Bringing home a premie
 

Hello..I have a five y/o yorkie named Missy. Missy is expecting and today started having blackish green discharge. She is only about 7 1/2 weeks. Hubby and I took her to the vet who wanted to do a c-section. Missy had been having hard contractions for about an hour. We agreed to the this. When surgery was over Missy was fine. She had been been pregnant with 2 puppies, one which had died possible a week prior. This had caused massive infection and Missy was trying to abort. The other pup is fine but of course is premature. We did see the pup. She has all of her hair..seems fully developed.. We are going back to pick up Missy and the puppy at 1 am. I am so thankful that we took Missy in and that she will be fine. This was her first litter. I am worried about the pup and how to take care of her. I know I can ask the vet questions when I get there, but thought someone here may have experienced advice.

Sorry to hear of your puppy that didn't make it. I don't have any answers as to the care of the surviving puppy. I would suggest you also post this in the "Breeders Section" here, you may get more responses.

Good luck!

Missy should be able to take care of her puppy. Just make sure the pup is nursing about every 2 hours. She will do the rest....Keep us informed...

I haven't started breeding yet, but, am good friends with a lot of breeders. If they have hair, then they're further along than you thought.
Was this her first litter? I know I read that they should always have the first litter before turning 3. The groomer I use breeds yorkies and told me of a book that everyone should have(if you own dogs). The book is written by 2 vets, and it cost her $30. Well, I found the same one on ebay for $12.95 free s*h. He had 11 brand new books, she said it's a MUST to have.
Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook 3rd Ed James Giffin - eBay (item 220301836763 end time Mar-25-09 18:52:36 PDT)

Missy and her baby have been home since Sunday night. Missy is doing great! The vet told us that it was still uncertain about the baby. She is such a tiny, beautiful pup. We are having to feed her formula every 2 hours with a syringe and tube. Missy didn't pay much attention to her during the day on Monday..but by Monday night she wanted her baby! We are trying to get her to nurse but haven't had any luck so far. The baby is still receivng the formula every 2 hours. She (baby) is showing a lot of good signs. She is much stronger...and moves around a lot. Here are a couple of pics. One Of Missy and baby.. and one of my 13 y/o holding her in her palm. Please say a prayer that we can get her to nurse and she continues to thrive..
Thanks!

Just keep working with Missy and the puppy to get her to latch. Rub the nipple across her mouth thsi should stimulate her. She is the meantime feed ever 2 hours and keep the puppy warm at all times.

Also you may want to PM this member, Her female died after giving birth to 5 pups. She has raised them herself and they are doing great.Bet she could help you tons. FlDebra

Congratulations on your new little baby. I am also happy to hear that Missy came through everything okay.

I am sure your vet gave you instructions on how to care for your preemie baby. How much did/does she weigh? Do you have a scale that you can weigh her on? It is very important to record her weight to be sure that she does not lose weight. At her size, losing even a fraction of an ounce is not good. Along with your feeding her, keep encourging her to try to feed from Missy. Hopefully she will learn to latch on and be able to nurse from mom as well very soon. I will say some prayers that she continues to do well. Hugs.

Missy is doing just great! She has become such a loving little mother. And yes,,,she is nursing. The vet told us that since the baby was so small that we should continue feeding her every 2 hours. I am exhausted..but it is well worth it. The baby is growing and getting a little stronger every day. Since she is only a week old, I know we still have a way to go..but as of now, things are looking good!

I don't understand what happened.. The pup was doing so great. We had taken it to the vet last Tuesday and she was fine. She weighed 9 ounces... she had gained 8 ounces since birth. She was nursing and starting to roam around in her bed. All of the sudden last night, after her feeding, she started choking....she seemed to get over that. About 1am, Missy woke me up. Her pup was crying...I got up and held her.. she was lifeless... I stayed up with her and Missy all night. The baby would not nurse.
I took her to the animal hospital this morning and the vet said her blood sugar was low...and her lungs seemed congested. They gave her oxygen and dextrose...and suggested keeping her...but I wanted to bring her home. They said that should be ok as long as I watched her., Well,,,of course I am going to watch her! I guess I felt like I could monitor her as well as they. Mistake.. maybe.. After 4 hours..she still seemed lethargic. I felt like I was doing all I could do and it wasn't helping. She was warm...and I had feed her twice in the 4 hours we had been home. I called the vet..then took her back. She is there now and they are giving her an IV and antibiotics. The vet said she has a bacterial infection. She also said that it could be that when she was choking she could have sucked some of her formula into her lungs. Does that makes sense to any of you??
Please keep this little pup in your prayers..

Thanks

O I am so sorry about the puppy, I will keep ya'll all in my prayers.

Missy and her little girl are in my Thoughts and Prayers! Get well little one and Hugs to you all,:getwellso:hands::love-hug3:hug:

I remember this little pup and have been thinking about you guys. I will pray right now. Please keep us updated, also how is the mom doing...

I hope all is O.K., I came across this article about premie pups, i know that is not your main concern right now, but you might get an idea of different care or something. I think it could have been some formula, but you can't know that for sure. She is very fragile either way, so no need to blame one thing or the other, just nurse her the best you can and hopefully it will work out. I will say a prayer for her.:)

How To Care for the Premature Puppy - by Roberta Jamieson

(((hugs))) I hope that your lil baby is fine. Keep us updated.

Oh my...how is that sweet baby today? You are doing a GREAT job!!!

We are praying for this pup, Hope all is going well today....

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers! We brought Missy's baby home last night. She (Penney) is back to normal... She is nursing..and we are no longer using the formula to supplement. I agree Rosiegirl..I think it was the formula. Penney is breathing fine and is very active again. I wish I would have video taped when we brought her home. Missy knew right away that we had her baby. She had been frantic all day long. When I laid Penney next to her she was estatic! And Penney..who at this time did not have her eyes open, could obviously sense her Mother. She started to quiver and immediately looked to nurse!
This morning before I left for work she had one eye open. My husband works from home, so he can monitor her during the day.. Around lunch time he called and Penney had both eyes open...still nursing..still doing great!
Again...Thanks to all for your prayers that this little pup continues to grow stronger each day! I'll keep you posted!