When you get your Best Little Aussie we send you a home with a puppy pack full of goodies.

• Food- enough to last 4-5 days depending on size of puppy
• Toys
• Potty Pad
• Blanket with littermate’s scent
• Treats and other goodies

Information on your puppy-

• ASDR registration certificate (if breeding rights purchased)
• Health and vaccination records
• Welcome Packet
• Truepanion Puppy Health Insurance to be activated within 24 hours- First Month Free!

Helpful Link- AKC’s Complete Guide to Puppy Vaccinations

 

 

Training is the MOST Important thing you can do with your Puppy

Start Here- Dunbar Training Courses

Welcome Home-

Remember that puppies are going into a new environment and will require time to adjust. Puppies usually mold quickly to their new schedule and new surrounds but those first few days to a week can be tough.

AKC Article on setting Schedules

The Ride Home-Car Sickness- 

What to bring when you pick up your puppy-

Good Dog- The Ride Home

It is pretty common for puppies to be car sick, this condition usually gets better quickly the more they ride in the car and with age. However, I recommend bringing a towel with you just in case your puppy gets sick on his/her way home. 

They also usually get less car sick if they are held than crates. However, crated is always the safest method when traveling with your pup. If you do not have a driver with you we highly recommend that you bring a crate or way to contain you puppy to keep you from being distracted on the drive home.

Feeding and Potty Training-

Preparing Your Home for A New Puppy

Feeding- We “free feed” our puppies, meaning food is out all the time for them. Because of this we also litter box train them. You may want to go to scheduled feedings in the morning and early evening. I recommend removing food in the evening as not to have overnight accidents. You’re puppy will need to potty 5-10 mins after they eat. This is a great way to start your potty training. EVERY TIME they eat and wake up from a nap they will need to potty.

Food- Royal Canin Small Puppy (Amazon Link)

PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE YOUR PUPPIES FOOD FOR AT LEAST 2 MONTHS- THEY WILL GET AN UPSET TUMMY IF YOU DO. This is the number one thing new owners do wrong.

You can find lots of great info on our new owners resource page regarding potty training. I will give you a quick run through here.

Potty Training- We litter box train starting at 3 weeks of age. This means that by 8 weeks when your puppy comes home, they know that there is an appropriate place to potty. We use alfalfa pellets as a litter because it has a similar odor to grass. This way, when you get home and sit your puppy on grass it recognizes this as the appropriate place to potty. We potty train using the Dr. Ian Dunbar method which is discussed on our new owners resource page. 

Litterbox Training and Confinement

Our puppies are accustomed to being in a smaller confined area here. They get to go out and play but when we cannot keep a good eye on them they are confined to their areas. We recommend that you purchase an exercise pen or use a bathroom/ laundry room as your confinement area when you bring you puppy home.

Litter We Use- (May Be labeled as Horse Feed ) You are welcome to change to a pelleted news paper litter such as Yesterday’s News when you bring your puppy home. We use the alfalfa pellets because they smell like grass.

 

 

 

 

Possible Problems You Should be Aware of –

Hypoglycemia- (Usually only possibly for small toys 2lbs or under when they go home)

Hypoglycemia is defined as low blood sugar.  

How it happens- Glucose is the main source of energy for the body and the only source of energy for the brain. When most of the glucose in the blood is used up, the body responds by releasing glucose from the liver and by breaking down fatty acids and other energy sources. If no more stored glucose is available, the brain runs out of energy and can even be damaged beyond repair

“Puppy Hypoglycemia”- Usually only occurs in toy puppies less than 5 months of age. These dogs have more brain mass per body weight compared to other breeds and therefore need more glucose for brain function. A puppy that is not eating well is more prone to getting “down”. Because small Toy Aussie puppies carry little body fat or reserves, if they become overly stressed, miss a meal, over exercise, etc….they may experience a dangerous drop in glucose (sugar) in their blood. This drop causes the puppy to become weak, lethargic, nauseous and generally unwell. Hypoglycemia is LIFE THREATENING if left untreated. You must intervene and get your puppy’s sugars up and stabilized.

***Please make sure your puppy is eating several times a day and getting plenty of rest***They are closely monitored while here, but it is up to you, especially in those first few days at home.

Signs- Weakness, Loss of mental alertness, wobbliness, seizures, then death 

Treatment-

Most hypoglycemia cases can be treated at home, however you must seek immediate veterinary care if the puppy loses consciousness, experiences a seizure, is non-responsive to at home treatment, or if you don’t know the cause of the episode.  If you are aware that your puppy missed a meal or was over exercised, then providing at home care is acceptable as long as your responds immediately to care 

At home care-

1. Stay Calm- it usually looks worse than it is. These little dogs bounce back fast when treated properly, so keep calm, follow the steps below and please, call me if you need some reassurance. It can be scary to see your little puppy suffering from low blood sugar, but they recover very quickly in almost all cases, so take a deep breath!
2. Nutrical is the best-It is a high calorie diet in a low volume form.  It gives them the sugar and other great supplements they need quickly.  This gel is absorbed through the gums quickly to get sugar into the bloodstream and glucose to the brain. It can be purchased at most pet stores and over the counter from vets

– If you do not have NutriCal, any color Karo Syrup or Honey can be used.

3. Make sure your puppy is warm and give them a couple of pea sized drops in their mouth. IT may take a bit of force (only apply to gums if puppy is having a seizure) Continue to do this every 20 mins until your puppy is alert and interested in food. At this point anything they will eat is great. You should see a HUGE improvement in 30-60 mins.
4. Good examples of things you can offer a puppy who is a picky eater is yogurt (something with live cultures such as Activia).  If they don’t dive right in, stir some honey in to the yogurt…they can’t resist!  Sandwich meat or cream of chicken noodle soup (if they like this, soak puppy food in it!). Fluids are also important.  Lots of water.  Sugar or honey water is a good thing to try.

