Advice Please

[sharong]

Hello. I am new to the Forum and wanted to start by saying hello to everyone!

I'm in need of a little advice if anyone cares to share their opinion.

Recently I purchased a little male yorkie. According to the breeder he was ten weeks old when I picked him up last week. We brought him home and he ate a little and acted a little like a puppy. It went downhill after that and I could not in any way, shape or form get him to eat. I ended up at the vet and three hundred dollars later, found that he had hypoglycemia (which I knew) and he was fixed up with an IV and we brought him home that evening fearfully!! We tried everything that night and I mean everything and still he would not eat. Thank goodness for Nutrical I should say. Needless to say, I called the breeder the next day and she said she would take him back and get him back to eating. She had a time getting any food into him the next morning but called again the following day and said that he was doing much better; eating and acting like a puppy should.

I have the option of getting him back or taking another puppy or even getting the money back I believe. From what she says, he sounds like he will be exactly what I was looking for. I liked him so much better than the other puppy.

He is still very, very small and still seems to want to be with his mother although she can no longer feed him.

I don't know what to do. Do I give him another chance? What would you suggest...what advice does anyone have. I certainly would appreciate any help, etc. you may have.

Thanks!
Sharon

[yorkieusa]

Hi! I don't really know what advice to give you. How much does the puppy weigh?

[Pipersmommy]

Piper was very small also when we got her at 13 weeks. Just a little over a pound. The breeder said she was picky, so she was feeding her hamburg & baby oatmeal with honey. I figured what ever worked at the time was fine. I also gave her cottage cheese which she loved & yougert. The vet said once she gained some weight to find a good kibble that she would eat. I also gave nutri-cal twice a day. She now eats her kibbles just fine, cooked carrots for breakfast. Some baked chicken legs for dinner once in a while. Different fruits & veggies for treats. She is 6 months & weighs 6.3. Just came from the vet today, they said she was doing great. So what ever works, try it.

[SweetCuteness]

Maybe he was just having a hard time adjusting to his new home? Did the vet notice anything other than the hypoglycemia that seemed unhealthy on the puppy?

Also, are you feeding the puppy the same food the breeder was feeding?

[lisatodd]

wow that is sooooo tiny for 13 weeks. hummmm i don't know. i have read in these post that these tiny yorkies do have alot of health issues but maybe if someone here has a tiny, they can give you some advise. my puppies are 5 weeks and are 1 lb +

[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.

Thanks

[Patti]

Sorry about your baby!! My Cali was 1 lb at 10 weeks and wouldn't eat and had 3 er visits for hypoglycemia. She also had other medical problems. Is there anyway the breeder will keep him a week or two longer? If yoo really want him I would ask yourselk 2 questions, can you be with him a lot the first few weeks to watch that he doesn't go hypoglycemic again and are you financially able to treat him if he gets sick again. Cali cost me over 6,000.00 in vet bills in her first year. Fortunatley my paarents helped with her vet bills.You hate to base it on monet but some people just can't afford the medical bill. Good luck and keep us posted

[baileysmom31]

Hi and welsome to YT. When you had him at the vets, did he get any shots? My Tia was under a pound at 13 weeks and when she got her shots, she didn't eat or drink for a day. I had to use a small syringe to get anything into her. A day later, she was right as rain.

[Oscar's Mummy]

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.

Thanks

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!

[SJK1113]

awwwwwwww poor puppy. I would have to give him another chance if I were in your situation because I'd already be attached to him. Did you try hand feeding him? You can also boil some chicken and rice and see if he will eat that, or try some baby food chicken or some cottage cheese. Just put a little on his food. You may even want to leave him at the breeder's house for another week and see how he is. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck. I hope your puppy is feeling better and eating better soon!

[sharong]

Hi.

Yes, we did try feeding him just about everything but the kitchen sink it seems!!!! When I couldn't get him to eat the "gruel" made from the breeders food, we bought canned and dry science diet food. He wouldn't eat that! We bought the meaty baby food...no luck. I even put a piece of steak in front of him just to see if he would even try to lick it...no go!! He could not be bothered. We did indeed try using the syringe the vet gave us but that really didn't work either. I think I stressed him out more by trying to get his mouth open and when I did get the food inside, he'd spit it out.

