Care & Diet
DIET Once the decision is made to be adopted by one of our puppies, we require the deposit and ask that a small pet stuffed animal be sent to us. We want you to rub the stuffed animal on all family members along with any other pet in your home. When your puppy comes home, you will be told which food was preferred. It is important to feed as we did for at least the first 6 months. Think of it like this, if they do not like what they are given they will not eat. For most of us, common sense would be if they are hungry they will eat what is there. Not so with these delicate tiny ones. When they do not eat their blood sugar drops (hypoglycemic) and their system becomes depressed. This means they will NOT eat or drink. Trust me when I say - you want to follow the diet that we have laid out. We also recommend that when you pick up your puppy you bring with you a tube of Nurical. You can purchase this at any pet center. Once your baby is about six months old the chance of the hypoglycemia happening is rare. If you are going to pick up your puppy, we arrange the transfer at our Veterinarian. This way you save on the vet check and you will meet the individuals that have helped care for all of our poms. This is when the first de-wormer will be give among with the first shot. We pay for the de-worming and the first shot. The booster second shot is due two to four weeks later. This can be done with your veterinarian. By doing this, it saves an office visit for you.
We, at House of Poms, believe that the food we choose will either harm your puppy in the future or enhance your puppy. We have used Bil-Jac Puppy for the babies along with Nutro Puppy up until the past month.
We have recently changed what we are feeding all of our dogs due to all of our dogs becoming sick. The only common thread with them was the food they were eating. The food common food was Nutro, not Bil-Jac as non were on Bil-Jac (only the puppies and pregnant/nursing mom's get Bil-Jac).
To our surprise, many others were having some of the same issues that were feeding what we had. We have reported the problems to the Consumer Affairs website along with contacting the FDA.
The foods we used were not the only kinds of foods making dogs (and cats) sick. The fact is that one manufacturer seems to be where the problem lies.
We have given the link for Consumer Affairs and the website where you can look up the food you are feeding your dog. If your food is manufactured at the same plant as Nutro my suggestion would be to change there food.
We are using Eagle Pack. From all the research we have been doing for the past month, we can find no issues with this food. Eagle Pack's dry food is made in their own facility, and their wet food is now being made in a manufacturing company in Wisconsin. Eagle Pack has regular and Holistic dog (and cat) food.
We are going to try the puppy formula when the next litter is ready for food. We will keep everyone up to date on our site.
We free-feed the little ones. This means food is down all the time next to their water dish.
We will continue using Bil-Jac with our puppies along with the Eagle Pack because one is softer than the other. Bil-Jac also makes its own food in its own facility.
CARE
As soon as it arrives we will put it with your baby. By doing this, it will help make the transition to their new home easier. They will not be as nervous or scared because they will have known the scent most of their life. We will also be sending home a small piece of the blanket that was shared with the mom and their litter mates. We have found that this is what they prefer to sleep with for at least the first few weeks in their new home.
We, at House of Poms, do not suggest that the 3 & 1 shot be give to the puppy. We have experienced many puppies having problems when the 3 & 1 in given. Separate the shots out. Many veterinarians feel that it is safe but our experience with this tiny breed says differently.
You must remember that until six months old you will need to be careful with these little ones. Treat them as a baby. They need to nap and/or rest in their kennels frequently. If your puppy is romping around for an hour get them to eat and then put them in the kennel for a nap in a quiet place. They may not be happy about this but it needs to be done. They can burn off their food quickly because of their size. Their health and safety should always come first. We understand the excitement of your new puppy and simply remind and ask that you remember exactly how delicate your little one truly is.
