Information Sheet On Care Of Your New Puppy

Information Sheet On Care Of Your New Puppy

Feeding:

- I highly recommend feeding a holistic dog food. The one I’m currently feeding is O&M Holistic Puppy Pride food - my dogs readily love this food and it must be the Puppy Pride fed to pups and adults. My dogs do not like any of the other dog food products they sell. You can go to the internet and search on holistic dog foods and find many. KV Vet Supply has O&M (800-423-8200) or you can order it direct from O&M 203-262-8003 or 888-881-7703 is their expedite phone number - www.ompetproducts.com. This products has some corn in it but it is human grade corn.

- For all my adults and puppies I feed Urban Wolf (you can order this from 913-530-7596 or 401-560-0090). I have a recipe at the end of this writing and at the end of my teeth article. This is a cancer preventive diet and should help avoid vet bills and provide your dog with a longer, healthier life. I use a supplement that is excellent NuVet Plus 800-474-7044 Order Code 041010.

- For puppies I feed them the raw food meatballs about three to four times a day. I also feed a pureed cottage cheese, raw beef (do not feed hamburger – just feed washed and clean inexpensive roast meat).

- I advise against using a grocery store dog food or other “commercial dog foods.” These dog foods contain “things” you would not consciously feed your dog. Most commercial dog foods come from 3 major human food companies. Products not fit for human consumption are put in dog food - something most of us would consider “garbage” (a liability) is made into profits (an asset) via dog food. Deceased animals from vet clinics and other similar facilities not cremated end up in our pet food. Flea collars, topical pesticides, antibiotics used to try to save the lives of these animals also end up in our dog food. Chemicals used to preserve dog foods such as BHT and BHA and Ethoxyquin are not something I want to feed my dogs. We do not need growth hormones or antibiotics in our dog foods. Also many commercial dog foods have dried beet pulp or added sugars or molasses for “taste.” These sugars are addictive. Good holistic dog food will list chicken meat, or lamb meat (and at least 25% protein needs to come from real meat) not from “animal by products.” If this meat comes from free ranging animals or birds, the need for high consumption of antibiotics to keep these animals alive is lessened - confined animals have a much higher need for antibiotics. Because all dog food undergoes some kind of heat process (steam excursion for most commercial dog foods or baked for the holistic dog foods), added vitamins/minerals are a good thing. Because heat destroys nutrients, I highly recommend and that is why I feed a raw food diet – there is no cooked food in my raw food diet and no grains. These holistic foods are usually not going to cause allergies since they do not have “the toxic mix” many commercial foods have. Our dogs should also live longer and healthier being fed a good holistic dog foods - I encourage you to do your research and make your choice. The digestibility of the holistic dog foods are usually much higher than commercial dog foods. Flint River dog food is 93% digestible (I do not know of another dog food that has a higher digestibility percentage. So it is actually cheaper to feed a holistic dog food because of your dog’s ability to utilize most of his/her intake. The dog also needs less food. The following are ingredients Holistic Blend dog food has in it and does not have in it. .

Does have: Does not have:

Chicken Meat Animal By Products

Brown Rice BHA

Oats BHT

Salmon Ethoxyquin (a rubber preservative)

Carrots Corn

Potatoes Wheat

Rosemary Sugar

Garlic Salt

Kelp Beet Pulp

Tomatoes Soya

Hormone/Antibiotic Free

This is free-range chicken, chelated minerals, whole grains, fruits, antioxidants and herbs, balanced omega 6 and 3 fatty acids. They also produce a lamb and vegetables product.

- Leave fresh water “free choice” for your puppy.

- In case of loose stools I add pumpkin to the raw food meatballs mixture. Pumpkin is a “binder.”

- Do not give milk to your puppy; it causes loose stools. If you insist on feeding milk, use only skim milk.

