help with slow 5 week pup

[sinkerslingers]

I have a 5 week old pup, mixed breed, and seeking advise from experienced followers.

Tiny is 5 weeks old tomorrow, and has been bottle fed from day 2. I took him to the vet on day 2 and she said to pull him from mamma and prescribed amoxicillan for his wheezing.

At 3 weeks Tiny opened his eyes. And at 5 weeks he is trying to walk. His ears are still closed, and his teeth have not come in. He is chewing on his bedding and my hands. You can see the outlines of front teeth and feel the canines, but nothing has come through. At first his neck control was all over the place. It has gotten better, but still not "right" 100%. When he walks, he scooches backwards without falling. More a slide most of the time. When going forward he will take a step or 2 or 3 and fall over. He can get himself back up, but I usually help him get his feet back under him. Sometimes I will hold his head / neck for support.

He has not gained weight like the other pups. He was 6 oz at birth, and has only tripled to date. The vet said condensed milk, egg and honey. It made him not want to have a bowel movement. His tummy was rock hard. And no weight other than growing and a hard belly. I have since switched him to canned goats milk, 1 week ago. His belly is softer, he is eating more and more frequently, but no visible weight gain so far.

Needless to say the entire family is now super attached to Tiny. I understand he may need help the rest of his life. But if there is something I can do help him be better and independent, I want to try. He has the will to live having hung on 5 weeks. And shows no signs of giving up either.

I am open to hearing about others experiences or thoughts. Thanks for reading my post and for helping.

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi and welcome to YT . I'm not a breeder, so I don't feel qualified at all to give advice on such a fragile wee one. But I just wanted to offer support and say welcome. I hope this little one continues to fight and thrive !

[Yorkiemom1]

At his post natal check up, has the vet said he has any problems? Are his mobility issues just a slow to develop issue, or are you working with another issue?

How much does he weigh now? If you are bottle feeding and having good results from that (wheezing could be from aspiration of milk in to his lungs), change your feeding formula.
8oz Just Born Puppy formula
4oz Pedialyte
1 raw egg yolk
1 cup live culture yogurt (I now use 1/2cup Kefir milk)
3 tbsp Dr. Miller's Pet Nutra Drops (available from Revival Pet supplies)
Mix it all together well....be sure to allow it to sit after you mix it up, to allow all the tiny bubbles to settle.

Feed 1cc/oz of body weight every 3-4 hours around the clock.
This recipe provides 14-16 cal/cc. This will provide the nutrition and the calories needed to pull this baby up.

[sinkerslingers]

thank you. The vets around here aren't much help. Had one tell my husband at 4 weeks we should starve him and let him die. We rescued 2 female beagles that were pregnant by a terrier. And I told myself I shouldn't be willing to take them on if I can't handle the pups, even one with problems.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by sinkerslingers

thank you. The vets around here aren't much help. Had one tell my husband at 4 weeks we should starve him and let him die. We rescued 2 female beagles that were pregnant by a terrier. And I told myself I shouldn't be willing to take them on if I can't handle the pups, even one with problems.

OMG!!!! That is so old school.....kind of distressing hearing it come from a VET!!!! The very least he could have suggested would have been to euthanize the baby.....OBVIOUSLY, that vet has never been hungry....starvation is not a very pleasant way to go.

So we have no diagnosis on the pup.....what is actually wrong with it. That being said, any effort you put forth, may be a moot point and the baby may die anyway. I commend your dedication to give the baby a chance at life.......if the baby has a fighting chance at life. I personally would not prolong life if death is inevitable regardless of what all you are doing for the baby. It is a hard choice and it is a personal choice......I think you are very special for trying to help this unfortunate baby.

That being said, if you have it clear in your mind what path you are going to take (I feel terrible for you and the total lack of compassion from your vet, making me wonder how much help you can ever get from him when you NEED him), set your jaw and forge ahead! Nutrition is the very basic building block.....baby needs nutrition and calories to even begin to develop. If you start feeding the formula I gave you above, you will be providing what this baby needs nutritionally and giving the calories needed to energize development. Lots of times people are not aware that it is calories that provide the fuel the body needs to develop or heal.....try to get a definative diagnosis on this baby. Do you have a vet school anywhere within driving distance to you? A decent vet college will have specialists all under one roof and they have the medical equipment needed to diagnose and treat issues. If I was in your position, and I was serious about going ahead with this baby's care, I would get to a vet school and find out exactly what the problem is with the baby. You have to know what you are fighting before you can develop a plan of attack. Good luck sweetie...please keep us posted on Tiny and your progress with him.

