cotton ball).