Stress:

- I strongly advise feeding pom puppies 3 to 5 times a day and make sure they actually eat and do not allow them to miss a meal! I used to recommend P.E.P. which stands for Pep Engery Punch which contains electrolytes, vitamins and minerals (and sugar). This is to keep your puppy from stressing and give your puppy quick energy. As with P.E.P. or Nutrical, once given it needs to be continued consistently. Making sure a puppy eats several “meals” spread throughout the day is extremely important and it eliminates the need for P.E.P. Sometimes I even feed puppies at night or put them to bed with food available, and the food needs to be something they will be enticed to eat. If a puppy stresses, then I do recommend P.E.P. because it has electrolytes. It is a good idea to give this to your puppy as soon as you pick him up from the airport and for at least several days after he arrives in his new home. Toy breeds are subject to stress. This product can be obtained from KV Vet Supply 800-423-8211 and it comes in an 8 oz. packet as a dry powder - ½ tablespoon per half cup of water so you can mix it fresh every day for him and he will readily drink it over plain water. If your puppy stresses you can add more sugar or karo syrup to this P.E.P. and force him to drink it by feeding it to him at the side of his mouth with an eyedropper and stroking the throat to make him swallow. Get him to drink as much as possible and if he is not up and moving on his own within a half hour, get him to your vet. Aggressive therapy may be needed if he doesn’t “come around” - which means he may have to have an IV drip. Make sure you have P.E.P. and sugar to keep giving him for a few days after his round with stress. A/D prescription dog food is good to feed a puppy that has stressed. (Word of caution - A/D is so high caloric that it may cause loose stools.) If your puppy won’t eat (don’t bring him home from the vet unless he is eating on his own), you can mix 1/3 esbilac (I prefer Just Born milk replacer or similar product), 1/3 pumpkin, 1/3 A/D dog food and put it in syringes and feed that to your puppy (store it in refrigerator and knock the chill off by microwaving it a few seconds).

- If your puppy stresses, he will go down; extremities go stiff; and he will drool or have a clear foam from his mouth. If you see this, get P.E.P. down the puppy immediately and he should “come to life” again within 30 minutes. Vitamin K is also beneficial BUT MUST NOT BE OVERDOSED. Baby food with bananas in it will also give the puppy the Vitamin K or potassium that is needed.

Choice of a vet is “critical”:

- Choose your vet carefully!

1. Use only a vet that administers to ONLY small animals!!!

2. Don’t even consider a vet that also works with large animals!!!

3. Convince your vet that Pomeranians are NOT “normal” dogs.

4. Check a prospective vet’s “references”; make sure they can keep small kittens alive during surgery.

5. If your dog requires “intensive care,” make sure that Pom is going home with your vet at night or your Pomeranian will not be getting intensive care!

6. If your Pomeranian needs teeth pulled or cleaned, make sure your vet can keep small kittens alive during surgery.

7. If your dog needs surgery and your vet uses isoflourine, no premeds should be given to calm the pom (this is probably necessary for a larger breed dog but not a toy breed). Larger breed dogs also tolerate these premeds better than poms do.

Worming:

It is always a good idea to have your puppy’s stool sample checked for worms (even though checks don’t always find worms when your dog has them). Hookworms and roundworms are the two most common worms. Hookworms are microscopic and can cause your puppy to become anemic and death can occur rather suddenly. Roundworms are visible by human eye and resemble miniature spaghetti.

Puppies can pick up tapeworms (from cats or eating “wild game”). Some of the “foul” things they chew on can also allow them to pick up other organisms like giardi. Fleas can also give dogs tapeworms.

Panacur liquid wormer is my choice of wormers. I like to give panacur for 10 days, 12 days off, 10 days on, 12 days off, 10 days on. Panacur is a mild safe wormer; Safeguard is a cattle wormer but it is exactly the same as Panacur. For every 2.2 pounds of dog, ½ cc is recommended. This should get all worms except for one kind of tapeworm. No wormer is 100% effective and it is good to change wormers so as to not get resistance to the product. But always use a safe, mild wormer from your vet.

I like to follow up the first session of wormer with 7-10 days of metronidazole (wait 2-3 days between dosing).

Flea & mite control:

I like to use Xotrol bomb to “debug” your home, garage, wherever. Turn off all pilot lights. The label says to keep house closed up (and all living residents out of the home) for 2 hours; however, I believe it is most effective if left closed up about 8 hours. This bomb kills all kinds of bugs. It sterilizes eggs and it is effective for 11 months.