[gemy]

Are you in Oklahoma? Just wondering some folks here are really good at internet searching for specialists et al. We could help you find a vet that at least will give you a diagnosis on what could be wrong with puppy.


YorkieMom1 has been raising small breed dogs for many years, so I would follow her advice on the formula.


Did the vet make an opinion of this pups structural soundness? I don't know very much about the health problems of beagles or what kind of terrier mated with the beagle(s), but that would be one route I might research as well.


Let us know how he does. And for sure it would be great to know what you are dealing with health wise.

[sinkerslingers]

I am just outside Tulsa in Oklahoma. I think OSU has a vet program in Stillwater. A bit of a ways from me, but if he doesn't get better I will check them out.

The puppy food seems like a boat load more calories more than what he is getting now. But some of the ingredients aren't available around here so I may have to improvise. I did some searching online. Our only pet store is a Petco. But if I did my calculations correctly he is getting 96 or so calories a day on Goats Milk, compared to what would be over 1300 with the other. I must not be doing the math right. 16 cc 6 times a day 14 calories per cc.

When the one vet looked at him on day 2, there was no cleft palate, and he was whining to loud to hear his heart. She could only hear his wheezing and hence the antibiotics. But no outward signs of major problems. But I forgot to tell you he has 1 half ear. She said something as simple as the ear mamma could reject him.

At 4 weeks, another vet his heart sounded fine. But his head movements, no teeth, and ears still closed, they didn't want to deal with him. Said he was too far behind the other pups.

Today he finally got his upper canines and front top teeth. Spoke to the vet and she said to start bottle feeding him watered down jar baby food.

I am at a loss. I am going to try the recipe here minus the nutri drops. I can't find them local. Have to order them online. What is the shelf life of it? It seems like it will make a lot and the puppy milk is only good for 72 hours.

Thank you so much to everyone on here. As far as the type of terrier, black and tan with a scruffy mouth. Most of the pups look like beagles except for their colors but I have 2 with the terrier mouth, Tiny is one.

[Buster Brown]

Sending prayers for Tiny and support for you. Best wishes.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by sinkerslingers

I am just outside Tulsa in Oklahoma. I think OSU has a vet program in Stillwater. A bit of a ways from me, but if he doesn't get better I will check them out.

The puppy food seems like a boat load more calories more than what he is getting now. But some of the ingredients aren't available around here so I may have to improvise. I did some searching online. Our only pet store is a Petco. But if I did my calculations correctly he is getting 96 or so calories a day on Goats Milk, compared to what would be over 1300 with the other. I must not be doing the math right. 16 cc 6 times a day 14 calories per cc.

When the one vet looked at him on day 2, there was no cleft palate, and he was whining to loud to hear his heart. She could only hear his wheezing and hence the antibiotics. But no outward signs of major problems. But I forgot to tell you he has 1 half ear. She said something as simple as the ear mamma could reject him.

At 4 weeks, another vet his heart sounded fine. But his head movements, no teeth, and ears still closed, they didn't want to deal with him. Said he was too far behind the other pups.

Today he finally got his upper canines and front top teeth. Spoke to the vet and she said to start bottle feeding him watered down jar baby food.

I am at a loss. I am going to try the recipe here minus the nutri drops. I can't find them local. Have to order them online. What is the shelf life of it? It seems like it will make a lot and the puppy milk is only good for 72 hours.

Thank you so much to everyone on here. As far as the type of terrier, black and tan with a scruffy mouth. Most of the pups look like beagles except for their colors but I have 2 with the terrier mouth, Tiny is one.

