Summer 25 pups

[Lavenderdog]

Any other new puppy owners around this summer? Have been looking back at some of the old puppy support threads and can see how helpful it was for those posters to share their experiences.

9 week old mini schnauzer here - so toilet training and avoiding those needle sharp teeth are the current main activities here!

(And being tolerant of her determination to rid my garden of lavender plants. Hence my user name 😂)

@VanGoSunflowers i’ll keep my fingers crossed! If you’ve not already, it might be worth investing in a slow feeder (an actual one, not a puzzle one). I use them with my dogs. Sometimes if dogs eat too quickly they can make themselves sick - might not be the case here, but one to bear in mind! As a lab I’m sure he inhales his food in record speed

@Idratherbepaddleboarding he's totally adorable!

@LandSharksAnonymous thats a good shout, yes he does wolf his food down! I will look in to getting one. As you say, I don’t think that’s what is causing the sickness. He’s asleep at the moment but only going to give him very small bits of rice to begin with - maybe like a tablespoon at a time and see how he gets on

Fingers and paws crossed the vet can figure it out!

I love this style of slow feeder. They're soft silicone and can go in the dishwasher. My youngest in particular inhales a bowl in approx. 20 seconds, we've managed 6 minutes with the slow feeder bowls. Might not be suitable if likely to chew the bowls.

Wait what?? I always thought they were preventative!

I had to nip out for a work appointment for an hour or so today and I was sooo nervous as it’s only Rory’s second day. Typically, DS is also working at his part time job 🙈. I came home to absolutely no destruction or toileting in the house, however I couldn’t find Rory til I looked up and there he was at the top of the stairs, like “hi mum”!

I had lent my parents Billy’s baby gate and am waiting to get it back so I’d used the washing rack as a barrier but he breached it 😂🙈. Luckily I’ll be able to get it back before I’m next working out of the house as I don’t want him to damage his legs.

@tizwozliz is it weird that that looks kinda appetising? I think it’s the presentation that’s done it! I will definitely have a look in to getting one of those!

Weve just come back from the vet. He weighs 10kgs now! She checked him over and couldn’t feel anything in his stomach. He already looks skinny to me! She’s given him an anti-sickness injection which should last him 24 hours - she said to keep an eye on him and if he still gets sick then he will need to go back for further tests. Got some antacids for him as well. Giving it until an hour after the jab to try him with some food. He managed to keep some boiled rice and water down this morning though!

The presentation is totally for me, it makes me feel better to give them something that looks vaguely appetizing. I'm sure they couldn't give a damn.

@VanGoSunflowers great news that she didn’t think it was anything serious! So it may have been eating to fast?

@tizwozliz those are the sorts of ones I have! Sadly it still only takes mine about a minute…but it’s better than nothing!

Good that the vet isn't worried, @VanGoSunflowers and 10kgs is a lovely chunk o' pup. B has just tipped 7kg and my arm was complaining bitterly when I had to hold him up to wash his belly earlier!

Not that I need a slow feeder but I don't even make my own dinners look that appetising, I'm very impressed with those making such an effort!

@LandSharksAnonymous its more that she wants to rule out it just being an illness of some kind before she decides to do any other tests to see if anything is lodged in his digestive system, so it’s a wait and see. It’s not impossible that it’s from eating too fast but I really don’t think that’s the case, he’s always eaten quickly and never been sick before. He also threw up a small amount of grass this morning (which he eats all the time and again, never throws it up!) so it’s definitely out of the ordinary for him! She said to give him his normal food but a smaller quantity and see how he gets on, I’m on sick watch now 😂
He was also happy and bouncy at the vet, so he appears in good health but I did say to her he has been a bit sleepier than normal (but only a tad, I’m probably the only one who would notice!)

@widewomanofthevillage yep, he’s a heavy boy alright 😂 carrying him around before jabs when he was already 7kgs was a nice workout 😂

I’d love to join you. We lost our darling collie a couple of months ago, which was heartbreaking. I miss her so much, but found that a house without a dog just doesn’t feel right. We picked up our new land shark last weekend. Another collie of course. Reading this thread has been so reassuring and informative, it feels like so long ago that I was training Pip, I had forgotten most of it. She was perfect, (rose-coloured specs!) so the puppy terrors have been a bit alarming!

@VanGoSunflowers oh that makes sense. I blame puppy brain on my inability to think. Has he had his evening meal yet? If so did he keep it down? Sorry for the 20 questions - sick puppies always make me needy’

@Struckbylightning sorry for your loss - it’s horrible to lose a dog. You are definitely not alone in dealing with the puppy terrors - I have one every few years, so I shouldn’t forget how awful they can be, yet each time I cry. It’s worth it though (she says, from the safety of her kitchen counter - out of biting range - whilst her DDs deal with the puppies).

