Worming Puppies: Natural And Traditional Worming Methods

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Julie-Ann

No matter how careful new owners are, puppy worming is something they need to consider quickly. It is a natural thing for puppies to get worms – not because worms are good, but because puppies get them from their mother, the ground, fleas, etc. an

d all puppies have them. How you treat them and how often you treat them is something else. There is no right or wrong way; it is just what you prefer and what works for you. Many breeders and dog owners are beginning to treat dog worms naturally as they did in the past, due to expense and safety. Just as many worms are being treated according to the traditional veterinary preferences, due to shipping requirements and personal likes and dislikes.

What Kind of Dog Worms Should I Worry About?

Roundworms are the most common “puppy worms” there are. But there are also hookworms, tapeworms, and whipworms that are a dog owner and dog breeder’s continuous nightmare from day one. Roundworms come from the mother when the puppies are born, and tapeworms come from flea infestations. The roundworms typically do not infest adult dogs, but like the mothers in the latter pregnancy and the puppies. Both roundworms and tapeworms can be seen with the naked eye, and the remainder of worm types requires a trip to the vet for a microscopic examination. If you DO see a worm, like the whipworms, the dog is already seriously ill with weight loss and bodily destruction. Puppy worming needs to start immediately in these cases.

When Should You Worm Dogs?

Begin worming the mother two weeks before she is ready to whelp, to remove the most common dog worms or roundworms from her system. Then worm her again and the puppies when they are two, four, six, and eight weeks of age. Worm regularly until four months of age, then once every six months. One option is to use Pyrantel, a well known roundworm treatment, as my main wormer at the beginning – with an overall wormer for most other worms at six weeks of age. Owners can also add ground pumpkin seed and garlic mixed with their feed to provide an environment inside the intestines the worm hates.

Why Worm Dogs So Often?

The reason many breeders worm every two weeks is due to the hatching of flea eggs and the worm eggs. The exact dosage of the wormer is important, or it will make the dog/puppy sick or kill them. Stick to the worming schedule like clockwork, as worms can make a puppy ill – symptoms are diarrhea, bloody stools at homes, weight loss, dry hair, vomiting with or without worms, and stools with worms.

Main Types Of Dog Wormers

IVERMECTRIN

This type of wormer was introduced to the public in the 1980s. Introduced as an anti-parasite medicine, it is usually affective against most intestinal worms, except for tapeworm and adult heartworm. It is used as a monthly prevention and treatment of sarcoptic or demodectic mange.

Side effects are minimal with the low dosages, and it is now commercially marked as a heartworm preventive. If higher dosages are given against mites, more side effects will occur with collies, Shetland sheepdogs, Australian sheepdogs, and Old English sheepdogs.

PYRANTEL

Pyrantel is safely used with pregnant females, and can be used with dogs, cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs. It is used for the treatment of roundworms, in addition to hookworms, threadworms, and pinworms, being repeated 2 to 4 weeks apart in order to eliminate all stages of the parasite. Many vets prefer the brand Nemex for Pyrantel worming, but it is a common wormer and can be found in most animal stores. There are very few side effects, if any.

FENBENDAZOLE

This wormer is used in large and small animals. In dogs, it is highly effective against roundworms, lungworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. Also, it is effective for giardia – a common protozoan that attacks the small intestine by attaching to the walls, and then rapidly dividing to increase its numbers. Very safe, it can be used in pregnant and lactating mothers, but requires a 3-day consecutive treatment.

Routine puppy worming using the recommended dog wormers is essential in maintaining your puppy's good health and preventing worm related health problems.

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Why Do Puppies Eat Feces?

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Julie-Ann

Eating feces is called coprophagia, and many dog experts consider it normal puppy behavior, tying in with nutrition and puppy health. It is most common in hunting, working, or herding breeds. Many dogs will eat his or her own feces or another dog’s. As it feels is has done nothing wrong, it wanders over to its owner wanting a hug and kiss at about that time and hopefully the owner has been observing the backyard activities of the little canine. The meaning of the words, “doggy breath,” has just then taken on a whole new meaning!

Why Does Coprophagia Happen?

Some factors involved in coprophagia in puppies are:

Hyperactivity and out of control behavior
Immaturity
Dirty cages or environments

Most mother dogs will keep the living area clean, and if left unattended, will eat the puppies feces to remove it – forming a habitual behavior for them. This is not a usual occurrence in small kennels or household litters.

Another reason is the majority of puppies eat feces because their mothers do. It is a behavior developed by imitating. The mother will stimulate early puppies to urinate and defecate by licking, which she consumes to keep the den area clean. As time goes on and the puppies become larger they see this and some will imitate the behavior.

