T-Cups and Tiny Toys
Bringing home a tiny puppy can be a very enjoyable
experience if each new owner has the knowledge and proper information
needed to care for the puppy. A reputable breeder or seller should provide
you with as much information as possible to make the transition period go
safely and smoothly.
Caring for T-Cups and Tiny Toys
In very cold weather you need to keep your puppy warm. Heating
sweaters are great! . If one is not available in the size you need,
a sweater can simply be fashioned from a sock with the toe cut out and two
small holes cut for each front leg. Make sure you have a heating pad on
the low setting placed under the crate or basket in which he sleeps. Make
sure the temp is not too hot. It is a good idea to set the crate/basket,
only half way on the heating pad this allows the puppy to decide if he is
too hot or too cold.
Food (dry and canned) and fresh water must be kept
available for your puppy ALL the time, especially during the 1st few
weeks in his/her new home. It is also very important that you see him/her
eating and drinking. Tiny puppies need to eat about every 3 hours around
the clock. Tiny puppies cannot go very long without a meal. You and I get
hungry about every 5 to 6 hours. We weigh over 100 lbs. Your puppy weighs
1 to 2 lbs and he runs out of energy quickly.
If for some reason your puppy decides not to eat, it is
imperative to keep a bottle of honey, a couple of jars of beef baby
food and an eye dropper or syringe on hand all the time for the first few
weeks. This will save your puppy's life in case of an emergency. If you
did not see your puppy eating, a good indication is a nice round full
tummy. If for some reason your puppy refuses to eat, and becomes wobbly or
lethargic, his/her sugar level has probably dropped and caused
hypoglycemia. If this happens, give your puppy (with a dropper) 1 teaspoon
of honey every 15 minutes until 3 teaspoons have been given, and then wait
15 more minutes and force feed with a dropper about 1/3 jar of the beef
baby food. Continue this procedure every 3 hours until you can get to the
veterinarian. Sometimes this is a simple case of fear and depression due
to change of environment, however, sometimes there is an underlying
problem that requires immediate attention from a veterinarian.
Never change your puppy's diet, unless advised by your
veterinarian, and never give your puppy milk, or table food. Some of the
things that can be fed safely are plain yogurt, cottage cheese, boiled
chicken, turkey, or lean beef. Things should be going smoothly after the
first couple of weeks, as you and your puppy will learn your routine
together. The main thing is to have regular check-ups and fecal exams
done. This will insure you and your puppy happy, healthy times together.
Teacup and Tiny Toy Care
These tips are for the first few weeks, to help your
new pup to adjust.
1. The most important rule is to always have food &
water available to your puppy at all times! Due to their small size,
teacups must replenish energy more frequently than larger size puppies.
The only way to do this is by supplying plenty of nourishment in the form
of food. Remember that puppies only eat very small amounts of food at a
time but they use large amounts of energy. Also, do not change the puppies
food for the first 2 weeks until the puppy has adjusted to it's new home.
Then, if you are going to make a change, do it gradually by slowly adding
more of the new food to the old food each day until they are totally
switched over to the new food.
2. The next most important rule is to have a baby or
puppy playpen or other type of small enclosed area to keep your puppy
confined in, whenever you are not playing with them. This must be a small
area with enough room for their bed and easy access to food and water
where they can rest and eat in peace. This area should be no larger than 3
ft x 4 ft if at all possible use a 2 ft x 3 ft baby playpen.
Never give your puppy the run of the whole house until
they are at least 5 or 6 months old. With such a large space to run around
in, it is easy for them to tire and lose track of where their food is.
This could result in hypoglycemia or death.
3. For the first few weeks, do not let your puppy out
to play for longer than a one hour period at a time. Play with them for a
short time, then give them a small dose of Nutri-Cal or karo syrup and
then place them back in their playpen so they can eat and rest. Remember
that they are very small babies and tire easily. Please be careful not to
over-tire your puppy especially in the first few weeks. A puppy will play
until it drops. It may play so much that it is too tired to eat. It is up
to you as the owner to be responsible and see that your puppy gets enough
rest. Most very small puppies need as much as 20 out of 24 hours rest. Be
especially aware of the amount of time children play with the puppy. These
are babies and must be treated as such.
4.
*Hypoglycemia,
or low blood sugar can be deadly to your puppy! It is a problem that
affects many toy breeds of puppies usually between the ages of 5 - 20
weeks of age. All owners of small dogs should be on the lookout for it.
The best preventative for this, is to have a tube of
Nutri-Cal or Nutri-Stat on hand. It is an extremely good source of food
and vitamins. It is also one of the best preventatives and/or cures for
keeping your puppy from going into hypoglycemia. It is important for at
least the first week or two to remember to give your puppy a little bit (1
inch strip) of Nutri_Cal or Nutri-Stat in the morning and in the evening.
Also, if they have been out playing for a while, or have had a lot of
carrying them around or have been away from a food source for a prolonged
period of time, give them a tiny bit before retiring them to their
playpen.
(We recommend Nutri-Cal over honey as honey brings the
blood sugar up for a short period of time, but then the blood sugar tends
to plummet again. Nutri-Cal has a food source combined with sweeteners
which keeps the sugar more stable for a longer period of time. Also, too
much honey tends to rot the teeth.)
5. Always make sure that you have a firm grip on your
puppy at all times when it is off the ground. Many fatalities or broken
bones have happened by a tiny dog wriggling out of an owners grasp, or
jumping off a lap or bed, and breaking their neck, legs, or landing on
their head.
Always supervise small children when around or handling
a small dog. The only safe way for a child to hold a small dog, is sitting
on the floor with a puppy between their legs, or on their lap. Also, never
leave a small puppy alone on a chair, bed, couch, or stairs unattended.
Remember, a fall from as little as two feet high can be fatal!
6. Never ever leave your teacup unattended unless it is
in it's playpen or safe enclosure! There are many places that such a tiny
dog can manage to fit in, and disappear from, not to mention get stuck
under! Also such innocent things as a book or telephone falling on them
can break a bone and be deadly!
REMEMBER this is a very traumatic time for your puppy!
It has been taken away from it's mom and brothers and sisters and brought
to a totally different home with strangers. So it is very important that
you try and make the first week to 2 weeks with your new puppy as calm of
an experience as possible. It is an important time for the puppy to bond
with you as its own family.
PLEASE resist the urge to take
your puppy to the workplace or to visit with friends and relatives during
this period. Also keep handling by children to a minimum.
We hope these tips help you and your new
puppy enjoy a long healthy life!!
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