Clean ears with mineral or baby oil twice a month with cotton Q-tips, and your dog should never have ear mites. An inexpensive treatment for ear mites is mix 1 cc ivermectin with 99cc propylene glycol and use 3 drops in each ear on a 4-5 pound dog. Ivermectin is absorbed systemically so do not overdose and do not treat pregnant or in season bitches.

You may treat your pom’s yards with a pesticide. Be sure to check with your vet to make sure the treatment you use on your yard is not a chlorinase inhibitor and that it will not “fight” with any products you use for pesticide control on your dog.

Bathing:

Bath your dog as often as every week or every other week or as needed. For show puppies to speed up getting rid of the dead, dully puppy coat, I like to give baths every other day or at least every other day. I like to use Dawn dishwater detergent if the dog is really dirty (its grease cutting properties causes all the hair to get really wet and clean and allows the skin to get clean too). Massage and scrub the entire body vigorously. Always brush and comb out your Pomeranian before bathing and if it is the shedding time of year, comb through your dog while he/she is totally suds up; then comb through while you are blow drying your dog. (Following this procedure a second time in a week should totally eliminate shedding). You’re done brushing and combing when your comb goes through every inch of your dog easily. You should be able to see and feel clean healthy skin. You can use any kind of shampoo for most of your pom’s baths.

During the shedding times of year (spring and fall) following this procedure will eliminate elongated shedding process. Long hair is easily picked up by your vacuum; short hair sticks in upholstry and carpet. Do not shave your pom; they need their hair to protect them from sunburn! They also need their coat to insulate them from the heat and cold. They do need their undercoat stripped - see the first paragraph on bathing to know how to “strip the coat.” With their undercoat gone, their skin can breathe. It does not help to shave down to an inch or two from the body because that undercoat still needs to be stripped out to allow the skin to breathe and for you to be able to get the skin genuinely clean. Having the correct grooming tools makes the care of your pomeranian so much easier. Minimal essential tools would be a slicker, a v-rake, a long toothed medium/coarse comb, a small fine/medium comb (for leg and ear and face coat), a pin brush and a scissor and nail trimmer or dremmel. Start at the back leg to make a path through the coat and work your way up to the shoulder/neck; then start up the other back leg and work up to the shoulder/neck working through the coat in layers. Then go up the back starting at the base of the tail. The correct tools and technique can make a very easy, quick job on a tiny pom. They are not difficult to groom because they are so small. Most groomers do not do a good job on a pom unless they own their own pom or will comb/brush the dog thoroughly before they shampoo the dog. You, as the owner of your pom, will be the best groomer unless you are lucky enough to have an understanding groomer.

Potty training:

Potty training will be easier if you do not allow the puppy to have the run of your entire house. I do not recommend paper training unless that is where your dog will have to go its entire life. Immediately start to potty train to go outside. Your puppy is like a child - after it eats, sleeps, and romps around, it is going to need to potty.

Males make the best pets:

Males do make the best pets! They are more loving, more willing to please, devoted, and they are usually very tolerant and train very fast. A male keeps a more beautiful coat at all times (Lassie was a male dog on the TV show rather than a female because of this fact). Males cost less to neuter; generally males initial price is less than a female. Males should be neutered at 4 and not more than 5 months of age to make the best pets (they need to be neutered BEFORE they know they are a male and start doing the “marking of territory” that they will do BECAUSE they are a male - neutering at this young age takes that away from them and should prevent starting to mark territory).

The most important thing to do to your “pet” male puppy is to have him neutered at between 4 and 5 months!

Special Tips:

To prevent front leg injury to toy breed dogs - pick puppies and adults up by putting your hand under their rib cage with free hand on their backs to steady as you lift.

Prevent puppies and adults from jumping onto and off furniture (especially if they are jumping onto slick, hard surfaces). This should prevent injuries to their knees. Just teach them that if they are placed on furniture that they must stay there until you lift them off and onto the floor. Also, do not allow your puppy or adult to dash out your door when you open it (it may be okay if it is a back door into a puppy yard, but if it is a front door to street side, it could be hazardous to his well being – teach children to not allow the dog or puppy to dash out an open door.

