Shikoku Puppy Questions
Hey all I got my little shikoku girl a Tuesday night, I have a couple questions that are causing me anxiety.
--She has had her first vaccination set. I've been taking her out around the yard to potty/play. (there is another dog the spends time and eliminates in the same yard who is 9mos and I'm 85% sure is vaccinated too) I've been reading the forums and have just become more worrisome about health. I feel like I should get a parvo test just for peace of mind!! I mean what if she ate some poop when my head was turned ahhhh!
--It's been a while since I've had a puppy. Is it normal for sporadic consumption of small amounts of food throughout day, frequent water intake, lots of play but napping often too?
So there it is....my concerns with food/sleep pattern as well as immunizations/outdoor and other dog play. Am I freaking out a little too much? Any advice?
Thanks a ton...if this is in the wrong spot or answers can be found elsewhere please point me in that direction! :-)
--She has had her first vaccination set. I've been taking her out around the yard to potty/play. (there is another dog the spends time and eliminates in the same yard who is 9mos and I'm 85% sure is vaccinated too) I've been reading the forums and have just become more worrisome about health. I feel like I should get a parvo test just for peace of mind!! I mean what if she ate some poop when my head was turned ahhhh!
--It's been a while since I've had a puppy. Is it normal for sporadic consumption of small amounts of food throughout day, frequent water intake, lots of play but napping often too?
So there it is....my concerns with food/sleep pattern as well as immunizations/outdoor and other dog play. Am I freaking out a little too much? Any advice?
Thanks a ton...if this is in the wrong spot or answers can be found elsewhere please point me in that direction! :-)
Comments
If you know who the owner is of the other dog, i would ask. If not just take her out on a leash. Don't worry too much.
If you just got your puppy maybe she is still missing her siblings and mom some pups don't eat as much for few days. Bella didn't eat dinner when we brought her home. Next day she ate more.
Do you have puppy class lined up? It's important to socialize pups shikoku needs it. Be sure it's positive type training..
Puppies are like that they eat, play, potty, nap, potty, play drink water and repeat..
As she grows she'll get more active. Work with handling and make it positive experience while she is young and get her used to wearing collar and harness at this age too.
Going with a schedule meals is the best thing for a puppy. It's a good way to make sure they are eating enough and helps schedule their bowel movements as well. Drinking a lot, I think is that the puppy is still getting use to not drinking milk from mom, which they would be getting food and keeping hydrated at the same time. Playing a lot makes them thirsty too. It takes time for the pup to get use to things. Playing and sleeping a lot is all part of puppyhood.
Now I need different advice... HELP
So we got a Giardia diagnosis on 12/12 and did Metronidazole 125 mg tid x 10 days..
Still was having loose stools on 12/26 (when in for 2nd vacc) soooo they gave some paste to bulk stools tid x 3 days with a probiotic as well daily for 10 days. I have finished the paste and am 6 days deep into the probiotic and still having loose stools.
2days ago they said a another stool sample so soon wasn't necessary. (due to being on the Met.) ps- on the 26 they told me deworming wouldn't be necessary as she was on the Met for Giardia and that would have killed off parasites as well.
Does this seem legit? I'm trying to educate myself on justification of ordering tests and meds etc...or not.
I'm heading in tomorrow with the vet implying a food change might be the next step (presumably science diet)
Any thoughts? Suggestions?
I have giardia in my yard and my vet has always gone with Panacur (fenbendazole) for 3 days. The over-the-counter is called Safeguard. Both can be purchased online. Panacur/Safeguard does eliminate some types of worms while eliminating the giardia.
I googled metronidazole and I didn't find it used for worms. Only protozoans (ie. giardia) and some bacteria. I've heard that metronidazole is very hard on a pup's system and so I would not use it on my dogs even if my vet did recommend it. Was the metronidazole used in conjunction with Panacur and that was why the vet said a new stool sample was not necessary?
Coccidiosis is supposed to be prevalent in the environment in southern California, and you can treat using the conventional treatment, but some owners do so when the dog is only showing symptoms.
I've heard some breeders have resort to the off-label use of Baycox which completely eliminates cocci and cocci cysts. It's used on-label by veterinarians in Australia, but it hasn't been approved for such use in the US.
"Medication containing tinidazole or metronidazole decreases symptoms and time to resolution...." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia
Usually we would prescribe panacur to treat giardia. If your dog has coccidia too then they might have your dog on albon or something similar as well for a dewormer.