Puppy Survival Thread for New and Old Pups - Spring is around the corner!

[Lougle]

A thread for puppy owners to share their ups and downs as we head into Spring. We're not just here for the idyllic moments. We've all had a cry at some point!

All posters welcome - just dive in.

The previous thread is here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/4945764-puppy-survival-thread-for-old-and-new-pups-heading-into-winter?page=1

Sorry if I’m a bit late to the party with this reply but are you using a neutralising spray when you clear up? This should help as it removes the hints of smell that we can’t smell, but dogs can. If there is a lingering smell the dog is more likely to go in the same place. Other suggestion of pup goes on grass elsewhere… could you make up a mini box with soil and a couple of strips of turf to put on your concrete yard?! 😆

It’s been a rubbish few weeks, Pupxx has been really itchy and the vet thinks its allergies, his groin area has taken a battering, one of his litter mates has the exact same problem. It’s made me feel really down, pups are hard enough, allergies added to the mix is making me tearful 😢 Poor little pup.

oh @userxx i hope you and the vet find the cause and the magic cure.
i had an all white bulldog who had very sensitive skin, he lived to a good old age with some care and attention.

@userxx I'm sorry to hear that. First question I'd ask is what food is he on? Food is a huge cause of allergies and vets get given very little training on it.

Secondly, is your dog insured? My Westie was very itchy. The vet sent blood to America for analysis, and came back with a list of allergies. Then they formulated desensitisation vaccines for him. I had to inject him at home. It was about £600 per month at the time, but it was all covered by insurance.

@Lougle he was on raw but was going off it so we switched him to wolfworthy, I’m sure the itching had started before we made the switch but not to the point we’re at now. I’d also got a sample of europa puppy kibble to try prior to the wolfworthy but used it as treats…. am sure there was no itching before the europa.

The vet is recommending we try royal canin for a solid 8 weeks. Yes, he’s insured, I got a lifetime policy.

what was your Westie allergic to ? It felt like the itching started when the pollen season kicked in, I might be wrong though. His brother with the same issue is also off the raw and on a kibble based diet. Any advice on foods etc would be brilliant.

If it's pollen, then an antihistamine may help. They can take the one which has the same active ingredient as Piriton. We keep a box of that type in the house for when FluffyPup has had a fight with nettles on his walk! I don't know what dose a small dog would have though.

Did the vet suggest anything other than changing his food? Royal Canin isn't actually that great, nutritionally.

We have Jollyes' salmon biscuits and have Butternut Box and Different Dog (stopping and starting subscriptions as they send discount codes all the time when you're paused!). We also put flax oil on his food, and he has a probiotic every day as well. He costs a fortune in food! 🙈🤣

We use Jolleyes Lifestage salmon puppy.

Wolfworthy contains chicken and eggs, which are the two main foods that cause allergies in dogs.

I’ve been giving him piriton but it’s not made a difference which is making me think it’s more food related. I’m going to try a different food, one without chicken or eggs and see if that stops the itching. I’d rather leave royal canin as a very last resort.

If you go to allaboutdogfood.co.uk, they rate all the foods for quality. Millies Wolfheart gets good reviews and is probably comparable in price to Wolfworthy. They're pretty good with advice if you phone them.

Thanks Lougle, I used that site whilst looking at Wolfworthy. I’ll have a look at Millie’s and the food you use. Really hoping it’s a food allergy rather than environmental, it’s got to be easier to manage.

I'm wondering whether to change to Millies 70/30 salmon. Her current food is 55% salmon and she's doing well on it, but I don't know whether to switch.

Have you got in touch with them @Lougle

I always found them very helpful, we were told that 70/30 would probably be too rich for a lab puppy (that was when she was 5/6 months). We were recommended utility, gundog and duck and veg mix.

Getting her to eat it was always a bit of an ordeal and we ended up switching and giving loads away. Health/poop wise it was fine however.

I wouldn't look at changing food for your pup until her season is out the way.

Interesting @tizwozliz . I keep reading comments that say 'amazing food!....just can't get my dog to eat it.' I wonder what it is??

Hazel loves her Jolleyes Lifestage Salmon & whitefish, and her coat is really glossy, so perhaps I should just stick with that.

FluffyPup loves his Jollyes' one too. He always asks for more (by throwing his bloody Kong at me!). This is the one we have.

I'd go with the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it approach' personally @Lougle

The kibble we use is expensive, but I can't face the ordeal of changing. Never thought the biggest challenge of getting a Labrador pup would be finding something they eat! This was our older one, younger one would eat anything but easiest to have them on the same.

If you use any sort of puzzle toys too, kibble size is important too, the Millie's kibble is huge and couldn't be used in some of our puzzles.

Snap! That's the one we get for Hazel but the puppy version, and we now get the senior version for Trigger, our 10 year old.

My only gripe is a slight change in recipe that they made without changing the website.

@tizwozliz we do like the kibble size.

@Cavalierchaos
Hope you're doing ok, just to say I'm also finding it so hard at the moment and get overwhelmed with worries and "what have I done" despite having had dogs in the past.
I'm sure my circumstances are different to yours in that I retired and got a pup at the same time, and I live alone.