Small children should be encouraged to sit on the floor while learning to hold toy breeds securely and should not carry toy breeds. Toy breeds do not belong in families who have small children unless the children have been carefully parentally trained to respect a toy breeds’ size. And then great care should be taken that your children’s playmates also know how to treat a toy breed. Young children are just too young to truly understand. Toy breeds are for gentle loving. Families who want a dog to wrestle and rough house with need to choose a larger breed - a much larger breed (even then many breeders of the larger breeds won’t place their puppies in homes with small children). Too often, small children tease and torment small dogs by pulling their hair or chasing them with sticks. You may think your child would not do that but it is only natural that children want a “reaction” from a dog. It is not natural for young children to be nurturing and loving. When these toy breed dogs are teased and tormented by children, they learn to aggressively dislike (and sometimes attack small children especially if they are moving eratically) small children. The dog will have two “reaction” options. It will either run and hide from the child or it will defend itself - neither choice will please parents and the dog will be the loser because the dog will be blamed for the negative behavior, not the child because the parent will not always see what the child has done to provoke the behavior. Breeders of toy breeds know this and since we feel a decision to bring a dog into the family is a lifetime committment, most will not place a dog in a home where there are small children and an almost certainty that the dog will be displaced. Some children are marvelous with toy breeds; most are not.

Nails should be trimmed every other week and kept short. Long nails break down the pasterns and would be equivalent to a person walking painfully with fallen arches. So it is more “cruel” to let your dog have long nails than it is to trim the nails often, even if it causes bleeding. Quick stop will stop the bleeding immediately or flour will act as a coagulant. Pinching the toe pad immediately above the nail before and after you clip the nail will slow the flow of blood to the nail. Apply quick stop before releasing the pinch on the toe. This method also helps eliminate “foot shyness.” A low rpm (5,000 to 10,000 rpm) cordless dremmel works well either once the nail is trimmed short or it may be used to file the nails down - you would need to do this every week or every other week in an effort to push back the quick.

If you feel you must use a collar, rolled leather collars work best for long haired breeds because they do not cause hair to matt under them and do not fray the hair like nylon collars do. A size 10 will work for a puppy and will have enough notches in it to fit the puppy as an adult too. I do not recommend leaving any collars or harnesses on any dogs unattended because they can “hang” themselves with them. Even for a pet, I recommend training on a figure 8 cat harness and once trained, I recommend leading with a little show lead. Always take care to keep your pom away from larger breed dogs; hunting dogs naturally think a pom is something to kill. There are some breeds of dogs that do not live together compatibly. A pom is a pack breed animal which means they are used to getting along with other poms/dogs. Terriers are dogs used for killing. Most dogs need a job to do (and if your lifestyle doesn’t give that dog the job he/she was bred to do, then it probably isn’t the breed for you), even if it is just to sit on someone’s lap or guard that body just to make sure it doesn’t get away from them. Poms are natural retrievers and love to play with toys and will make their own games to entertain themselves and/or you (they must be started playing with toys as young puppies or they won’t know how). All dogs need stimulus and an environment that will enhance their intelligence and their physical being. My poms go through the imprinting, socialization, and enrichment programs as they are growing up here. This gives them the ability to develop to the utmost of the intellect and makes for the best pets and easy to live with.

For training young show puppy prospects or training pets to lead, I recommend a size 12 figure 8 cat harness. Teach the dog to come to you for a treat which is half the effort to get them to lead. DO NOT PULL THE LEAD OF THE DOG; TEACH HIM/HER TO COME TO YOU ON A LOOSE LEAD. Again, I do not recommend leaving this harness on or anything around the neck of an unattended dog. I repeat, they can catch it on something and hang themselves. .

The fine toy dog show leads are recommended, even for pets, because you must take these leads off and not leave them on - used only for “walking” your dog.

If your dog or puppy has dry, flaky skin, one of the following could be the problem:

1. Bacteria - treatable with chlorahexidine or small amount of Clorox in bath water.

2. Fungus - treatable with iodine scrubs and rinses

3. Mites - treatable with pyrethrin shampoos left on for 6-10 minutes and then rinsed. For poms, I highly recommend Ovitrol or Ovitrol Plus. Take special care on treating puppies - read the labels.