How To Stop Puppies Eating Feces

Adding one teaspoon of spinach or pineapple or even meat tenderizer to the dog’s diet sometimes helps as a natural treatment. Buying and using a dog medical product called “For-bid,” will decrease this behavior if you work at it. It makes the feces taste distasteful to the dog, and they will not want to eat it. But occasionally there is a nutrition or puppy health concern that can cause the behavior, so be sure to talk to your vet if this becomes and ongoing behavior.

As with any type of behavior for puppies or adult dogs, early correction and preventing the behavior from becoming a bad habit is essential. Until your puppy is fully protected through puppy shots, worming and just maturing, keep your little one on a leash to prevent them from eating the feces of other dogs that may have parasites or diseases. In addition keep all fecal material cleaned up out of the puppy's kennel, sleeping area and play area to minimize contact. While eating feces may not be a direct sign of puppy health problems or nutritional concerns, talk to your breeder if you have switched foods or notice any other unusual or uncharacteristic behaviors in the puppy.

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Dog Breeding: Is Your Female Dog Ready?

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Julie-Ann

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e_odd_couple-Copy.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="300" />There are many cases where inexperienced owners plan to start dog breeding when the female is just too young. They don't wait until she has reached her second heat cycle between one and two years of age. Dog breeders that do this are definitely in it for the money and are not a high quality breeder. They are looking at numbers only – the numbers of puppies born, the numbers of puppies sold, and the number of the amount of money coming in.

Selecting The Right Male Dog For A Female

When dog breeders are just beginning their kennels, they really don’t need to keep a male stud on the property. Many small breeders use someone else’s stud; keeping back female breeding puppies from their dam, especially if they are of outstanding quality and exceptional breeding. Not being able to breed them back to their father, it only stands to reason another stud will be needed from another kennel. So, the main focus from the small kennel should be on the right type of females to use in their dog breeding programs.

Picking the right female breeder means many things: she should be healthy with no genetic issues and she should come from a line of vigorous puppies from birth until they leave the nest. She should not come from a line where there is a struggle to keep puppies alive; and hopefully she will come from a line of easy whelpers, as compared to a line that is noted for pregnancy issues, C-sections, problems with not wanting to bear down, or problems with live births.

Often female dogs that make the best mothers are the ones who love their puppies to death, continuously loving and cleaning them and helping them to become socialized and trained. There are also females that are much less interested in maternal duties and they will often be aggressive to puppies, poor nursing mothers and will spend little time in socializing the puppies. These are not the females the dog breeders should use to develop their breeding lines.

Dog Breeding Cycles

Most female dogs come into heat cycles every six months. Some females will have their puppies exactly six months apart but it is important to rest breeding females every other litter. Large dogs may only recommended for breeding once every year or every other year, especially if there are any whelping or pregnancy problems known in the breed. During the resting year or cycle the females are around the kennel, playing and enjoying life just being a dog. Different dog breeders have various rotations to keep their females health and in good physical and mental shape.

Different breeds have varying heat cycles. Cocker Spaniels are known for being right on target, while the terrier lines sometimes vary. The breeder really needs to know his dogs, as sometimes the arriving heat cycle is recognized by playfulness that is more than usual, or attempting to breed another dog whether it is male or female.

The Advantages Of Hand Dog Breeding

Hand-breeding is when you place a female in cycle with the male at a specific time when she will breed. She does not run all the time in a pack, one male and several females, as is sometimes done in continuous dog breeding programs. The advantage of hand breeding is knowing when the female will whelp so you can begin her on a high protein diet and begin her worming and shot regime, and staying in control of the breeding of your dog. And if you have a real good breeder, you can be as accurate as the hour knowing when she will whelp for you.

Dog breeding is definitely best left to those who are experienced dog breeders, however if you have a female you can work with a breeder for the first few litters until you understand all aspects of breeding, pregnancy and whelping.

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Bringing Your New Puppy Home

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Julie-Ann

Bringing Your New Puppy Home

Children and puppies are wonderful combinations, but many children are bitten each year due to their behavior toward the puppy and lack of understanding of puppy training. This causes many dogs to be put into another home or taken to the pounds, when simple training on both parts will encourage many years of friendship. Also, an overly active child can cause physical and emotional damage to a small dog if the child is not properly trained to respect and handle the dog correctly. An important thing to remember is that almost all dogs will not bite unless they are provoked by a trigger: poking, prodding, being hit, or having the favorite food bowl played with during feeding time. These are things that need to be avoided to ensure a happy future.

