New Puppy Mommies in here *blerk*

[Awks]

Got our new puppy on Saturday. I was in tears this morning and I'm a pretty experienced dog owner. Its just so hard moaning cow that I am He is a 9 week old cocker and is a beautiful, cuddly boy but is a massive shitting machine. And not in the garden either.

So any new puppy owners want to weep in here then please do.

Pip's Dennis the Menace jumper has just arrived. He looks great in it!

Will get dh to take a photo when he gets back and add it to my profile.

Now, if I could just get him to stop wanting to bite it.

Ok first of what will no doubt be many questions - Fitz has not eaten very much since he came home - a bit of kibble and he's licked the paste of a puppy long but wasn't bothered by the treats inside. He was on wainwrights puppy food mixed with a bit of raw mince at the breeders - I was hoping to get away without the mince as I'm vegetarian and I don't want masses of mince in my fridge going off ... However I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet Nd go and get some

Is it normal for a puppy not to eat that much in the first day or so? All the other dogs we've had were so food-oriented they'd cheerfully sell their grandmother's soul for food of any description but Fitz has actually left food unbeaten in his bowl!!! He's weeing and pooing and seems v cheerful when not flat out

I think so due to the enormous sudden change and all the excitement.
Also, it is advised to stay with the breeder's diet for the first few days as could upset their tummy if they do eat other types of food.

Basildon - it took Nala about 24 hours to start eating once she came home. He'll eat when he's hungry

It's just the stress of leaving the litter basildon. He won't starve himself, just needs a bit of time to adjust.

Keep in on the breeder's diet for a week or so and very gradually change over if you want him on a different food.

I've been vegetarian for over 30 years too, but all my dogs have been fed raw for years now, because I believe it's better for them. Pip isn't because I worry about getting nutrient ratios right for growth, so it's easier to have him on a good quality kibble and actually our friendly local butcher has just left, so Lurcherboy is going to have to go onto kibble for a while as well until we can find an alternative source of meat and bone we can afford.

Pip was on purely cooked chicken for the first month due to an infection and I really struggled handling it, but had to do it for his sake.

Well ... he fell asleep about 5 minutes after I put his new jumper on, so I assume that means he likes it. I suppose it must feel a bit like being cuddled to a dog that's never worn clothes before.

He did look very indignant and have a got at chewing the neckline for the first couple of minutes, but I told him he'll appreciate it as the weather gets colder.

I've never put clothes on a dog before - other than a winter coat for Lurcherboy when he was a pup and warm outdoor coat for my Wheaten girl when she was very old and weak. Feels very strange.

Having a bit of a panic here - floyd been peeing a lot for the past couple of hours. Maybe close to thirty times and clear urine - looks like water! Have been googling and that's just freaking me out! He's finally fallen asleep ! Have a vet app on mondaygone second jabs and microchip, should I take urine and stool samples? Hoping he doesn't have any kidney problems :/ Could it be from excessive water drinking? We started to keep water out all the time hut then this started so are restricting it again. Any advice appreciated! X

Is it lots of tiny little wees or is there lots every time? Could be a water infection, but equally could be down to a fascination with drinking out of his very own water bowl.

Personally, I would always err on the side of caution and fork out for a vet visit with little ones. At the very least I'd call them for advice.

Have put a photo up on my profile of Pip in his new Jumper. Unfortunately it's not the best picture, because he kept following dh and getting too close to the camera. Really need a side view to get the full effect, but will have to sneak up on him to get that shot.

(Had to turn the collar back because he kept trying to chew it. )

Aw Pip, you are the most lovable dog I have ever seen.

thank you LIW. He is a scamp, but he knows how to work those big blue/grey eyes of his!

I must log on to pc later to see all the puppy pics and put one of Nala on as she is simply stunning

Pip is in proper, full-on norty-puppy mode today. Obviously unimpressed with my lack of activity and his lack of training sessions and socialisation.

Dh is working on the camper, so I've been stuck on the sofa all day, accompanied by a nearly-better and obviously bored dd and being driven quietly insane by endless childrens tv, intersposed with sojourns to extricate Pip from his latest naughty adventure.

I've just given him his next feed stuffed into a busy buddy and kong, so have about half an hour's peace before he's off again. Hoping he will be tired whilst digesting that little lot and give me another half an hour while he naps. [pigs might fly emoticon]

Aww love the pictures of pip. Cool jumper too. They look so cute laid together. I will work out how to upload pic on here one day.
I might look into feeding her raw food. Do you know what age you can start?

You can start right from weaning happy. My Oldgirl went onto raw when she was a 6 week old rescue pup.

The UK Raw Meat and Bones Support Group site is a good place to read up about it. This was written by a holistic vet. Some people go the Bones and Raw Food (or BARF) route and there is a UK website for that as well as the original books written by Tom Lonsdale and Ian Billinghurst which you can still get on Amazon here, here, here, and here.

