I purchased a 6 week old chocolate male chihuahua?

Question

from a person who doesn't breed professionally (no papers) and he cries for his mother nonstop. Sometimes holding him doesn't help. He will only eat food from a spoon and is having a really hard time without his mother. What can I do? I know you shouldn't adopt them this young but he was selling them at five weeks so if I had waited much longer he would have sold them all. Does anyone have any advice for how to adjust him any easier? Should I give him skim milk?

I AM feeding him softened puppy chow (purina). I only ASKED if I should give him skim milk to mimic the mothers colostrum

cavalier, if I hadn't bought him someone else would have...they all sold. Save the sob story for someone else.

I've had vet techs tell me not to give a puppy his first shots until 8-9 weeks...giving them shots too soon can make them sensitive to vaccines in the future.

I know it's not colostrum you idiot, I said MIMIC, not act as....read the question before you comment...geezz

wow, bernard you're a pain...I was trying to find ways to mimic his mothers milk as EMOTIONAL support to the animal...not for nutritional value....that's where PUPPY CHOW comes in....are you done ranting?

Answer 1

You can try giving him baby food, the junior kind with meat. keep him warm as they are susceptible to the cold. Let him sleep with you, that will give him comfort, after all, you are his mommy now.

Answer 2

Well you have a bit of a problem on your hands. I hope I can help:
1. Feeding. If he is having a hard time eating, then you want to put a little warm water on his food. This brings out the smell and makes them want to eat. Still not eating well? Then do the same as above, but with mothers helper (pet milk). Or you can try gerbers baby rice and mothers helper mixed together. Breeders usually feed this to the weaning pups.
2. Emotional detachment. Chihuahuas are very needy dogs indeed, but this is a very tiny baby so I would recommend a very calm enviroment for your baby. Also, I have read that if you wrap a ticking clock in a towel and put it in with the puppy when it sleeps, then it mimmicks the mothers heartbeat and makes them calm.
3. By all means, Do Not let a lot of people handle your puppy. When your puppy is about 12 weeks, then go ahead and let all the people handle your puppy and socialize him. It is too dangerous for your puppies health to let others handle him right now.

Hope some of these suggestions might help you.

Answer 3

You can get puppy can milk DON'T use people milk also try a little can puppy food but just about a teaspoon at a time so it will not make his stool to loose and I'm sure the breeder never told you about sugar drops chihuahuas under 3 lbs are bad to have these if it is not brought back up fast it will die a sad death go get some NURTI-Cal now you can get it a pet stores or from your vet give it to it every 6 hours it will just lick it off your finger this will help it from dropping if it gets weak starts sleeping and want wake up or gets up and falls this is signs of a sugar drop give it the nurti-cal every 15 min till it is better or if it does before you get the nurti-cal you can use clear kayro syrup put some on your finger and rub it on the pups gum it is way to young and you will have your work cut out for you the nest 3 weeks be sure to leave food and water where it can get it 24/7 not eating will cause the sugar to drop a long with stress make sure it is at least 85-90% in the house and just be ready to get it to a vet fast if it starts to act sick and yes I would call your vet and ask when to start the shots my vet does between 6 1/2 - 7 weeks but they still have there Mom with them feel free to e-mail me if you need anything I have a house full of chihuahua and my oldest is 13 years I will be glad to help keep this little one a live

Answer 4

Hi there, hopefully this information will help you out. I am a dog breeder and this is a proven method that works every time!!
Feed your new little guy three times a day with moistened puppy chow, no milk, wet food, etc. This just gives your pup an upset stomach and diarhea. He should be fed no later than 4 hours prior to putting him to beed for the night. Water must be taken away around 2 hours prior to going to bed. Take your pup out frequently and right before he goes to bed making sure he's gone to the washroom!!! Put him in his crate with a ticking clock, and possibly a warm water bottle that is wrapped in a towel (depends on how destructive your little guy is). Now I know this sounds hard, but you need to turn out the lights and LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!! Do not, no matter what, speak to him, pet, or let him out!!!! No matter how loud and long he cries just completely ignore him. Each time that you give in to his crying it's telling him that it is ok to fuss in his crate, he needs to learn that bedtime is bedtime. Every single puppy goes through this stage when you bring them home, you have to be strong and not give into this behavior, I promise you that it will work if you follow the rules.
In the morning take him out first thing to do his business. He'll mess in his crate most likeley at night, but that's OK. Sleeping in your own mess isn't very comfortable so he will learn to hold it for longer and longer periods of time. He'll catch on soon enough, it may take him over a month (because he is only 6 weeks old) to go all night without messing in his crate, but it should be a matter of a week or two to stop crying.
Remember, during the day give him as much love, attention, and excercise as you want, but at night he must be ignored.
I wish you lots of luck!!

Answer 5

Skim milk is NOTHING like colostrum. Colostrum is very high in proteins and contain maternal antibodies. Skim milk would most likely cause diarrhea.

Have you had him seem by a veterinarian? I would just to make sure there is nothing wrong with him.

At this age, he should have not been separated from his littermates. Ideally, dogs should remain with their litter for 12-16 week in order to learn socialization and play behaviors. My advice - get him to a vet, then find a puppy class to take him to. Without socialization with other dogs, he may become fearful, anxious, etc. I know you thought you were doing what's best for him, but really you just added to this backyard breeder's checking account.

