New pound puppy. Various concerns.
 

New to this forum. Ramble. I don't know if any of these are symptoms of an illness, or if they are completely unrelated. I found my new Yorkie at the pound today. No name yet. They didn't have history as he was found tied up outside one morning. Age 8-12.

He is walking around in circles. Not kidding. He just circles around and around many times(5-6).
He does a lot of sleeping.
And in his sleep he has really bad twitches. He was sound asleep laying in my arms before and he jumped up and looked confused, scared. He actually just woke. Before he openned his eyes he jumped up and started viciously growling. Almost like he had a really bad nightmare. he doesnt seem to have a nasty bone in him though. I'm, fairly, sure he isn't a biter. And he's not a very nervous doggie. Fine with a little noise. He's been passed around a bit today.

He has major dental problems. Most will probably have to go. I can't imagine the pain he is in all the time. His hair is thin.

My sister seems to think he may have been kept in a cage for extreme amounts of time, maybe a puppy-mill? I also have a boxer. Yorkie headed straight for the huge crate as soon as i put him on the floor. She said they go crazy walking around the walls of the cage with nowhere to go.

Does anyone have an opinion??? Could this be medical. I know, I am going to call the vet, ASAP. I'm sure just getting his teeth fixed alone will put him in a better mood. He stands still and looks at me like he is waiting for something. The thought of what he has been through makes me SICK.
-Janine

Aww poor little guy.. I don't have any advice, but I hope he feels better soon, he may just need some adjusting time.
Just wanted to say Welcome to YT. :D

I bought a Yorkie from a supposedly reputable show/breeder in Sept. He does circles and was running around the kitchen island (now I block one side). He most likely was caged foor long periods. Mine is vicious towards other dogs as well, (have 2 others). His trainer and vet think he was abused since he is afraid if I want to pick him up and runs away and burrows under the bedding in his crate. When I questioned his breeder (after she hung up on me), she said it was a game she played with him. What game, "smack or shake" the dog? Since yours is a rescue assume it might have been abused. Alright, start obediance training and reward. It doesn't have to be a perfect sit, heel, or come (later you can fine tune all), it can circle and as long as it sits, praise, praise and reward with a treat or piece of kibble. This will help him learn self confidence and also listen to you. I can tell mine to sit, stay when he runs from me and he's so proud to drop in a sloppy sit stay. These little guys are so smart and really want to please. I taught mine to sit in 5 minutes. We ignored that he circles first or sits to the side and not facing me in the beginning. The circles are less now with obedience. Mine also has colitis, just was diagnosed after the 4th attack. His tests are being sent to Texas A & M, hope it's not chronic. I take him to the vet and wait while he has IV treatment since he couldn't keep anything in him, now eats only rice since we started antibiotic will add special diet gradually. His vet didn't want to admit him because of his stress issues. I canceled a vacation next week so he wouldn't get stressed, second time I had to cancel. I can't rehome him because of his issues so even though he's not my dream dog, he's here to stay. It's not what I wanted or expected from this breeder but that's life. I keep him separate from my 2 other dogs because he almost killed one. We are working on his other issues but you can only do so much at a time, if not overload. After this experience, I've lost confidence in choosing an honest breeder. After 46 years of dog ownership, this is the last one for me. My grandchildren can't come here to visit because of this Yorkie.
Take care of his teeth first, really important. Mine had 21 baby teeth extracted when neutered. I imagine your dog's are bad from neglect. Thin hair can be from poor nutrition, get a holistic dog food and search dog foods on here. I had one with thin hair before and this current one has very thin hair. I put tees on him when it's cold and a heavy coat for outside. There are many dog clothes sellers that are members here and give discounts. PM me if you need help. You can buy clothes also from members that have over bought, just post and you will get replies.
Jessica

I'm not an expert by far, but if he was tied up, the only way he could go is circles. Same in a crate all their life, nowhere to go but circles.

Bless your heart for taking this furbaby in! Sounds to me like he's already had a very rough life. He needs a lot of tlc!

