useful info when bringing up new puppy

mvl

so we have a 3 months old female puppy for over a month now.
didn't have a dog in adult life till now, but did grow up with dogs around.
i am looking for some info to help with bringing her up; listing here some questions I hope you can help me answer.

- current food is calibra, as we bought some from our vet - are there any supplements we should look into adding to her diet, if yes, from what age ?
- what human food is allowed at this age, and at what frequency ?
- do ppl really give puppies manuka honey (or other) for medicinal purposes = cough ?
- how would we know that she has fever - what do ppl use for this, any special thermometers ?
- what is the basic list of medicine we could keep for her in the house (for emergencies until we get to the vet)
- what age do female pups have the first heat ? what is the frequency of their heat? except doggy pants, do I need anything else in advance for this ?

thank you.

Cherry Blossom

mvl wrote: »

so we have a 3 months old female puppy for over a month now.
didn't have a dog in adult life till now, but did grow up with dogs around.
i am looking for some info to help with bringing her up; listing here some questions I hope you can help me answer.

- current food is calibra, as we bought some from our vet - are there any supplements we should look into adding to her diet, if yes, from what age ?
I'm not familiar with this food but the best advice is feed the best you can afford. Supplements are associated with old age and medical issues like joint or skin issues, you can add a small amount of salmon oil if you want a bit of a sheen to her coat but you shouldn't need to add anything to a youngsters food.
- what human food is allowed at this age, and at what frequency ?
Google foods that are poisonous to dogs, you can give them everything that isn't on the list. Favourites in this house are peas, cheese, cooked meats, fried rice from the Chinese.
- do ppl really give puppies manuka honey (or other) for medicinal purposes = cough ?
I keep active manuka honey to apply to cuts and scrapes on the ponies. I've never given it to or put it on dogs but they've never had kennel cough.
- how would we know that she has fever - what do ppl use for this, any special thermometers ?
Any abnormal or change in behaviour, take to the vet to get checked out. No need for thermometers
- what is the basic list of medicine we could keep for her in the house (for emergencies until we get to the vet)
I don't keep any dog medicine in the house. If they are sick I take them to the vet.
- what age do female pups have the first heat ? what is the frequency of their heat? except doggy pants, do I need anything else in advance for this ?
Typically between 6 months and a year. My terrier went into heat at 20 weeks though. You need to keep your dog secure in the house for the duration if you normally leave them unattended in your garden. I never heard of dog pants I don't see any reason why you would need such a thing. There was little to no mess the one time my terrier had a heat.
thank you.

You are doing some serious overthinking here.

cocker5

Hi OP,

On the food - feed the best you can afford and just be aware just because a vet sells it doesn’t make it a good quality.

Check out this site .. https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

Or please research feeding raw. I fed dried food for years, moved to raw approx 3/4 years ago and not wouldn’t go back but that’s just my experience/ opinion. Supplements are usually only required usually for older dogs.

Puppy socialization / training classes so so important for any young dog. Expose your dog to as many new situations/ experiences as young as u can.

Medical kit - yes I do keep honey.. also 100% aleo Vera (just in case of cuts etc) I also keep https://www.evergreen.ie/higher-nature-active-silver-formerly-known-as-colloidal-silver/

It’s great for holistic approach for cuts etc

I also have these little sterile water pouches u can get in pharmacy super cheap - great for washing our eyes / cuts if out of the house. But I still always bring to the vet if anything not straight forward.

No help on the heat thing - I’ve a male!

On the food thing .. goodie what’s poisonous for dogs - personally for treats etc id feed raw veg ie sugar snaps peas, carrots . Try and stay away from the supermarket treats ie dentastix etc - full of crap. Raw veg far better!

Exercise - you probably already know but 5 mins for each month their alive .. so 15 mins per day at present.

If your dog is a breed that requires regular grooming .. I’d start sooner rather than later .. now not a clip etc but a puppy introduction wash / brush etc

Hope the above helps!

mvl

Cheers,

Anything for the teeth ?
- she bites in this period ...

In general I'd expect we ring the vet when we have issues (heard ours has some oncall thingy, they can be reached at nite, that is good).
But same as when we had the baby, I would want to have bare minimum to be able to comfort her before we get to the vet (keeping only things that are allowed by vets).

So on the measuring temp thingy - thought maybe one of those baby thermometers that could be used at the distance.
Or is everybody not having a thermometer measurement tool for their pet?

cocker5

No you don’t need anything for teeth or thermometer..

For her teeth .. she should have some puppy dogs toys ie kong etc

If a dog is under the weather you’ll know .. their gums will be paler etc

muddypaws

To take a dog's temperature the thermometer is inserted in the anus. I do have a dog thermometer that is VERY clearly marked as such - you don't want to make that mistake! You can use an ear thermometer but(t) I'm not sure how accurate that would be.
You can buy pet first aid kids, so that might be an idea for you. Don't give your dog any human medication without the express permission of your vet, some can kill dogs.

jimf

its great to see you have the concerns listed above to me it means she will be well looked after

first heat could be around 11 months and maybe every 6 or 12 months there after this is generally not a rule

a golden rule for me no soft toys or anything they can swallow as pups are little feckers for biting off more than they can chew

re sickness don't be overthinking usually a good grubber that goes off the food and doesn't have the usual bounce will be a tell tale sign

enjoy her and of course we need photos loads of em

Knine

Actually depending on the size of the dog the first heat can be any time from 5 months old to 14/16 months. Some of my terriers were only 5 months while our gundogs were over 12/13 months. Watch out for silent heats where there is only a slight swelling & no blood. I manage heats very easily even though I also have a stud dog here. They then come into season every 6 months but for some it can be every 6 to 12 months i.e once a year. Most bitches keep themselves very clean. Otherwise you can stick a pair of kiddies knickers on them to prevent spots on furniture. Vets might push for early spaying but I prefer bitches to have had a season.