I'M NOT SURE anyone else needs to read the following, I just needed to say it somewhere, sorry.

I'm getting priorities skewed between myself and Fernpup.
All my normal non-work fun activities have had to stop for the time being, I hate leaving her and feel helpless trying to gauge how long is ok to leave her.
She eats her canned Butchers really fast then picks at the kibble, (Jollye's Lifestage puppy), but then a few hours later is pestering for food, and then WILL eat the kibble. She's over 4 months but slender and petite, maybe she needs 4 meals a day still for a bit longer?
I'm questioning almost everything I do. No appetite.
Hanging on for dear life.
Have to lie to my adult daughter and son as I don't want them worrying about me.
I need to get out and do stuff.
Oh the positive side, she's getting really good in the car and no trouble with toilet training.

@Yllasin sorry it's all so tough.

We are on Millie's and a bit of forthglade wet as a topper. We love it - I noticed a massive difference in poo once we switched. Never thought my aim in life would be for a clean pick up!
Goes in fine to her puzzle feeders but not the smaller treat ones.

@Yllasin I also have a pup (7.5 month lab) and live alone and although I'm not retired yet am working exclusively from home. My life for almost 6 months has revolved around pup and I still feel like I'm doing so much wrong. I've been reading the puppy survival threads fir a while and you sound like one of life's givers. Even your current post, concern for other posters, apologising for sharing (even when you're at wits end), keeping how you're feeling from your adult children because you want them to be happy, worrying about your pup and putting your own needs below your pups all scream out to me that you're a lovely person who's a natural giver. Your default is likely to give your pup everything she needs and wants no matter the cost to you. Yet your instinct is also telling you you need to get out, for good reason. I spent the early part of lockdown alone and it changed me. It made me feel such cabin fever. I was desperate to get out and see people but rules meant I was unable to. I've never been the same since. So I implore you, listen to how you're feeling and find a way to get back to doing what makes you happy alongside your puppy. Some people make their dogs their lives. S9me people neglect their dogs (that will never be you!). And then there's a third group who live full and happy lives with their digs as part of that life. I reckon these dogs are just as happy and mostly happier than the first group. You will always make sure fernpup's needs are met. By making sure your own needs are met too she'll be just as happy or happier. I would also implore you to trust yourself. If you want to feed your pup 4 times a day do it. If you think she's OK alone for an hour trust that. Most of all please trust yourself. Please prioritise yourself. You deserve it. I'm not good at many things but I am a good judge of a good soul and I can tell from a million miles away you are one and Fernpup could not have landed luckier. I hope you work out a way that YOU trust to do what YOU think is right fir you and Fernpup to live happy rich full lives together. When I first got Shetland pup I would text his breeder to ask everything. I would get stressed if one book contradicted another. If someone on here contradicted that. Surely there must be one right way, I thought. Surely others know the way. It took me a while to realise there isn't and when it comes to my pup others don't know the way. I know him, I know my life. I can trust my instincts, not books. It took me months to learn to trust my own instincts with him and he's happier for it. Sometimes I worry... should I let him off lead? What if he runs away? Should I stop him playing with a stick he's found? What if he hurts himself? My answer is usually a balance. I have to keep him safe and happy and I have to let him live a full and happy life with some freedoms. If I asked on mumsnet should I let him off lead here? Posters may answer but they wouldn't know my pup, or my local area. I know both so it's wise fir me to listen to everyone else's experience then make my own decision. You've got support on here and resources you can call on but at end of day YOUR decision is right. You've raised digs and children. You got this. And I'm rooting for you and your happiness (and I'm willing to guess many, many others are too). Best wishes x

We use Millie’s 50/50 blend and vary between flavours, we’ve been lucky that Maggie eats absolutely everything and has never fussed with food. Her poop has always been soft even liquid sometimes but we have dropped her 30g per meal and it’s firmed up a lot, so think we’ve found our groove now. The only criticism of Millie’s is that the pieces are huge, some you can break into 4 but not all, we give a puppy kibble (Iams or harringtons) as training kibbles with a few ‘high value’ bits mixed in.

PS I'm deleting my Mumsnet account now. To everyone who's posted honestly on puppy survival threads about the negative aspects of having a puppy please know that you're helping countless people - both posters and thousands of quietly grateful lurkers - know that they are not alone. To know that puppies are relentlessly hard work for most people; that puppies are often unashamedly badly behaved.
We usually commit to them for life before we even know them, with a leap of faith that it'll all work out. Sometimes we doubt that it will. We quickly become responsible for (and sometimes judged for) all manner of bad behaviour from our pups even though we often don't know the way either. The reality is nothing like we expected. Still, we try to do everything right. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we have regrets. We gradually give up on our perfect puppy only to fall in love with our 'imperfect' puppy. Then we realise he/she is perfect anyway. To anyone struggling, please know that no matter how alone you feel with your puppy you are truly not alone. Please know that your feelings are valid but not permanent. Best wishes x