My boyfriend brought home an approximately 2 month old pitbull puppy!!?

Question

He came home and the poor thing was infested with fleas, I gave it a bath and got the majority of them. My worries are as follows...apparently the mother and the rest of the litter had pushed this puppy out, the mother even took a nice size chunk of skin off the poor things head. My boyfriend brought her home around 9:30 last night and she's been sleeping ever since, with the occasional grunt or if I disturb her to see if she's warm enough. At one point I picked her up (she was sleeping) and she peed and a little "log" fell out! It didn't seem to bother her! I don't have the money right now, but will next week to take her to vet and get her checked out. But, could it just be the stress of being the outcast and being in a new environment or maybe the reason for her being the outcast IS because the mom knew there was something wrong with her? She's a sweetheart and a real grunter, very cute markings!!
Any info would help, and should I wait until I know what's wrong before I give shots?

Answer 1

Definitely sounds like you should get her to the vets as fast as possible. I've never heard of a dog doing that before, but if the mom was trying to kill it off so that it wouldn't 'suffer or live' through whatever is wrong with him then it sounds like it should be given immediate veterinarian attention.

Answer 2

Sleeping that much at the very beginning is normal for a pup. There is alot of stress associated with being taken from the litter and thrown into a new environment. The poor thing is probably exhausted after all that has happened to her.

I agree that she needs to go to the vet and get a check up and shots (parvo is a hell of a virus). Get her there as soon as you can.

Being outcast by the mother does not necessarily mean anything - especially with being outcast at that age. Eight weeks old is the age where most of them are being pushed away from nursing - the momma dog begins to really get tired at this point and she can get rough enough to bite a pretty good size chunk out of them. He is probably was being "clingy" to the momma and she finally got fed up with it.

Just love that little sweet pea - keep her warm - get her to the vet for her checkup. I wouldnt expose her to any other dogs or cats until she has her shots. She should be just fine.

Answer 3

If the head wound is realively fresh, my guess is that she stuck her head too close to Mom's food bowl during chow time. Generally by 6-7 weeks, most APBT mothers are only sleeping with the pups at night or, if they are tolerating them well, also spending part of the day with them. Most breeders stop feeding Mom around the pups for so that accidents don't happen.

This doesn't mean she was an outcast; just that she was a little too bold for her own good. (I actually ended up with a pup like that; bitten by an adult. Immediately took her to t he vet; wound was lanced. Vet told us that if we had been a day later she would have been dead.)

Get the pup to the vet NOW. APBT pups are alot like the adults. They are soo stoic that they don't show illness like the normal dog. The flea infestation hasn't helped either and has probably pulled her down even more. In the meantime, try to get her woke up and some fluids (water or pedialite) into her as well as a bit of food and get her into the vet.

Answer 4

The poor pup is probably exhausted and stressed because of the change of environment. Don't be surprised if she has worms, a pup with fleas hasn't had good care. Watch the wound on her head, keep it clean, call (no charge) the vet to find out how it should be treated. I would never give a sick pup/dog shots. When you have her vet checked he will tell you what if anything is wrong and if she should start getting her puppy shots. Good luck.

Answer 5

OK first thing - check her gums. Healthy gums are rose petal pink and return to "pink-ness" when gently pressed. Sick puppies have very pale or nearly white gums

Check her skin tone - Healthy skin tone is loose and supple and springs back when gently pulled. Sick puppies have tight skin that doesn't like to spring back when gently pulled.

Same with fur - healthy fur is shiny and soft. Sick puppies have dry, dull, almost stiff fur.

Now. Keep her dry and warm - and fed well - you might even get some puppy vitamins from the pet store.

And do take her (plus a fresh stool sample) to the vet - as soon as you can. Tell the vet about the fleas - which will spread parasites as well as have just about sucked the poor thing dry of blood!

How come your BF won't pay for the vet's - or at least help pay for it?

Answer 6

She may be dehydrated or malnourished. Has she eaten anything or been drinking? Do you know when the mother weaned her?
The flea infestation could be a real problem because they remove vital blood from her that she needs. Therefore, she could become severly anemic and dehydrated.
If I were you, I would call your vet and ask if you could post-date a check to them or set up a payment plan. If you explain your situation and that you really want to make sure she's ok, they may allow it. I think she does really need to see a vet soon.
Try getting her to eat and drink. If she won't willing do either, use an eye dropper and drop water into her mouth slowly so she gets some in. Also, if you know what she was eating before you got her, that would help. To help get my puppies used to kibble, I soaked it in water to make it soft and easier to eat.
Good luck, I hope she's ok.

Answer 7

Hi,

A mother will usually neglect a puppy that is ill and not a strong as the others. It's a natural instinct that all animals have to ensure the stronger ones will survive. You should really at least have her seen now. Most vets will accept money later if you explain the situation, or write a post dated cheque.

It sounds like she may well by ill, you did a charitable thing taking her in but please have her checked out. It might be too late next week.

Answer 8

For now the best you can do is go to a pet store and get it some formula and a bottle, feed it every couple of hours and hope for the best. Keep it warm and let it rest. At it's age it will sleep a lot especially because of the fleas, they will have made her very anemic. The only person who can tell you if she's sick will be the vet. Good luck and don't give up hope, a Pit Bull is a wonderful breed of dog, I own three, not any mean bones in their bodies!

Answer 9

I've never worked with pitts, so I can't speak from that experience.

But in general - get her checked by a vet. After a while she should be more active and energetic - get advice on her diet from a breeder or the vet. If she continues to sleep and be listless that is a sign something's wrong. The vet can outline the shots (worming, vitamins, etc) over the next several months

Answer 10

Sorry, this puppy needs lots of attention; however, be prepared because possibilities are that she's got a really serious problem. If you cannot workout a payment plan, use bottle feeding with puppy formula and keep track of everything she does, like hours of sleep, how she eats from the bottle, etc, so that you can tell the vet next week, he/she will need as much as information as possible to help the puppy.

Answer 11

She could be stressed, sounds like she hasn't had the best start to life.

Next week when you get the money, take her to the Vet. They will examine her and decide whether or not she is healthy enough to start receiving her vaccines. She will also need to be dewormed and started on heartworm preventive. She could also be anemic from the fleas.

For now, make sure she is eating and drinking. Get her a high quality puppy food. (Hill's, Iams, Eukanuba, Blue Buffalo) to name a few (although some will disagree with my choices). Keep a close eye on her until you can get her to the Vet. Good luck!