There are good foods for yorkies and foods not so good for thier coats. My guess is if he's been tied up all his life, he's been on a very poor diet, which could be why his coat is so thin. Someone who would tie up a yorkie, certainly didn't take the care of the dog, it so dearly needed! ANd ouch on the teeth! I know I started my oldest on Petzlife, and its done miracle in cleaning his this past month. Might use that after you have all the extra teeth removed.

And when your dog saw the crate and ran right in it, wow. He's probably been crated all his life when he wasn't chained down outside. Really sad. Give him a LOT of time, and tlc.

One of mine does have twitches in his sleep. But I've had him all his life, and I wake him, and it stops. I do believe dogs can have nightmares.

May God bless you generously for taking this boy in! No dog should be chained or crated their whole life! Hope someone went to jail for that!

May take quite some time for your boy to adjust too. But believe me, it will be well worth it in the long run. Yorkies have SO much love to give us.

Oh, and btw...make sure you take this dog to the vet like NOW. A dog thats lived in those conditions probably never had any shots period.

This is especially since you have another dog. Many things can be contageous, and very expensive for both in the long run, if not taken care of now.

Poor dog probably never been to the vet. But really need a vet check, asap.

Awww, bless you for giving this little guy a loving forever home. I have no advice, but I'll bet in time, he will understand that he is safe and free and reward you with all the puppy kisses you want. He is so lucky to have been adopted by such a caring person. I

...I'm with you. <crying> What is WRONG with people?! On the one hand, we have people breaking into homes to steal them, and on the other - torturing them!!!

Thank-you, Janine, for rescuing this blessed of God's creatures.

I made an appointment with the vet for Friday afternoon. I explained the circles and the twitching to her. I asked her if she had seen this before and she told me that walking in circles could be from several causes one of them being something neurological. Hopefully it's something a daily pill can fix.

I probably didn't explain well, but the people at the dog pound found him tied up outside the pound when they got to work in the morning. They have no idea who left him there. They don't know anything except he had an ear infection they treated.

BTW, am I posting in the right forum?????

He did just get a bath and looks like a new man.

He had a 5 in one shot at the pound. I know it was for kennel cough and rabies but have no idea what the other 3 are. Hope it's good enough for now.

Thank you everyone for replying.

Prettypuppypink, sorry about your new puppy. I hope he can overcome his issues and blend with you and your family.(skin and fur)

He's lucky you gave him a good home! We'd love to see pics!

Bless you for giving him a loving home. It breaks my heart to think what he
must have gone through. I'll say a prayer that he is ok after the vet checks him out. With love and a warm home I'm sure he will come around when he knows he can trust you. Hopefully the walking in circles is only due to the fact of being crated for long periods of time. Poor baby.

Carol & Buddy

If she have been chained or in a cage for long period of times,doing circles is his way to comfort himself . Lots of love and attention will help him very much to adjust to his new home .

It is so heartbreaking to see them like that . I'll pray for him.

Poor fella:cry: It's so hard for me to imagine anyone that could treat any animal so poorly:( Bless you for giving him a loving home:love:

I hope that the vet can help you to make him as healthy as possible. Might want to buy some Missing Link supplement, you sprinkle it on their food and most LOVE it! You can get it at just about any pet supply store (PetSmart,PetCo, PetSupermarket) It's made a huge difference in my Luna's skin, it was horribly dry and flaking, and after a couple of weeks, it's 50% better:)

Keep us posted on this guy. And welcome!

Your an Angel to take him in! I will pray that he can be restored to a healthy state and enjoy being treated they way he should have been for the rest of his life.

welcome to YT. You are obviously a loving soul. Have the vet recommend things for his skin and hair ...(Is the pup's name Ramble??)

I am no expert, but if you slowly integrate him into the fur family, he may take to it. I believe dogs dream and therefore could have nightmares. My little one twitches while sleeping also, and I merely reach over and touch her lovingly ... then she goes back to sleep.

Where did you get your pup? North Shore? Bide-a-Wee?

Also, ask people on here what dog food they recommend ... There are many breeders on here with great advice ....

Bless your heart for being so loving ... I wonder if when he looks at you, he's longing for love.
Good Luck ....