blue heeler sick!!

My 5 week old blue heeler threw up three times this morning. It smelled like his own poop. When i looked to the side he had pooped a slight bit as well and it was all mushy. But there were no traces of blood or anything. When i got him the owner had already given them their parvo shots. Could this still possibly be parvo? I know ive caught him eating his own poop...i tell him no when i see him do it. But half the time its to late. He swallows it whole. Ive also been feeding him dog food by the brand Blue Buffalo. The worker told me at Petsmart it was the best to get. He likes it but i dont thonk he loves it. Think he just eats it bc hes hungry..

[Misfits4Me]

Welcome.....No responsible breeder would have let puppies go at 5wks. of age....That said, he/she would also lie about the vaccines!!!  This guy should still be with it's mother, nursing & not be expected to eat a total dry diet for WEEKS!

Because of this whole scenero, I would highly suspect the beginning stages of Parvo.....Trust me, Get your guy to the Vet ASAP....The Parvo test is a quick, in house fecal test.....The chances of survival are better if caught early & it's not worth the risk!!!!!!

Make the call, now...Please, let us know what happens & good luck, Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Jetersmomma,
This may be nothing more than an undeveloped digestive system NOT being able to handle adult food...We have a forum member (Margot) that will come by and give you excellent advice on how to feed this guy for the next few weeks....I personally, would still want to rule out Parvo, just in case.....Karla

[Margot49]

Well,  Karla made some good points. That puppy is too young to be taken from the mother and,mexactly, who knows if it had a shot and IF it did have a shot, that does not even guarantee the pup will not get Parvo!  They have to have a regular series of shots, usually through 16 weeks when I had pups.  The vaccine will not take affect until the maternal antibodies wear off and there is no definite way to tell that.  I would be very watchful and get this pup to your Vet for an exam and get it on a puppy plan.  You should also take in a fresh stool specimen to be checked for parasites and this pup should be wormed.  Did this "breeder" give you records and a health guarantee?
Eating stool is called Coprophagia and some dogs never stop doing it BUT it could also be caused by some nutritional deficiency. Boredom, being in confined quarters, etc.  that is most likely why his breath smells the way it does.
Blue Baffalo is a decent food but may be to rich.  Do you use the puppy food and how often are you feeding?
Get some canned Goat's milk.  Put the dry food in a blender and chop it down to where it is smaller pieces but not powdery.  Mix that with room temp or warm goats milk until you make a gruel and feed him that, you eventually reduce the Goat's milk and then maybe add a little water until you transition to dry food or dry and a little canned food of the same brand.
Better to feed him smaller amounts 3-4 times a day.  My puppies were never completely weaned before 6 weeks.
Is he crated? Are his sleeping quarters separate from the area he potties in? If not, it should be. You will have to be vigilant and keep his stools picked up and I hope he grows out of that.
Due to his age, I am not too concerned about him aggressively chewing hard up yet.  Get him a larger Nylabone or larger (med size) rawhide to chew on.  Like a baby, he is cutting teeth and might want to chew on something.  Get a couple of squeaky toys.  
Hopefully, you will get him into the Vet.  DO NOT be taking him to public places, ESP yards, parks, etc until he has completely finished his shots!
Yes, please keep us posted.