I guess what worries me is that when we went to look at him at the breeders, he didn't act perky and spunky like most puppies. We held two puppies and the other was much more alert and "a puppy" so to speak. I really thought this little fellow was nervous and hadn't been outside much and we were strangers to him so I passed it off as that.

Then we got him to our house two weeks later and in the first couple of hours he ate a little, he followed my dog around a bit, he even chewed on my husbands toes. So, we thought everything was okay. The next two days he ate very little and we used the nutrical along with some food which we fed by hand. Then by Wednesday night we were really worried since he hadn't eaten much and wasn't acting like a puppy should. I realize most of it was because of the sugar but he was still acting like he did at the breeders that first time and that's what really worries us.

He's the cutest little thing and I realize they outgrow the hypoglycemia once they begin eating regularly and so forth. I just worry more I guess because he's not very active, etc. I know puppies are like children...no two alike. I guess I'm just worrying too much but I do think about long term health. I just keep thinking that the didn't act perky; but maybe he's still so young. Anyone else go through this?

Thanks

[SJK1113]

Originally Posted by sharong

Hi.

Yes, we did try feeding him just about everything but the kitchen sink it seems!!!! When I couldn't get him to eat the "gruel" made from the breeders food, we bought canned and dry science diet food. He wouldn't eat that! We bought the meaty baby food...no luck. I even put a piece of steak in front of him just to see if he would even try to lick it...no go!! He could not be bothered. We did indeed try using the syringe the vet gave us but that really didn't work either. I think I stressed him out more by trying to get his mouth open and when I did get the food inside, he'd spit it out.

I guess what worries me is that when we went to look at him at the breeders, he didn't act perky and spunky like most puppies. We held two puppies and the other was much more alert and "a puppy" so to speak. I really thought this little fellow was nervous and hadn't been outside much and we were strangers to him so I passed it off as that.

Then we got him to our house two weeks later and in the first couple of hours he ate a little, he followed my dog around a bit, he even chewed on my husbands toes. So, we thought everything was okay. The next two days he ate very little and we used the nutrical along with some food which we fed by hand. Then by Wednesday night we were really worried since he hadn't eaten much and wasn't acting like a puppy should. I realize most of it was because of the sugar but he was still acting like he did at the breeders that first time and that's what really worries us.

He's the cutest little thing and I realize they outgrow the hypoglycemia once they begin eating regularly and so forth. I just worry more I guess because he's not very active, etc. I know puppies are like children...no two alike. I guess I'm just worrying too much but I do think about long term health. I just keep thinking that the didn't act perky; but maybe he's still so young. Anyone else go through this?

Thanks

It sounds to me like something was wrong even before you got him. When I brought mine home, he was scared but he would still play and seemed very energetic. He wouldn't eat at first, so I put a little cottage cheese on his food, and he ate. I had to hand feed him the first couple days, then he started eating fine on his own. He was 9 weeks old when I brought him home. Like I said, he was scared but he settled in very nicely and loved playing with us.

Does your puppy play with toys at all?

[daisy mae06]

I wanted to say welcome to YT and I am sooooo sorry your puppy is sick. did the breeder take him to the vet at all? If you do deside to keep him have him get a total once over at the vet. The breeder may even pay for it. Good luck and keep us posted.

[sharong]

Hi.

The little guy did get his health certificate before I took him. When I had him at our vet's office I don't think they really did a physical exam or anything-- they were just worried about the sugar and focused on that. The breeder knows that we took him to our vet.

She took him back, as I said, to work on his eating habits again since he could be with his mom. He wasn't eating for her at first but she said yesterday that he was better. So originally was taking him to her vets office yesterday but felt she didn't have to since he was better for her. I did not talk to her today.

I just can't get it out of my mind that he was not playful at all, not curious. It just seemed weird to me. That's why I'm fretting so much over what to do.

Thanks for everyone responses so far!

[LuvMySissy]

If you really like this little guy, I would give it another go. BUT, I would have the breeder keep him at least another week. With the really little ones keeing them till they are 12-14 weeks is not at all unusual and he might need a little more time with mom even if she isn't feeding him.

If you do bring him home, keep Nutrical handy and use it frequently to keep hypoglycemia at bay. And, whatever you need to do to keep him eating, just do it. Boiled chicken and rice is something that most babies won't turn a nose up at.

Good luck to you!! (and welcome to YT)!