Thank you moouse for the links and info.

Welcome all new puppies :)

Moosemama that jumper looks beyond sweet, and he looks like he knows it!

We are still having runny poo, and toilet accidents galore. I swear it wouldn't feel half as bad if he was well and the poo was firm. :(

Plus I'm fed up of cooking rice 4 times a day!! Makes me sound mean I know :(

Pro-biotic paste?

So, a funny new development! Floyd hates the cold and rain! (We love in Scotland!) wouldn't pee or poo, started whining like mad, finally went in after about 25 mins of standing out there and he did a massive pee and poo! Should have stayed out I know!!!! Is this the solution? Patience? And treats?

He has been on Pro-kolin paste since Tuesday, not really made any difference. I was thinking that if it was something he'd ingested it would have worked its way out by now surely?

Well back to the vets tomorrow and will go from there, poor boy, I just want him well :(

Toby has also had really bad tummy and I thought it was the dog food, so i changed it and saw a small improvement. Then I gave him a whole Drontal (because I couldn't see how I could accurately give him the right amount for 7kgs) and then suddenly within hours we saw dead worms followed by huge long ones the next day. His stomach started to clear up pretty well after that. Still has the odd splatty poo with a bit of blood but mainly he's doing sausages. I've got him on the pro-kolin paste too this weekend. He's also being wormed and flea-ed tonight so I will see if this makes a difference. I will see the vet about it, but I suspect that he's got a sensitive tummy as he scavenges near DS4 who's a habitual food dropper.

Ohalvo. Toby hates the rain too. Puppy training for an hour in continual drizzle. He whined the whole time. He's a working Labrador so really he shouldn't be bothered by wet weather. He'll get used to it.... (Gritted teeth!)

I'm sorry about the puppies with poorly tummies.

Zebo won't go out in the rain for a wee - he goes outside happily, then dances around as if trying to bite the raindrops that fall on his back then runs inside! Very funny and I've just resigned myself to having the mop at the ready all day!

We took him on a bus yesterday which was fine. I carried him on but then put him at my feet as I figured there wouldn't be many dogs on the bus and we need to teach him how he will be travelling long term, NOT on my lap when he's full grown! Lots of treats and he was bit nervy but fine.

We gave him a bath in our kitchen sink today to get him used to that experience. Again lots of treats and he was fine though clear he didn't like it and he was shivering throughout. Smells good now and slept for 4 hrs afterwards!

Dharma, have you considered removing the rice and just giving him cooked chicken? That's what our vet advised as some dogs are sensitive to rice, so it's best to get down to one simple protein while you are sorting out the source of the problem.

Pip was on purely chicken, 7/8 times a day, with Canikur probiotic paste twice a day, for the first 3-4 weeks we had him and he managed to grow and put on weight during that time with no problems.

He did have an infection but the change in diet alone stopped the diarrhoea within the first 48 hours.

We took Pip to a local VW show this afternoon. Not great, the weather was so bad most of the traders had already packed up by lunchtime and poor old Pip was so cold in the wind that we had to put his Dennis the Menace on. In the end we just bought the kids some pick'n'mix, let them go on the swings and slides for a few minutes and then left. Not great from a socialisation point of view and not great for me either given that I've still got dd's virus and going out to a cold, windy field was the last thing I needed. He came home, stuffed his food down and has been asleep ever since.

We are really noticing a difference in Pip since he got past his critical socialisation window. He's 15 weeks now and definitely more fearful when we're out and about. So frustrating that I can't take him for proper walks yet, as he's so heavy that I can't take him far. Hoping to enlist the help of my Mum to take him to a few different places in her car this week.

He has his second vax on Wednesday, then two more weeks until he can go down.

Thanks moose, on the chicken from does it have to be purely breast, or will any part of the chicken do?
He had started to improve on rice/fish weds/thurs last week then Friday it was sloppy again and hasn't improved since.

Sally, I doubt it's his food as it was the same stuff he's been on since he was weaned, and he's been wormed too :(

I'm worried about the socialisation thing as well, I've taken him on the school run twice, vets twice and he's met people here in the house but I had plans of taking him to the park etc. plus I worry he's bored :)

God I sound really pathetic and whiney, I promise I'm not usually!!

No it doesn't just have to be breast. We've bought thighs, on and off the bone (obviously removing it from the bone before feeding) breast, quarters (again removing bone) and made sure he got some with skin on for extra fat.

Re socialisation, take him everywhere you possibly can, carry him with you wherever you go so he can see and experience as many difference things as possible.

Pip is definitely bored. He's driving me up the wall he's got so much energy, he really needs to be getting out for 2-3 short walks a day now to wear him out mentally as much as physically.

You don't sound any more whiney than I was a couple of weeks back when it was Pip with the bad stomach. It's horrible enough that they're ill, without having to worry about delayed socialisation as well and you end up kind of feeling trapped.

Hang in there, it will get better.