Have you tried a slow feeder? It can slow down the rate at which they eat their food.

@Struckbylightning he/ she is gorgeous! I totally get needing a dog in your life. We lost our lab recently and we couldn’t be without one. It’s the little things I didn’t even realise I missed like hearing his little tappy claws on the hard floor.

@LandSharksAnonymous does puppy brain increase by a factor equivalent to how many puppies you have? 😂
I gave him his second meal one quarter at a time with a short break in between and it’s all stayed down! Yay! Just giving him half rations for last meal (will give the other half after a break) but I’m tentatively hopeful. I’ve just been subjected to another vicious attack (and by attack, I mean climbing on to me and licking my face) and he’s currently ragging one of his toys around so all seems well! I haven’t taken him on any walks today, didn’t want to push him but that means double the bitey time 😂

@Struckbylightning hello 👋
I am so sorry for your loss, you new puppy is so beautiful! I love collies, one hell of an intelligent dog ❤️

Puppy has diarrhoea! Terrible night last night. That’ll teach me to be all smug about her sleeping through the night. I am glad that she awoke me up though, because she needed to go out several times! Probably just something she ate, right? Should I be worried?

I hope Pablo is ok, and the grass seed doggo.

@Idratherbepaddleboarding welcome Rory

@VanGoSunflowers sorry to hear you had to go to vet. Fingers crossed Pablo is OK now

@Struckbylightning I was exactly the same

Sorry I've been MIA, things are good here. Mostly positive and we have started working on "stay". We've had 2 trips out and she has coped fantastically. Nights are OK with her going out about 1 and 4am.
Only thing I'm slightly anxious about is that she is not eating all her kibble. She seems happy enough and is obviously getting treats with training so I'm not too concerned IYKWIM

@MrsKJones What's she on? My puppy came home on Eukanuba and the RDA was a ridiculous amount. She probably only ate a quarter of it. I switched her to a different make that recommended a lot less and she wolfed it down.

@Struckbylightning I think it's quite common for puppies to have slightly upset stomachs when they first come home. I know mine was a bit runny for a couple of days. It's a big change, so it must be unsettling for them.
Plus, if they have come from a different area, the change of water can be upsetting. I know people who take bottles of their own tap water on holiday with them, as their dogs get upset stomachs drinking the water in other areas of the country.

She's on Skinners puppy. The RDA is 330g but she probably manages 200g if that. She doesnt like eating straight from a bowl so have to make her work for it with snuffle toys or hiding it under things

The lady in the nice pet shop advised switching her to Canagan as it's grain free. I'm not sure if she was being honest or just trying to make a sale (I know that sounds harsh).

I did compare the two on a dog food website, and Canagan scored higher

@MrsKJones I don't think Canagen is that much better than Skinners that it justifies the huge price hike.
If you want to change food, Lifestage Grain free puppy seems to be a good reasonably priced one. Unless you live in North Scotland and then you get ripped off with delivery charges. 😂
But there's nothing wrong with Skinners really. My friend feeds her three dogs on it and they are all very fit and healthy, and participate in canicross and agility.
As long as your puppy is thriving, gaining weight and her poos are firm, I wouldn't worry too much about her not eating all of the RDA. I switched mine because I had to almost force feed her what little she did eat.
Oh. Just re-read that she isn't particularly keen on it. Might be worth trying something different then.

SoupDog is on Pooch & Mutt puppy kibble - with a tiny bit of added leftover chicken, cheese or veg, depending on what we’ve not eaten. She tends to have softer poo later in the days - always well formed of a morning though so I’ve not got too worried about it. I stressed over what to feed her, read way to much, and then got over myself and stuck to one she seemed to like and that didn’t cause her stomach issues. She’s growing and thriving so that’s good enough for us.

@VanGoSunflowers I don't think it does...but I wish it did! If it did, I could 100% justify some of the silly things I have done the last few weeks. It's good though that he's still himself (landshark attacks and all)! How are the walks going? He still living life and being mobbed by every passer by? 😄

@Struckbylightning how's puppy this afternoon? Still got a funny tummy?

Yes, still doing little squitty poops (sorry tmi!) and I feel like she’s having more and longer naps, (though I might be imagining that) so I have an appointment with the vet this afternoon. I’m not generally a panicker but I would rather get her checked over.