Chihuahua Puppy SOS?

Question

Hello,
I recently bought a Chihuahua pup from a breeder about an hour away. When I saw that the pup was trying to go for my cats nipples I called the breeder to ask what was going on. They let me know that she was only 5 weeks and must have "forgot to tell me" We will do anything for her and try to get her healthy. She seems fine however she only eats a little bit at a time and she wont drink water. I tried milk and she only drank a bit of that as well. We are going to buy a puppy bottle and some form of milk for her to try that way. Should we use human baby formula? If not what should we use?
Is it normal for her to shake?
Should we be crate training her yet or wait till she is older?
I thought we had everything under control until the disgusting breeder told us how young she was and actually let her go at that age!
We will do anything and spend anything to make sure that she is ok!
What should we do?
Thanks
Kassandra

Answer 1

Keep her warm and feed her often. Her sucking impulse will diminish with age. Feed her at least 5 times a day. Chis can get low blood sugar and die if they don't eat often. If you take care of her, she will be fine. Many, many puppies wean at 5 weeks or even earlier because Mom simply refuses to feed them.

Answer 2

Forget about taking it back to the breeder.......you'll never see it again.
Do Not give the puppy any milk or baby formula, instead buy puppy formula, you can find it at Walmart, most are open 24 hrs. If you have to wait until morning to get some, just make sure she at least drink plain water until then.
While Chihuahuas are know for shaking, in your case it may be because the blood sugar level is getting low, and it can kill your pup quickly. The best thing is if you have some karo syrup. You should give it to it couple of teaspoons full along with some water every two to three hours, until you can get hold of the puppy formula. At five weeks of age, it may not take the bottle, so only mix very small portions of formula at the time, and have it available at all time, also some good canned puppy chow. Do remember that Chihuahua puppies don't eat much at all, couple of teaspoons full every two to three hours should be enough to start, then increase the amount slowly with each feeding.

Answer 3

If the breeder was careless enough to sell you such a young puppy,then I would not take her back to the breeder.Get some puppy milk replacer at your local pet store,and mix some with her puppy food.Keep dry food down for her at all times,or feed her 5 or 6 small meals a day,as Chihuahuas are prone to hypoglycemia ( low blood sugar),which can cause seizures and death.If your puppy starts to twitch ,fall over,walk in circles,or have seizures,quickly rub some corn syrup (or even pancake syrup) on her gums,then call a vet. As for the shaking,some Chihuahuas will shake for no reason,or,being so small,she could be cold.Buy her a little sweater,and make sure she's warm .Put a warm blanket in her crate,and even a heating pad set on low,underneath the crate,or a hot -water bottle under her blanket.Don't let her get too warm,though.You should take her to the vet as soon as possible,as she is so young,she will need a thorough check over and probably a worming and puppy shots.And,I would wait a few weeks to start house training,as she is so young.I hope all goes well with your puppy.

Answer 4

Yes as you know from the breeder she was taken away too early from her Mama, poor thing.
Yes she needs to be bottled fed. The pet store should have a dog formula of milk to feed her with the instructions on how often to feed her.
But if I were you, I would take her to the vet to have them advise you on what to do. She may require a vitamin infused milk that you can only get from the vet being she is so young.
No, I would not crate her this young. That could scare her and put her into shock, but if you must crate her when you leave put her in a small box, with alot of towels and an alarm clock that ticks. Even put a warm water bottle (buy at the drug store) under a towel for her to lay on to simulate the heat of her Mama.
Chihuahuas normally shake, when they are scared and they are nervous dogs by nature. Oh, and they are always cold too, being they have no hair.
But the shaking can mean something else which is why I advice you get her into your vet asap!
Good luck Kassandra and I hope she gets stronger and is ok.

Answer 5

It is pretty normal for a chi to shake. She should NOT be separated from mom yet. Ideally she should go back until she's older, but I understand if you don't trust the idiot who sold her to you. If you don't take her back, get some puppy formula (not human) and bottle feed her for a couple weeks, or see if she will lap up the formula mixed with some puppy food. You can get a puppy-sized bottle and puppy formula at a vet or a pet supply store. And I would take her in to the vet ASAP for a checkup and bring some stool for them to check. She's too little for shots yet, but from the sound of it, I would expect that she's got worms and/or fleas. I would also ask the vet about a crate, and if she should have a hot water bottle to snuggle up to on one side of her bed. Good luck.

Answer 6

Anyway possible to take the pup back to it's mother for a few weeks..........you are right it should not of been taken from it's mom yet. I have a chihuahua as well and we didn't bring him home until he was 8 weeks old and then I feel that was debatable if he should be weened from it's mother yet. If you look at breeders that have websites online there are A LOT of them that will not release them until 16 weeks because of how tiny and fragile they are. Plus if they are at all a good or reputable breeder, which i'm having my doubts...sounds to me they just wanted your money quickly.....are they willing to refund if it dies? They need to help you out with this and soon. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

I've heard of surrogate mothers when an animals real mother has died. If you didn't want to take her back to this breeder I wonder if you could find someone else who's dog had pups who would take her for a few weeks. Maybe you could check the classifieds for someone with pups coming for sale soon. Wouldn't even have to be a Chihuahua surrogate as long as it was close to the same size.

Answer 8

A big risk your pup faces is hypoglycemia. Purchase a product called "Nutri-cal". It is a paste like substance that puppies love. It has nourishment, vitamins... everything a pup needs until it is eating on it own. Don't worry too much about drinking. Offer bottled water if your water has a bad taste. Report that breeder to your state dog law enforcement. That was animal cruelty. OR... ask to return it for a refund.

Answer 9

it's gonna be okay.......
i recently adopted a stray that had been abandoned by his mother. my pup dosnt drink water either. but it's nothing to worry about.
this is what i feed my pup (he's 3-4 weeks old) :
8 am: 1/4 cup cow's milk + 1/4 cup water. remember, the water is a must. add a little more, maybe. pups cant digest cows milk easily. she might get diorhea.

10 am: curds+rice. ie. yogurt mixed with water and a little boiled and mashed rice. my pup lovs this.

1 pm: a little curd/ diluted milk. try plain no sugar/ no salt biscuits.

4pm: some curd.

7:30 pm: diluted milk.

10:30 : curd rice.

ofcourse, u can change the time and frequency, but let milk intake stay low. she might get diorrhea. and a bottle might not be necessary. my doggy is younger than yours, but laps up his food on his own.

i dont exaclty know what crate training means - does it mean teaching him to sleep/eat in a specific place? if so, that's easy. start putting here to bed within that area. feed her there; play with her there. soon, she probably won't even make a mess in her "area".

my dog sleeps in an extra-large carton. he NEVER dirties it. anytime he has a job to do, he clambers onto MY bed, THEN makes a mess.LOL!!!!!!!!!!

hope you enjoy your dog!!

Answer 10

Honestly, the best thing you can do is to take the dog back to the breeder for another 3 weeks. It isn't just for health reasons a pup should stay with it;s mama unitl 8 weeks, there are behavioral issues as well. If you do not return it, you will have training and bahavioral issues to deal with later and it will be worth it to wait. Also, your pup is so young that it will be hard to do any training right now and it will be hard for you to deal with.
Call the breeder and tell that idiot that you want the pup with it;s mom and littermates for 3 more weeks, and then take the pup home.