What should I do?

[ConnerlyGirl]

I have a 3 week old chuiaua mixed with a **** zu puppy. The only reason I got him so young is because his mom stopped feeding him and the others so i took him and started feeding him but i need some help making sure I'm taking care of him right. I have been feeding him wet dog food milked down with powdered milk. Hes only been pooping once or twice a day, is that normal or no? He goes threw these attacks i guess you can say, he will be sleeping and like have to sneeze or cough and like start sneezing rapidly, What is it that is going on when he does this? And i need to know how to get rid of fleas and ticks, Everyone is telling me to use dish soap, I washed him once with puppy soap from the store. Does anyone know what i can do or change to help him stay healthy?

[Ghilly]

I agree that this puppy needs to get to a vet ASAP.  Then, while you're at the vet, you need to ask him to show you how to tube feed the puppy.  This way the puppy will get all the milk replacer it needs and not be dependent only on what it can pull from a bottle.  The fact that you are mixing milk replacer with adult canned dog food right now is no good.  Canned dog food is not geared toward puppy nutrition and he's not getting anywhere near what he needs to grow properly.  In another week or so he would have started to experiment with his mom's food, but his own diet still would have primarily been her milk.  As far as the pooping thing, at 3 weeks he should be pooping on his own so as long as he's going twice a day, that's PROBABLY OK, but let your vet guide you and tell you what to watch for.

When he's between 4 and 5 weeks old you can start soaking a high quality puppy food (ie, no grocery store or WalMart brands) in very hot water and letting it get soft and mushy.  Then fluff it up with a fork and mix it with evaporated milk.  Offer this to him about a tablespoon at a time and let him start to mess around with it.  He should have teeth starting to come through now, so in another week or so he'll be ready to start practicing with the softened puppy food.  You can also offer him some baby cereal that you mix with evaporated milk but just a bit for right now because he's a tiny puppy and that's all he can handle.  

If he were a larger breed puppy things would be a bit easier on you right now, but since he is a toy breed puppy, he needs some special treatment.  Most larger breed puppies can safely go to their permanent homes at between 8 and 10 weeks of age.  Responsible toy dog breeders keep their puppies with their litters for up to 12 weeks of age and sometimes even 16 weeks to make sure they are truly ready to live at someone else's home.

Right now your vet will be your best friend.  He will tell you the correct way to do everything that needs to be done and he can monitor the puppy to make sure everything is going as it should.  The person who bred this puppy should have left him with the litter even though the mother had stopped feeding them because they needed the social interaction of being with the other puppies as much as they needed her milk.  Since she was bred while she was under their watch, THEY should have been responsible for feeding these puppies and they should have kept them together so that they could have at least taught each other the ins and outs of being a puppy.  This baby now has a tough row to hoe because of this "breeder" so give him every advantage and keep his vet right there in the loop with you to help him along.  Daily update calls and weekly visits for a while are a MUST.  Please keep us posted on his development!

Ghilly

[TwoBitsMom]

I am not sure what is going on with your pup...but I would bring him in to be checked  by the vet.  The sneezing you are talking about makes me think it might be pneumonia. He may have aspirated some of his food into his lungs.
Most puppies do not start to eat solid foods until they are about 5 weeks old.
If the puppy is eating by himself,out of a bowl, he may be inhaling a little of the food into his nose, which could also cause the sneezing...But, better safe than sorry...
So I strongly urge you to take him to the vet.

You should also do a search on the web, and learn what to feed and how to take care of your orphaned puppy.
Call your local pet shelters, they should be able to help..be sure to tell them that he is a small breed chihuahua mix...these small breed puppies have special requirements ...you may need to feed him more often so he does not become hypoglycemic.  
You could also call your shelters and vets, and ask if they know of anyone who has a small dog that is still nursing her pups...it is possible that a nursing dog would accept your pup as part of her litter.
I know you want to do the best you can for your puppy.
Again...A veterinarian is the best person to guide you.

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

bathe him in baby shampoo it works great on fleas,  hes so small i would take him to vet he needs to be drinking the milk for puppies you can get it at any pet store. good luck with your baby

[tranylady]

Puppies do take extra care.  Bath him with puppy shampoo only, the dish soap will dry out his skin too much.  But fleas cant swim in soapy water, so they drown.  Dont use over the counter flea treatments as none are made for puppies under 6 weeks old.  If you have an Avon lady in your area, get a bottle of Skin So Soft bath oil.  Only wipe a little on his coat after a bath.  Fleas and flies hate this stuff, and it will help keep his skin moist not dried out.  The sneezing is possibly alright, but if you are very concerned about it take him to a local clinic.  They are usually cheaper and faster to get in.  Now if he is thrushing around and bitting at the air that is a real bad seisure.  I had a pup do that, but found out before I got it someone had dropped him on his head.  I had to have him put to sleep as the vet said he would only get worse.  I hope your puppy has a slight allergy to make him sneeze so much.  Good luck, and God bless.

[tonyb286]

A 3-week old puppy away from its mother is very dangerous. The mother's milk provides essential nutrients and some immunity to some illnesses. Plus the mother and the rest of the litter teach it some essential behavioural elements and provide emotional comfort. The fact that this very young puppy has fleas and ticks is also extremely dangerous for it, as the bites and toxins can lead to fatal problems. I would urge you to get this little puppy to a vet straight away. Explain the situation and the fact that it has fleas and ticks.

One further point, do not take the puppy outside or near other dogs until it has had its vaccinations, otherwise there is a risk of it getting parvovirus, which would probably be fatal to such an infant dog.

You may need to find a surrogate mother to continue weaning the puppy - and your vet may help suggest someone that could help you with it. This poor little guy has not had a good start ... hope he will be ok. Please post back to let us know how you get on. Tony