Getting Puppies Off On The Right Foot

When the puppy makes its first entrance into the home with children, it should already have had their socialization period begun, since two weeks of age or when their ears and eyes opened. This process began with their siblings and owner, and especially their mother. If your puppy was never socialized and you have children, you are in trouble and should take this puppy back to the breeder immediately, as many problems will develop over time. However, eventually all puppies leave this safe haven, and go into a new home with many new avenues to explore. One of these avenues is meeting children they do not know, the perfect way to continue this socialization period and puppy training.

Fearful Behavior In Puppies

It is completely normal for a new puppy to act fearful in some situations, especially in a new home. But socialization and puppy training in the new home is the most important aspect of their lives, and eventually this fear will leave if you treat the puppy in an appropriate fashion. Call him or her to you and talk in a normal voice. Reassure it that

things are okay without rewarding it for being fearful. Puppies and children are different in how they respond to fear: we cuddle children and reassure them, while puppies think cuddling when fearful encourages the behavior more. They think this fearful attitude is something that is expected from them by you, so they stay fearful in response to your rewarding behavior.

Children and Puppies

Children are perfect to socialize all puppies, if they have been taught correctly to treat the puppy gently and with respect. They need to be taught not to approach the puppy when it is eating or drinking, or to treat it unkindly. The puppy’s attitude toward the children in the home will extend to its attitude of children out of the home or coming into the home.

Teach the children to remain calm and peaceful around the new puppy by explaining that at the beginning any fast movements or yelling will frighten the puppy. This will make it fearful of the children, and it will run from them. This will later cause problems during puppy training as the dog will have already learned some behaviors that will make training more challenging.

Children, Puppies and Supervision

Another thing to remember is, if very young children are in the home, it is suggested not to leave the new puppy and them unsupervised together. This is asking for problems as neither the child or the puppy has been trained to tolerant of each other yet, which takes time and patience. Toddlers are a major issue with new puppies, as they are very curious about everything and anything! They want to touch and to explore; yet they lack the coordination to do it gracefully. They can hurt the puppy by falling on it, making it afraid, or physically damaging the puppy. Dog crates and baby gates are excellent for times when you cannot be in the room to supervise.

Bringing your puppy or puppies home for the first time is a matter of preparation, puppy training and child training. By having a positive and stress free first few days your new puppy will settle into the home very quickly, ready for more advanced puppy training routines in the future.

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Dog Care During Pregnancy

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Julie-Ann

All reputable breeders are aware of the breeding date of females and are able to provide appropriate dog care during the pregnancy. Many will count six weeks from the breeding date on the calendar, and then begin pre-whelping dog care. Usually, the females are brought into a special whelping area for lots of TLC. She is put on a special diet of high protein, wormed and has a bed that will become her nest when the babies arrive. Over the two weeks, she is handled a lot, groomed and the closer to the due date given lots of time to sleep and relax.

Food For The Pregnant Mother

Up until the last two weeks of the pregnancy before the mother whelps, she can be fed her regular diet. She will go through a streak where she eats and eats, almost as if she cannot get her fill. But two weeks before she is due, it is a good idea to allow her “all you want to eat” puppy food with high protein, as this is the time when the puppies grow the most. As she gets closer to whelping, she will eat less, but this is not a sign of concerns over dog health, it is perfectly natural. Typically the day of delivery she will not eat at all – but some of the dogs will eat all that day and even during delivery. Most breeders will know how their female reacts during pregnancy and her behavior is a signal with regards to dog health issues and dog care during this time.

It may be important to carefully monitor the female's bowel movement during the pregnancy. A small amount of natural or lamb and rice canned food may be added to the kibble to help keep stools soft and the digestive system working well. Avoid foods with lots of corn or preservatives as these can cause allergic reactions in both mom and puppies.

Worming During Pregnancy

Worming is the most important thing for a breeder to keep up on. Most breeders worm at least two weeks before the puppies are due as part of their dog care pre-whelping routine. The female is weighed at this time to adjust the dosage correctly. It is important for dog health to not over medicate or under medicate with regards to the wormer. Some of the top wormers are Pyrantel and Ivermectin. Pyrantel is often used on the pregnant mother instead of Ivermectin, as it is kinder on her system and gentler on the puppies.

Pyrantel is safely used with pregnant females, and can be used with dogs, cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs. It is used for the treatment of roundworms, in addition to hookworms, threadworms, and pinworms, being repeated 2 to 4 weeks apart in order to eliminate all stages of the parasite. Many vets prefer the brand Nemex for pyrantel worming, but it is a common wormer and can be found in most animal stores.

Roundworms and Puppies

Roundworms enter the system of the embryonic development and live puppy through the infected mother, so this is why worming the mother two weeks before delivery should be routine. This can be repeated every two weeks with the puppies until they are taken home by their new owners.

Dog care during pregnancy is more than just good management, it also includes looking after dog health issues as well as the relaxation and comfort of the mother and the puppies.