Like mentioned above supervise young puppies playing with toys.

jimf

agree knine first heat can be so unpredictable

when I was breeding my springers I always knew about 2 days before as my dog would go off his food and start his whining stunt

eirbear1989

Hi,

I have a male dog so can't help on the heat front.

I don't keep any meds for or puppy except worming medicine. I have no need. He was on antibiotics once and being the worrier I am I thought he was getting a temp, so I used a baby thermometer up his anus like this one (https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/baby-thermometer-11693767833.html) I have never used it since, I was just worrying because I knew he had an ear infection.

For teething these are what I got him and he only ever chewed one of my shoes,

http://www.petcara.ie/dog/dog-toys/dog-chew-toys/chillax-cooling-dog-bone?gclid=CjwKCAjw06LZBRBNEiwA2vgMVVHNoVLD7ZgZp2vrq5pkNcQ7RMKimy7-Nsz0wKLhqhQDjbbn25Q0eRoCfysQAvD_BwE

http://www.petcara.ie/dog/dog-toys/dog-chew-toys/puppy-dental-teether-shapes

http://www.petcara.ie/dog/dog-toys/kong-dog-toys/kong-puppy-binkie

I still use the kong for when I am at work. Also a rope toy, he loved chewing on that when he was teething, but be warned it will most likely end up in pieces anywhere you let her have it.

mvl

so I think the first day trip with her (sun and water involved) went quite well.

how do people handle car sick though for the little ones ?

cocker5

mvl wrote: »

so I think the first day trip with her (sun and water involved) went quite well.

how do people handle car sick though for the little ones ?

short and frequent trips at first.. a ginger nut biscuit 30 mins before u travel should help

ehhhh photos are a strict requirement when posting on here

show us the new addition!!!!

cocker5

mvl wrote: »

only doing it once, as this thread is to help us with this little baby

gorgeous!

jimf

little dote enjoy her

mvl

anyone here using waterless shampoo for their dogs (between washes) ?
stumbled upon this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01330IQ4U/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1_1_1?smid=A38KJQWWV4XXP8&psc=1
and thinking something like that could be of use for our young one; so was wondering if you know a better product for such purpose ?
thanks.

neveah123

i'd pay some special attention to getting her properly socialized and new experiences, the sound of traffic etc, training classes.. teaching her to walk on a leash, recall.. would recommend a raw food diet also but do your research

Dubl07

Some great advice above. Since you asked about chewing, get some thick carrots, cut them lengthwise into quarters so they have nice sharp corners and keep them in the fridge. They're brilliant for sore gums and teeth while her baby-teeth are being replaced by the adult ones. You can soak a rope-chew of the appropriate size in very dilute and low-salt stock and freeze. My girl (8kg adult) still loves cold or frozen cabbage-stalks.

I didn't see a photo, but a regular dusting of Thornit powder is excellent for around the ear canal - not inside. It's also good for hotspots and itchy paws.

Small amounts of raw chicken wings will help prevent anal gland issues. Always keep an eye on her and for now I'd just give her the very last joint with the tiny bones.

Socialise, socialise, socialise. Ask questions, any time on here and give your vet nurse a call if you're concerned about something.

mvl

apologizing for tmi - but this one makes me smile: we found out she started her heat AFTER the dog's neighbor pushed himself through the fence in our back yard.
- our puppy is 7 month old.

Cherry Blossom

I don't see what there is to smile about. I assume you got the mismate injection.

mvl

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

I don't see what there is to smile about. I assume you got the mismate injection.

ok. think its less funny if I have to explain, but anyhow; this other dog lives same house in last 4 month since we got her, and he decided to invade my back garden on the days she's on her heat - that can't be a coincidence ...

- no, but thanks for telling me, I would book an appointment to the vet about it.

mvl

mvl wrote: »

ok. think its less funny if I have to explain, but anyhow; this other dog lives same house in last 4 month since we got her, and he decided to invade my back garden on the days she's on her heat - that can't be a coincidence ...

- no, but thanks for telling me, I would book an appointment to the vet about it.

Was your dog in the garden when he got in? Did he actually get to her? Of course it's not a coincidence. Any dog within scent distance will be driven mad by your girl at the moment and any free to roam may well show up at your house or appear on your walks. Assuming your neighbours dog didn't already get to her, you need to be extremely careful during this time. Because im sorry but there's nothing funny about a litter of unplanned pups.

If he did, then yes to mismate.

mvl

Deleted User wrote: »

Was your dog in the garden when he got in? Did he actually get to her? Of course it's not a coincidence. Any dog within scent distance will be driven mad by your girl at the moment and any free to roam may well show up at your house or appear on your walks. Assuming your neighbours dog didn't already get to her, you need to be extremely careful during this time. Because im sorry but there's nothing funny about a litter of unplanned pups.

If he did, then yes to mismate.

No, he wasn't and we would be extremely cautious for a while (is it a couple of weeks ?).
So this morning I noticed it first time, and then my daughter said she saw something previous day.

- We're new to this: had no idea when/how's supposed to be - hence I may appear superficial, but we do care about our pet.

Cherry Blossom

Apologies, The way you put it, I thought you meant the neighbours dog had mated with yours. If you are sure this hasn't happened you don't need the vet. Just make sure she is left inside the house any time she can't be closely supervised. A heat lasts 3 weeks with the most fertile time at 10 days.