Puppy Mill Rescue Puppy - advice needed
 

On 1/2 we got a yorkie mix puppy from the local shelter. The people had surrendered her the day before when she was only 8.5 weeks old and weighed 3.5lbs. They said they were moving and couldn't keep her and had bought her from an Amish farm. Our guess us that she was an unwanted Christmas gift. So sad. The shelter required spaying her before we could take her home. They won't allow you to wait or go to your own vet. She's healing well from spaying but has a terrible case of kennel cough. We took her to our vet Monday and he gave her antibiotics but he said she's too little and fragile for cough suppressants. We've never had a small dog but we already adore her. Besides the constant cough she seems healthy and eats well and loves to play. She pottys on pee pads pretty well already. We are giving her canned small breed puppy food moistened with puppy formula and feeding her 4 times a day. The vet said she was weaned and taken from her mommy too soon. Is there anything else people who have breed puppies can recommend? Our adult male cat is a lover and very gentle and seems to have adopted her so she's getting a little bit of socialization from him too.

I do not have any advice but I just wanted to say thanks for taking this girl and giving her a good home. Buster had kennel cough bad when I first brought him home. I used to fill my bathroom with steam and bring him in to help with his cough. I made sure he did not get wet or cold though. It took Buster a while to get rid of his cough. Best wishes to you and your sweet baby girl. I hope other more knowledgeable people will come along with helpful advice.

She's so precious we feel lucky to have her -not that her arrival hasn't turned our house upside down. I've been feeling like I brought a baby home. The steam is a great idea though. We actually used my daughters old nebulizer with just distilled water and blew the steam under a tent we made out of blanket. She loves to burrow and be cozy so she was okay with it. It did help a lot! Thanks!

Hello and welcome to YT. I am so glad you rescued her. Congrats

Congratulations on your new baby. Rescuing can be so rewarding. Kennel cough is so common in shelter rescues and it just wrenches your heart to listen to them and feel so helpless. That precious baby is in good hands with you now. sending hope that there is quick improvement and she is better soon.

The poor baby coughed all night again so the vet prescribed a tiny dose of prednisone. We have to give her a quarter of a pill. I hate to think about side effects but he said the coughing is a vicious cycle. Hopefully this does the trick.

I hope that helps...kennel cough is hard to get rid of......mine took three doses of the antibiotics to get rid of....do you have a humidifier?? that may help with the cough a lil as my keylo has CT and that helps her alot. just a thought. I hope she gets betta real soon and thank you for saving her.

The prednisone will not hurt in small doses and short term . Just be sure that if it is for more than a few weeks to step down and not stop it cold turkey. If it helps the cough the benefits outweigh the risks. hope she feels better soon.

Glad it helped. They really are little babies, their small size and delicate bones require a watchful eye. Read up in the emergency section about different issues that might occur with Yorkies. Hypoglycemia is a big issue with tiny puppies. Always remember to feed protein after giving nutrical or karo syrup as it is just a sugar fix and they need protein to keep from crashing again. We look forward to seeing pictures of your new family member.:)
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awww, hope she is better soon.:wub:

Congrats on your precious baby. Welcome!! I like the nebulizer under the blanket idea.

Well done for saving this little one. She sounds as if she has landed lucky with you asking care of her.

I am so glad she found her home with such a caring family. Kennel cough can be stubborn to get rid of but they do get better. When mine had it the cough was worse at night and first thing in the morning. Steaming did help. They did go on a short does of antibiotics but it didn't really help. The antibiotics were more to prevent it going into a bacterial infection. Lots of love and time helps.

Spayed at 8.5 weeks while in a fragile condition? Sound like the shelter made a bad decision!

It was the Humane Society and they won't adopt any pet until it's spayed. It was let them spay her or let them keep her and wait for someone else. Then they would spay her anyway. I just wanted her home and out of that cage. She's actually doing better. The vet ended up giving her a short term dose of steroids. It's a tiny dose and seems to really have helped her cough. She's a happy girl now.