4. Lacking linoleic &/or linolenic acid - Mirra-coat liquid treatment

5. Vitamin E is a supplement (to be used in moderation) for good healthy skin

6. Feeding a good holistic food should prevent or help cure dry, flaky skin.

Puppies need to be at least 10 weeks of age and up to 16 weeks and sometimes longer before they are ready to go to new homes. They are all individuals and are ready to go in their own time.

My recipe for raw meatballs

Here is my recipe: I feed a raw food diet and find my poms live a healthier life. I feed Urban Wolf and the following is the recipe I use and the method of mixing it and the supplements I use. I find this food does the most to prevent BSD or skin problems and must be fed from conception to end of life to get the full benefits:

Vitamin C powder, MSM powder, accidophilis or a probiotic, (www.nowcatalog.com) (If you feed NuVet Plus, you still need these supplements in your raw food mix.)

NutriSheen and Trinity (www.petpower.com) (Not needed if you feed NuVet Plus and Inflight Coat Formula.)

Tony at www.doggiefood.com (401-560-0090) has Hokamix (I’m still using this even with NuVet Plus), Kelp, Wild Salmon Oil, Urban Wolf, and I think he may have equals for OsteoForm (Dog Bloom) (If you feed NuVet Plus in the recommended dosage, you do not need Osteoform) Vitamin C (must not be buffered because it is buffered with calcium and you will throw your “balance” off). (Revival 800-786-4751).

I order Wheat Germ Oil with Vitamin A&D from Jeffers or American Livestock catalogs – do not use Wheat Germ Oil Blend because it is blended with soybean meal which sheds the coat (good for horses, not poms).

Do a www.google.com search for “Zinc” and the mushers from Alaska will come up and I use their zinc but a very very tiny bit of it – read package directions for how much per pounds of dog. (If you are feeding NuVet Plus, you do not need extra Zinc.)

Read all package directions for dosage of each supplement. Per one batch we use 1 tsp. zinc, ½ Tblsp. Nutri Sheen and Trinity each, 2 Tblsp. MSM, 2 Tblsp. Inflight (remember to eliminate the ones I recommended eliminating if you are feeding NuVet Plus) (www.inflightcoatformula.com ).

I like an all around vitamin/mineral tablet (Pets Prefer A to Zinc skin formula).

How to mix. I recommend mixing 2 batches at one time which would be 4 cups of Urban Wolf (be sure to freeze the rest of Urban Wolf once you’ve opened the bag) and the supplements and mix these powders thoroughly in a big huge popcorn bowl.

Mix the liquids in a blender

1 can of mackerel or salmon

½ cup extra extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons of flax seed oil

4 tablespoons of wild salmon oil

2 tablespoons of pure wheat germ oil

6 cups water

Blend this liquid mixture with the powdered mix and allow to soak for 20 minutes. Then add 6 pounds of ground meat (I use beef raw except for hamburger) and cook the other meats but I use beef only. I like heart, liver, trite, tongue, and cheap chuck or arm roasts. I ask the butcher to grind these together.

I have discovered a product called 8 In 1 Premium Coat & Skin Supplement (Nutricoat) Product # EO-00766 for 32 oz bottle at $15.05 which I order from Active K9, 295 Johnston Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 28702 (800-657-1014). It works wonders for poms with hair loss.

To order NuVet Plus, please call 800-474-7044, Order Code 041010.

This is what my gals put in the Urban Wolf (dehydrated fruits and veggies) for powder supplements in a double recipe which means 4 cups of the Urban Wolf.

Hokamix 2 tblsp.

MSM 2 tblsp.

Inflight 2 tblsp.

Vitamin C 2 tblsp.

NuVet Plus

We add all these powdered supplements to the Urban Wolf and mix well before we put the mixture we blend in a blender of 6 cups of water, 1 can of salmon, 4 tsp. of wild salmon oil and ½ cup extra, extra virgin olive oil and we also use some flax seed oil and wheat germ oil. I mix all that together in the blender and then combine the wet and dry ingredients and let soak for 20 minutes and then add the raw (and ground together) beef heart, trite, liver, tongue (or you can use cheap chuck or arm roast) and mix and each pom gets about a golf ball size portion broken up in pieces so they don’t scarf it down too fast. Much is hand fed to each dog.