You may see if the breeder will keep the puppy for a few more weeks, the whole while you being the owner, or return the puppy and purchase one from a reputable breeder or better yet, rescue one that is in need of a home.

Other option is to buy another puppy for it to bond and play with. He is just as the stage now where they start to get away from mom and explore, but lacks confidence since mom is nowhere for protection and reassurance.

Answer 6

Colostrum is NOT going to be found in SKIM MILK!!!!!! Even if it was there, it would be from a COW and not a DOG!!!!!

Do people actually THINK this stuff?????????

OK Einstein...how the heck do you think skim COW'S milk is going to MIMIC dogs colostrum???? Because they are both MILK????? Colostrum is the FIRST milk that comes in that had antibodies in it. How is this SKIMMED PASTEURIZED cow's milk going to mimic anything but being a "white milky substance"?

AHHH, but you did not say you were trying to mimic the milk, you said to "mimic colostrum". Clearly, you don't have a CLUE what colostrum is do you? For EMOTIONAL support, suckling is what mimics NURSING. It is hard to find a pacifier for a puppy. Mixing skim milk with food or having the puppy lap it out of a bowl is not going to mimic nursing at all.
The poor thing is just going to have to cope. There is no substitute for having a mother and litter mates for 3-5 more weeks. Hope it won't be too emotionally scarred.

Answer 7

No. I would never leave a young puppy confined with an older dog. It is not safe for the puppy because the older dog has nowhere to go when the puppy gets annoying. Puppies get injured this way and the owners are always So Surprised. You will not, of course, be leaving the young puppy loose in the home when you are not there to supervise! I'm not sure why you want to be an instant multi-dog home, but it's a bad idea. Raise one puppy at a time. Each puppy deserves time to learn housetraining and basic obedience commands. Each puppy deserves your individual attention as it is growing up. Wait a year or so to get any more puppies. It's also better to have their ages spaced out because when the end comes, you don't want to lose them all within a few months of each other.

Answer 8

You've gotten yourself into a situation. You should have stepped away from this or reported it to animal control.
The ideal time to home a puppy is when they are 10-12 wks of age. 5wks is much, much too young to place puppies. There are long term behavioral effects not to mention some health effects on separation from mother and litter mates.

All puppies go thru some separation distress when homed for the first time. It will take some weeks for them to adjust and adapt. Keep a regular routine, be careful on how much time you spent with it - this can be a catalyst for more separation anxiety.

As far as what to feed him. At 5 wks they are just beginning to natrually wean themselves from their mothers milk and a good breeder would have started them on some sort of pablem. Ask your vet.

Solid foods should be introduced at 3 weeks of age. Pan-feed a thin gruel made by blending good-quality puppy food with puppy's milk formula. Gradually thicken the gruel until no milk substitute is used at about 6 weeks of age. At this time, the pups should be offered good-quality puppy food 3 times daily. http://www.talktothevet.com/ARTICLES/DOGS/Pfeedorphanpups.HTM



Here are some links to nutritional care:

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_petnutritionpuppy

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/pups.html



http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/puppy_feed_program_2006_htm.htm


http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cls=2&cat=1651

Good luck

Answer 9

dairy products are hard for any dog to digest! I would get a hot water heater and wrap it in blankets and put him near it. Then I would go to the vet and ask for some mother's milk supplements! At six weeks, the puppy should be just weaning off, so you should also buy some canned puppy food and mash it up with some of the milk supplements. You should also give him regular check ups because this person you bought him off of doesnt seem like the guy who would care about checking the dam and the sire's health.

Good Luck

Answer 10

if you do use a hot water bottle as suggested by another make sure it is only warm enough to your wrist to not cause his young skin to be burned....
you will find he'll comfort more as days go by...but taking him so young wasn't a wise thing.
You hit the nail on the head when you said "he isn't a professional breeder". That idiot sold you a pup that will not have proper adult to pup training.
Top quality puppy chow, probably canned for awhile until he gets enough teeth in to chew will help....probably should be fed small amounts every 2-3 hours until his stomach is large enough to hold the food. Get him to the vet soon. That guy should be reported to the humane officer also.

Answer 11

I would make a vet appointment, just to make sure the pup was as healthy as he/she should be. That being said...the pup is going to have a difficult time separating from his/her mom, no matter what his/her age. However, it does sound like your pup was removed from his/her mother before she had a chance to wean him/her. By allowing the mother to wean the pups, gradually, they learn that RESOURCES ARE NOT ALWAYS AVAILABLE. This is a valuable lesson for pups. Something that may affect his/her acceptance of limited access later in life. I would recommend giving daily individual attention to the pup, getting him/her used to positive human interaction. Try preparing him a "bed" with a pet approved warming pad. (They sale these at most major pet stores, such as Petsmart, or Petco.) Role the warming pad into a burrito, and wrap a soft blanket around it. By doing this, you are duplicating the "feeling" of the mom still being there. As for feeding her, I would recommend supplementing moistened puppy food. If she looses a substantial amount of weight from the ordeal, most pet stores sale weight gainer for pups in a paste form. It's high in vitamins, and nutrients...and my dog loved the taste, when she was a pup. Hope that helped. Good luck to you and your new pup! ( :