| How to Keep Your agreatdog Chow Chow, Shih Tzu or Sheltie From Getting Sick |
How can YOU prevent your puppy from getting sick in the first 10 days?
1) Mitigate stress
When a puppy is uprooted and goes to a new home with new noises and smells, many things can happen to it that can cause an enormous amount of stress. By using some simple common sense techniques, stress can be greatly reduced. Puppies are much like a newborn human baby for the first several days, very susceptible to getting sick. Any amount of stress to a puppy will suppress a puppy’s immune system. With a suppressed immune system, a puppy can easily become sick.
2) Understanding a puppy
The first thing to realize is the differences between Dog and Man. They are each a unique species with different needs, desires and quirks. Treating a dog like a human is as wrong as treating a human like a dog. Dogs run in packs and are followers. Your puppy is looking for a pack leader. If you won’t step up to the plate and fill that need, the puppy will assume that distinction and behavioral problems will result. Each species has its own set of priorities. All puppies are born premature, deaf and blind. The only sense a puppy has is that of smell. Mother Nature teaches the puppy to rely solely on smell for the first two weeks of life and emphasizes scent importance throughout the dog’s life. Therefore, when a puppy is first introduced to anyone or any place, it must be allowed to smell first. This will put the puppy at ease. The other senses, sight and hearing will develop10-14 days after birth. Place the puppy in your home environment, with no sound and no touch and let the puppy fully investigate its new home. When the puppy is familiar with the new smells, the puppy will seek you out when ready. At that point, it will recognize you as the pack leader. Be worthy of that distinction.
3) Introducing the puppy gradually to its new home
Keep the new smells the puppy must learn and recognize to a minimum. The more smells the puppy has to learn and remember the more stress it will cause. Do not take your new puppy to a dog park or to visit other dogs in the neighborhood, friend’s houses or any strange places where a puppy could pick up viruses or parasites while having a suppressed immune system. It is simply too much to expect a puppy to fight off exposure from such places and not get sick. Common sense will dictate how much exposure a puppy can have. Also puppy- proofing a new home is a must. Puppies, like babies, will tend to put everything in its mouth and could swallow something that may cause many problems later on. Also, the potential of ingestion of toxins is present.
4) Signs of Stress
Typically, stress can show up in the form of coughing, sneezing or runny nose, and diarrhea. If the puppy is still active and eating and drinking, no treatment should be given, instead let the immune system handle this on its own. This could last up to two or more weeks. If the coughing is more frequent and lethargy is evident, then antibiotics may be needed. When antibiotics are used, the immune system will not build immunity and defend itself and the cough, sneeze or diarrhea may return or be evident much longer, possibly up to several weeks. Again, it is best to let the immune system take care of the problem. Diarrhea must be watched in order to prevent dehydration.
5) Providing Boundaries for Your New Puppies
Give your puppy a place it can recognize as its own. A crate works best. Put a towel over the crate so that it resembles a den or safe zone where your puppy can feel secure. This also works as a great tool for potty training and discipline. Always reward your puppy for going into the cage, unless for disciplinary reasons, and never praise or reward when the puppy comes out of the crate. Always take the puppy to its designated potty area when it first comes out of the crate. If a puppy understands what you expect and want it to do, there will be no stress and the puppy will look to you as its pack leader. A puppy that has a pack leader is a happy healthy puppy. Never give the puppy free run of the house till it is 100% potty trained.
6) Watch the Feed, Water and Treats
It is best to keep the puppy on the same feed the breeder uses until the stress period is over. It makes no sense to introduce feed stress if it can be avoided. It also is best to use bottled water for the first few days and slowly mix with your regular water. Be careful with the treats you give. We as breeders use premium IAMS Dog Food with no fillers and typically no wheat. Many treats use wheat as the main protein source. Your puppy will not have the enzymes to break down wheat and those treats can cause diarrhea. Using the kibble pieces in the regular dog food will provide a sufficient treat for training purposes for the first days. Typically one of the first signs of stress due to feed and water will show itself in form of diarrhea. It is known that 70% of the immune system is located in the bowels of the puppy. Diarrhea will upset the bowels and suppress the immune system making the puppy very susceptible to sickness. One cannot ignore diarrhea as that can lead to many serious problems. Diarrhea allows a take-over of the good bacteria by bad bacteria. This makes a favorable environment for parasites to take over and thrive. Diarrhea leads to dehydration, yeast and mite infestations and other sicknesses caused by opportunistic organisms.
7) How long will all this take?
Each puppy is an individual and will take its own time to adjust. Common sense will tell you when the puppy is ready to taken out and exposed to the cruel world. By restricting the puppy at first, each new adventure can be dealt with reduced stress and therefore, the strong immune system that will keep your puppy healthy and happy.
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