Vitamin C powder, MSM powder, accidophilis, (www.nowcatalog.com) (If you feed NuVet Plus (to order call 800-474-7044, Order Code 041010) , you still need these supplements in your raw food mix.)

NutriSheen and Trinity (www.petpower.com) I used to feed these two products but don’t anymore now that I feed NuVet Plus and Inflight Coat Formula.)

Tony at www.doggiefood.com (401-560-0090) has Hokamix~~, Missing Link~~ (I’m still using this even with NuVet Plus), Kelp, Wild Salmon Oil, Urban Wolf, and I think he may have equals for OsteoForm (Dog Bloom),) (If you feed NuVet Plus in the recommended dosage, you do not need Osteoform) Vitamin C (must not be buffered because it is buffered with calcium and you will throw your “balance” off).~~, Solid Gold Seameal, brewer’s yeast and garlic powder blend~~ (Revival 800-786-4751).

Read all package directions for dosage of each supplement. Per one batch Erin uses 1 tsp. zinc, ½ Tblsp. Nutri Sheen and Trinity each, 2 Tblsp. MSM, 2 Tblsp. Inflight (remember to eliminate the ones I recommended eliminating if you are feeding NuVet Plus) (www.inflightcoatformula.com ~~), ½ Tblsp. Solid Gold Seameal~~).

I like an all around vitamin/mineral tablet like (Pets Prefer A to Zinc skin formula) but is it probably not necessary on this diet.

Mix the liquids in a blender

1 can of mackerel or salmon

½ cup extra extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons of flax seed oil

4 tablespoons of wild salmon oil

2 tablespoons of pure wheat germ oil

6 cups water

Blend this liquid mixture with the powdered mix and allow to soak for 20 minutes. Then add 6 to 8 pounds of ground meat (I use beef raw except for hamburger) and cook the other meats but I use beef only. I like heart, liver, trite, tongue, and cheap chuck or arm roasts. I ask the butcher to grind these together in a clean grinder so as to prevent e. coli and salmonella contamination (this is the reason for not purchasing hamburger already ground up and feeding that raw).

To get NuVet Plus call 800-474-7044 Order Code 041010.

If you have any questions about how to mix your raw food diet, call me and I will clarify. I tried to make these instructions as simple as possible. I do mix the dry ingredients together and blend them well, then add the liquid and let sit for 20 minutes and then add the meat. If you make up a batch and freeze some servings for later, please be sure to add the NuVet Plus just before you serve the food to the dog – do not freeze it or add it prior to mixing.

A correct bite cannot be determined definitive between 8 weeks and 18 months of age (it can go off and if it happens it usually goes off between 3 months to 1 year of age). Baby teeth must be extracted (but make sure there are adult teeth buds coming through before pulling any baby teeth) by 7 months of age. I guarantee that a bite on my show prospect puppies will be anything from even to scissor bite. Puppies that mature to 18 months of age with an under shot bite may be replaced. In toy breed dogs, a correct bite does not necessarily mean that the teeth are in perfect alignment. Our standard says that one tooth can be out of alignment.

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I’m adding this version of my recipe just in case the first one is not clear:

This is what my gals put in the Urban Wolf (dehydrated fruits and veggies) for powder supplements in a double recipe which means 4 cups of the Urban Wolf.

Hokamix 2 tblsp.

MSM 2 tblsp.

Inflight 2 tblsp.

Vitamin C 2 tblsp.

NuVet Plus

Vitamin C powder, MSM powder, accidophilis, (www.nowcatalog.com) (If you feed NuVet Plus (to order call 800-474-7044, Order Code 041010) , you still need these supplements in your raw food mix.)

NutriSheen and Trinity (www.petpower.com) I used to feed these two products but don’t anymore now that I feed NuVet Plus and Inflight Coat Formula.)

I like an all around vitamin/mineral tablet like (Pets Prefer A to Zinc skin formula) but is it probably not necessary on this diet.

Mix the liquids in a blender

1 can of mackerel or salmon

½ cup extra extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons of flax seed oil

4 tablespoons of wild salmon oil

2 tablespoons of pure wheat germ oil

6 cups water

To get NuVet Plus call 800-474-7044 Order Code 041010.