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Originally Posted by sharong Hi Guys.
He weighed in at 1 pound at the vet's office this past week. If he really is 11 weeks old this week, I would expect he shall be very small. The parents are about 3.5 - 4 lbs. each. There were only two pups in the litter. I was told he should be about 3.5 lbs. himself. I wasn't exactly looking for a tiny, tiny one. I was looking for the short legged, cobby type puppy.
I don't know if he was taken from his mom too soon; whether he was never really eating well before I got him or what. You really do try to trust the breeder and she does talk like she knows what she's talking about and has all the information every breeder has had to give that I've spoken to.
I realize the sugar problem can be a problem in these puppies. I've just never seen a puppy that didn't want to eat absolutely anything. But, if she gets him back to eating well, etc. should I give him another try.
My vet didn't mention anything wrong with him other than the hypoglycemia and an ear infection. She also gave him medication for tape worms. I don't think they really gave him a "once over" since he was there for an emergency visit. He just seemed depressed.
I know the hypoglycemia can and does happen and he could pick up and eat great and be healthy for a long, long time. But, now we're just a little worried about him and his health down the road.
I just don't know what to do.
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I say if you really fell in love with this guy, then give him another chance. I really feel that the 'tiny' puppies shouldn't necessarily leave the breeder until at least 12 weeks of age. I went through the picky puppy stage with BOTH of my puppies - Oscar I got at 4mths and he was just about 2lbs and Ruthie I got at 3mths and she was 1.5lbs.
Oscar was a picky eater for the first month (at least!) when I brought him home - it was nuts! I found things that he did like though and I took on the mantra - "I dont care what you eat, as long as you DO eat" (to an extent obviously, I wasn't feeding him cheeseburgers
). He would eat scrambled eggs, yogurt, baby food, some fruits and veggies, etc. Finally I got to a mixture of chicken flavored baby food mixed with his kibble and eventually just to kibble.
Ruthie was the same way - super picky, but her picky streak didn't last as long as Oscar's. However, it was much more extreme and even Oscar's old favorites didn't fly with her. For her, I did the boilded chicken and rice or boiled chicken with cottage cheese. I really wanted her on dog food though and found the ONLY dog food she would eat was the 'forbidden' cesars soft food! She has been eating that for the last month or so but, I am successfully weaning her off that as well and getting her on a kibble diet with Oscar.
Both of my puppies went through this - though I never came close to a hypoglycemic episode because of my good friend Nutrical. With Ruthie I gave it to her 3 or 4 times a day (small amounts, between meals, to try and entice her appetite as well) - always before bed so that her blood sugar wouldn't drop through the night.
Oscar is 3.5lbs now at 11mths and perfectly healthy - I have had no issues with him. Ruthie is probably about 2lbs now at 5mths and also healthy.
I don't think that your breeder would mislead you about your puppy's age - she has nothing to gain by selling a puppy before it's ready to go - which is obvious I think since she was so willing to take the puppy back to get it back to health and has also given you alternative options. It could very well be that the puppy was going through the standard adjustment period of being in a new home. It is really common in these dogs for any change in environment to affect them this way - even moving furniture around your home can cause them to act out of sort - simply because it's new and different. Give your new little guy another chance (perhaps on the provision with the breeder that if and when you get him back and are able to get him eating well that you have him checked out by your vet again to ensure that he is completely healthy in all areas - take a stool sample as well). Just keep in mind it's a huge transition for them to be taken away from mom and their littermates and put into a new home. If he's still a stubborn eater when you bring him back try everything! Cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, sugar free plain yogurt, little bits of banana, baby food, boiled chicken, chicken broth over kibble, parmesan cheese sprinkled over kibble, canned food mixed with kibble (with a little warm water to make gravy). You may even find that hand feeding will help - he may not eat food out of his bowl, but will eat it out of your hand. I've fed individual kibbles to my dogs (still do sometimes) and they love it... it's like they're getting a dozen treats in one sitting to them.
Sorry this was so long - I hope it helps you some!
Good luck with the new little one!
