5 week old choc lab sick, need help?

Question

I have a 5week old choc. lab that is very thin and boney, my husband got him froma breeder. I took him to the vet and he has quit a few parasites. He is on meds. but still only eats in the morning and seems lathargic most of the day. Very little water. Help!

Answer 1

First, he is way too young to be taken away from his mother. He is not ready to be weaned yet.

You need to find another vet and take him in right away. Because of his young age, he could die very quickly.

Answer 2

A good breeder will not let a dog away from it's mom and litter mates until it is at least 8 weeks old. I hope he gets better. As far as the breeder is concerned I would call him/her and complain. By no means do not return the puppy to them which I'm sure you won't because it sounds like you care about the puppy. Warn everyone you can about this breeder so others will not buy from them. It's heart breaking when people breed to make money and not for the quality and health of the breed. I am sorry for you and the puppy but hopefully he will pull through.

Answer 3

I agree with everyone who said he is is too young to be away from his mother. For socialization, etc. they should stay with their mother and litter mates until they are older. That said, 5 weeks is not too young for him to survive away from his mother, I got my male Saint Bernard at that age, he was dewormed before he left the breeder, and we never had any kind of problem, not even from changing his food. It didn't need to be softened or anything.
The parasites are probably making him feel really lousy. Especially if he had a very heavy parasite load. Some pups actually get intestinal blockages if they have them badly enough and they all die at once. You should call your vet and let them know what's going on. In the meantime, try whatever you have to to get him to eat. You can buy puppy formula and try to force feed him, or maybe buy canned food that he would perceive as a special treat to tempt him to eat. What I sometimes do at work for dogs who don't want to eat is get the canned food that's a mush (not something that's chunks and gravy), get some on my finger, and stick it to the roof of their mouth. Sometimes they spit it out, but most of the time they will eat what I put in there. Plus, canned food has a lot of water in it, and that will help some if he's not drinking.

Answer 4

First of all he should have been with his mom until around 8 weeks. At least 6. Parasites have made him weak. Probably anemic. That is probably why he is lethargic. What meds is he on? Does he have internal parasites...worms or external like fleas/ticks. It is a shame...5 week old puppies should not need to be on meds...they are just starting out. Murphy's oil soap is a great shampoo to kill parasites. It has no harsh chemicals and you use it just like shampoo...you don't have to leave it on like some strong poisons. I don't think right now that you need to bathe the puppy. Just a suggestion to keep fleas away. He needs to stay warm..and when was he at the vet...he may need to go back.
I agree with the above...report the breeder to the ASPCA.

Answer 5

There is a wonderful product that is available at pet shops and online. It is called PetTinic. It is a malt flavored, liquid iron supplement that will help rebuild his red blood cells. My guess is that the poor little guy is anemic and PetTinic will help bring him back. You might also consider some puppy vitamins for him as well since he's in such poor condition. BTW that was no breeder. That was a greeder. No good breeder would ever sell a puppy that young and certainly not in that condition.

Your puppy needs at least three and preferable four small meals a day. Is he still on puppy formula? He really needs that. You can get canned goats milk at most grocery stores. Dilute it in half with water and if it seems too rich, cut it a little more. If he is able to handle softened kibble, mix the diluted goats milk with it and maybe he will eat more. Then give him the PetTinic and that will really help him to recover. I adopted a dog at death's door and the PetTinic turned her around in two weeks. Good luck with your new puppy.

Answer 6

If he is on medication he should be getting better soon.... If the vet didn't give you meds get another vet.

My dog I just adopted has parasites and I have a powder that I have to mix in her food. She eats fine now but about the time I took a stool sample to my vet she was only eating once a day..


The list of internal parasites that dogs can get is so big that it is difficult to describe each one and the consequences of all of them in the development of the animal. Parasite infections begin in the fetal life of the puppy and in the cases of female dogs that have parasites when they are pregnant. After around forty two days of gestation, some parasites go through the placenta to develop in the fetus. Others can also be present in the mammary glands and can be passed on to the lactating puppies. Parasites that have infected a puppy can also spread on to its liver, lungs and intestine. The great number and various manifestations spread in the puppy deteriorating the puppy's growth and in some cases, cause premature death. Adult dogs can also suffer from internal parasites in their organs and in some occasions it does not affect their vital organs but it always causes a problem. If you are intending on using your female dog to reproduce, it is vital the female dog has been de-wormed in order to avoid problems to the future puppy. It's very important you periodically de-worm your puppy and adult dogs, and if possible, then get feces analysis done.

Answer 7

5 weeks is considerably young to take away from a mother; just over a month. You're puppy is most likely acting lethargic because of all the parasite medication he's on, it overwelms him and i've heard about this before. All the parasites in his body are being killed on medicine that he isn't used to at such a young age. It's great that you've brought him to the vet, but my advice is to bring him again to make sure that what is going on is just normal. It could be something else.

Answer 8

Why is he away from his mother so young? He should be eating quite a bit at least 4-5 times a day at that age. He really needs vet care quickly, as if he has not been drinking, he is probably pretty dehydrated. This can lead to shock and death. He needs fluid therapy, hand feeding, and whatever other meds needed to try to save him. Don't wait--something is very wrong with him.

Answer 9

Not a reputable breeder if they let it go at 5 weeks. Puppies need their mother and siblings till they turn 8 weeks. Maybe you should either tube feed this puppy which still requires its mother's milk and dropper water to it will not dehydrate. Also call the breeder for help and call the vet.

Answer 10

first of all, that puppy is MUCH too young to have been taken from his mother.
second, the breeder sold you a sick dog, and you should take it back. let the breeder take care of all the expenses (they should have made sure the dog was healthy when they sold it) and the care it needs while it grows to a decent age for it to go home with you. that would be between 7 and 8 weeks.
do you have any kind of contract with the breeder? it almost sounds to me like you were dealing with one of those idiots who just breeds his female to make money off her. the technical term for that is "backyard breeder", but you could also say "pimp".

Answer 11

I would bring him to the vet again, the vet knows best.

Also is your dog AKC registered?
Does the breeder offer a health guarantee?

My pup got sick a couple weeks after we got her with Worms, and the breeder had to foot the vet bill from a health guarantee. I think that is standard if they are AKC registered. Something to look into.