• It’s okay if he/she vomits the food up at first (the low sugar causes the nausea), but they should be able to keep it down within the first few hours. Monitor the puppy closely, continue to keep him warm and watch to see how he does. If there is little or no improvement, take him to your vet as soon as possible. If he relapses for an unknown reason, it’s to the vet 

**If the at home care is working you’ll see your puppy “perk up”, eat the soft food well and begin acting normal again within a 1-2 hours. Do not let him or her run around or exercise for a day or two. Keep him or her warm, calm, quiet, well fed and monitored very closely for a relapse. Keep the puppy with you when you sleep and check him or her every two hours or so (in a small laundry basket in bed with you works well).

AT THE VET

If your puppy needs to be taken to the vet because he is unconscious, has experienced a seizure or is not improving, here is what to expect.

The vet techs will whisk the puppy to the back while you fill out paperwork (be prepared for an emergency exam fee). The vet will want to start to check the glucose levels and then immediately start a GLUCOSE DRIP (which is an IV into the puppy) which delivers glucose directly into the bloodstream. This is the quickest and best way to get the puppy stable and prevent seizures, brain damage, coma and death.

After getting the puppy stable, they’ll want to run hundreds of dollars in tests. We recommend starting with one or two and working your way slowly to find out what caused the episode (if you don’t know already).
Remember: you are the boss.  You are the paying customer.  You have the final say in what they do and don’t do.   

   In addition to the glucose test and glucose drip, we recommend starting with a FECAL CHECK to look for parasites that may have caused the puppy to lose his appetite which resulted in the episode. If parasites are found (worms, cocci or giardia), then treatment should begin when the vet says it’s safe. If nothing is found (or the puppy is exhibiting other symptoms) then a PARVO test is next on the list.  

Parvo is almost always fatal. It can be kinder to euthanize a Parvo toy breed puppy than to drag out it’s suffering.. Keep your puppy UTD on vaccines and off public grasses/sidewalks until he is 4+mths old and fully vaccinated. Remember!  Just because a puppy is vaccinated does not mean they are 100% safe!  Precautions should still be taken to avoid putting your puppy in contact with Parvo. (Incubation is 2-7 days before symptoms usually)

We are very serious about keeping our vaccines up to date and to keep our place very clean but your vet will need to rule it out- in 15 years (knock on wood) we have never had a case. ***If your puppy received Neo Par in the last 10 days or any other Parvo vaccine in the last 3 days they will test positive due to the vaccine being a modified live virus.***

Low blood sugar can happen to a healthy puppy who missed a meal, is stressed, over exercised, etc…..so don’t let your vet push you around. Do your research, be informed and get a second opinion if you’re not sure.

As always, if you have any doubts or want an opinion from someone who’s experienced-call me!  Do not ever hesitate when you are worried about your baby to call me.  I want to be your first call when you’re worried and your last call after everything has settled back down to normal.

Parvo-

How easy is it to bring parvo home to your puppy?
A puppy can contract parvo from someone who’s been in contact with parvo, even unknowingly.  Walk behind someone at Walmart that has a parvo puppy at home and you can carry it home on your shoes. So…We always leave our outside shoes outside. Never play with puppies in our “town clothes” or shoes. (Incubation period is usually 2-7 days)

The Veterinarian is Where Sick Dogs and Puppies Go

Vet clinics are a hot spot for parvo.  Where do people take their sick dogs?  To the vet!  Do not touch anything.  Do not ever put your puppy down at the vet clinic. Avoid anyone other than the vet and select staff handling your puppy.  Careless vet techs that have handled parvo puppies earlier in the day can give your puppy parvo.  Be educated and aware. 

Awww…We are stopping by the Pet Store on the Way Home…Pet stores are also a horrible place to take your puppy.  If you must go, again…do not put your puppy down and do not let people handle your puppy until it’s fully vaccinated.  (2 weeks after 12 wk shot)  A polite way to ask people not to touch your puppy is to just tell them that your puppy is not fully vaccinated yet and you are doing your best to make sure he doesn’t get sick.  Also, wash new toys when you bring them home with a diluted bleach solution. People let their dogs rummage through the toys…

Gas stations 

This is where we stop to take a break ourselves.  So does everyone else with a dog.  As convenient as it is-never let your puppy down in a high traffic area like this.  Instead-stop in the back of a restaurant parking lot if you must. Think of the least likely spot everyone else has taken their dogs potty. 

More on the disease-

Generally, it takes 2-7 days from the time of exposure for dogs and puppies to start showing symptoms and to test positive for parvo. Parvo is highly contagious to unprotected dogs. It is recommended that puppies receive a preventative shot at 6, 9, 12, and 15 weeks of age. Even puppies who have been vaccinated on a regular basis are not protected until they are at least 18 weeks old. Parvovirus can remain infectious in ground contaminated with fecal material for five months or more if conditions are favorable. Extremely hardy, most disinfectants cannot kill the virus, however chlorine bleach is the most effective and inexpensive agent that works, and is commonly used by veterinarians.

Dogs and puppies can contract parvo even if they never leave their yards. Parvo virus, despite what you might hear, is NOT an airborne virus. It is excreted in the feces of infected dogs, and if someone — human, dog, bird, etc. — steps in (or otherwise comes in contact with) the excrement, the possibility for contamination is great. Some people speculate that birds invading a dog’s food dish can deposit the parvovirus there. If you think you may have come in contact with parvovirus, a strong solution of bleach and water does kill the virus, so you can wash your shoes and clothes, even your hands with it, to reduce the risk of infecting your dog. Rest assured that parvovirus is specific to dogs alone and cannot be transmitted to humans or other pets.