Trust me....that baby is behind the curve and he needs the calories! He is growing!!! Baby food will NOT give him the nutrition he needs as a growing puppy....since he IS EATING a bottle fed formula, why not utilize that GOOD FORTUNE, get as many calories as possible in him, and depend on the PUPPY FORMULA (canned Just Born) plus the added nutrition/calories from additions to the formula, to provide the nutrition that is scientifically prepared to deliver a balanced diet to that pup???? If he was not eating anything and you were desperate to get food of some kind in him, great! baby food is a blessing.....but when you have a puppy that is nursing from a bottle, will drink a formula that will provide what that dog needs nutritionally as well as calorie wise, and choose human baby food over that??????? I have fed that formula to orphaned puyps or pups that were failure to thrive and fading pup syndrome for at least 10 years.....I have not lost a baby since. I have been doing this for over 30 years.....I know a little about raising pups and turning failure to thrive babies around.....unless those vets are reproductive/neonatal specialists, especially the one that suggested you just let the baby starve to death, I would go with experience over such advice from vets that dont really appear to want to be bothered.

I buy the Dr.Millers by the gallon jug....the shelf life is over a year, or more, especially if you store it in a cool cabinet or closet.....dont buy a gallon.....it comes in a pump bottle, maybe 16oz.....

Take the formula, mix it up, divide it in half and freeze half, refridgerate half to use!! How much does that baby weigh??? You should be going through that formula almost in under a week......

Dont concern yourself with calculating the calories needed for recovery....I am not sure you know the formula used to determine calories needed to burn to provide healing as well as building and providing the nutrition the baby needs.....If you DO have that formula, plug in your numbers and you will find you are not giving too many calories!!!!!!!

What ever you decide to do, good luck with the baby. I also would go ahead and get a diagnosis on the pup so you will know what you are dealing with.

[sinkerslingers]

I thought the baby food came out of nowhere. He is eating. The problem is just his development and weight gain. I have ordered nutra-drops and going to go get everything else tonight.

I'll post in a couple days to let everyone know how he is doing.

Experience accounts for more than education in my book.

[gemy]

Oh great you got everything good to go. So he has only tripled his birth weight of 6 oz - so 18ounces now. Have any idea what the Mom and Pop weighed? one lb 2 ounces after 5 wks....


The problem for me is I don't like triple - how has the weight gain been with the other pups? What do they weigh now?


I breed large breeds at 5-6wks I expect pups to be around 10-12 lbs.....


I know that beagles are taller n heavier then Yorkies, and a heck of a lot smaller than my working breed, but that is about it. ..


What is with the 1/2 ear? Do you mean the lower half of the ear flap is missing? was he borne that way or an injury during early days?

[sinkerslingers]

mamma dog weighs 18 pounds. Not sure about daddy. Tiny was 6 ounces and last check 15 ounces before switching to goats milk. The other pups are twice his size, little rollie pollies.

I took the girls to the vet when we got. Crazy thing was the vet said 1 was spayed, but she was the first to drop pups.

The half ear is it just isn't all there. I guess you could say the lower flap. he was born that way. Someone told us the ears form the same time as the kidneys, but he doesn't seem to have any urinary problems.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by sinkerslingers

mamma dog weighs 18 pounds. Not sure about daddy. Tiny was 6 ounces and last check 15 ounces before switching to goats milk. The other pups are twice his size, little rollie pollies.

I took the girls to the vet when we got. Crazy thing was the vet said 1 was spayed, but she was the first to drop pups.

The half ear is it just isn't all there. I guess you could say the lower flap. he was born that way. Someone told us the ears form the same time as the kidneys, but he doesn't seem to have any urinary problems.

Boy!! Some vets you are trying to work with!! I would find out how to get to that vet school and burn up a path to there!

[SGMCR]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

Boy!! Some vets you are trying to work with!! I would find out how to get to that vet school and burn up a path to there!

Gosh I had no idea when I joined that the feedback would be so great and the genuine concern and pour out of love. Sorry not wording that right but you all are amazing and I'm in awe!

I pray Tiny gets better and is fine. From what I have read you have been given great information and the support is here.

Can't say enough great things about each of you. I love my baby Gidget very much. Thanks for allowing me to take part. It's a real honor.

[Yorkiemom1]

Was interested how Tiny was doing with his formula.....as well as his overall condition....