Newborn Puppies And Mom

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Julie-Ann

The newborn puppies have safely arrived and mom is doing fine. Tired, but fine. Now what? Is the hard part over – not by a long shot. The next day or so is just as important as the birthing with regard to puppy care, especially if you have a new mother or a mother who cannot adapt to motherhood. Each puppy may need individual attention, and if the female isn't doing it the owner will have to.

The Puppies' First 24 Hours

When a newborn puppy arrives into the world, it cannot see, hear, or control its body temperature. If it gets too cold, it’s digestive system will become stressed and it can develop diseases, if it gets too hot, it will die.

Heat lamps sometimes are necessary if puppies are born in the winter, or keeping the birthing room climate controlled during the hot summers is just as necessary. There are also many insulated electric heating pads for the mother and babies to lie on, as they need a temperature from 85 to 90 degrees for the first five days of life. At the end of the fourth week, they can easily survive in 75-degree weather.

Each puppy needs to have constant temperatures, which means ensuring they stay the appropriate distance from the heating or cooling source.

Mother's Milk and Dog Nursing

When puppies are first born, the milk they nurse from their mother is called “colostrum.” This is highly important for the development of the immune system of the puppy in order to prevent diseases, and needs to be nursed within the first 24 hours. The mother only produces this important ingredient for a short time after birthing. Many breeders will put newborn puppies on a mother with older puppies. When this happens the newborn puppy does not get the colostrum they need, and will develop more diseases than normal down the road, or die in a short time.

What Is A Fading Puppy?

Some new statistics show that puppy mortality is 17.4% before weaning, falling to 4% after weaning. More puppies died during their first week than at any other time, with weaning the second highest mortality time. By the time most puppies are twelve weeks old, they are out of most of the danger.

A puppy will be termed a fading puppy if one or more of three things occur after being born:

The puppy becomes chilled due to lack of warmth
Hypoglycemia occurs due to lack of sugar from the mother's milk
Dehydration occurs

Fading puppies typically fail to thrive, eventually stop nursing and die shortly after birth. Owners can, with proper puppy care, help prevent these tragic and unnecessary deaths by monitoring the puppies during the first few hours to ensure they all feed and stay warm.

Developmental problems may also occur within the puppy, such as a malformed heart. After a few days of fighting to live, they will eventually die anyway. These problems began in the mother’s uterus or are genetic in nature and there may not be any possible treatment.

Some newborn puppies develop an infection and can die. Probably one of the major causes of infections is umbilical cord infections which develops into septicemia, a neonatal disorder due to the presence of cutaneous abscesses in the mother. Breeders often clean this area with Iodine immediately after the puppies are born, cutting the cord with sterilized scissors after clamping the cord off to prevent this infection from occurring.

Puppy Feeding and Water

For a day or so after whelping the mother will not be hungry, only nibbling at her food. She should have all the puppy food she wants located close by. Also, keep cool and clean water available, changing it two to three times a day if needed.

Most veterinarians say to offer a bowl of milk with white Karo syrup to the mother. This is not only to jumpstart her system, but to build up her calcium level so she will not become ill. This can be provided twice a day, in addition to some canned lamb and rice food to keep her energy level up until she feels up to eating on a daily regime. Occasionally vets will recommend mixing some canned with dry food to encourage the female to eat and keep her digestive system moving properly during the time she is recuperating from whelping.

The breeder or owner of the female has a huge responsibility for each individual puppy and overall puppy care, especially in the first few weeks. Newborns will require a lot of attention, both from Mom as well as from the breeder if they are to thrive and develop in the healthiest fashion.

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Category Archives: Puppies/Breeding/Pregnancy

Worming Puppies: Natural And Traditional Worming Methods

What Kind of Dog Worms Should I Worry About?

When Should You Worm Dogs?

Why Worm Dogs So Often?

Main Types Of Dog Wormers

Why Do Puppies Eat Feces?

Why Does Coprophagia Happen?

How To Stop Puppies Eating Feces

Dog Breeding: Is Your Female Dog Ready?

Selecting The Right Male Dog For A Female

Dog Breeding Cycles

The Advantages Of Hand Dog Breeding

Bringing Your New Puppy Home

Bringing Your New Puppy Home

Getting Puppies Off On The Right Foot

Fearful Behavior In Puppies

Children and Puppies

Children, Puppies and Supervision

Dog Care During Pregnancy

Food For The Pregnant Mother

Worming During Pregnancy

Roundworms and Puppies

Newborn Puppies And Mom

The Puppies' First 24 Hours

Mother's Milk and Dog Nursing

What Is A Fading Puppy?

Puppy Feeding and Water