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  1. #11
    Best Friend Retriever OHfemail's Avatar
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    He's adorable! You can comb him and check for fleas. There's a good chance he may have them, but I wouldn't want to treat such a young pup unless he actually does have them. Again, the vet would be your best resource for that. Such a cutie!

  2. #12
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    How sweet...he looks really alert and healthy (e.g., eyes are clear, coat looks good).

    Some products say they can be used on young puppies. If they don't specify a minimum age, I wouldn't chance it. This one says it can be used a young as 4 weeks:
    https://www.amazon.com/Mad-About-Org...es+for+puppies

    If you can't find something suitable available to you, ask your vet for a recommendation.

  3. #13
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew35 View Post
    A few nights ago walking home I found this cute little puppy that had been thrown out on the curb in a box (rather common here in Ecuador). The wife insisted we take him home temporarily until we can find a new home for him. We checked with a few local animal foundations and they at maximum capacity, not accepting taking in any new animals. We are thinking about it and are looking for some info advice as to best care for him and have a few questions. While I have had dogs before, including a lab mix, this is my first time taking care of a puppy. He is able to eat dry food that has been softened up with water.

    I have a couple of questions in order to best care for him.

    1. Is he a pure lab, or lab mix and approximately how old? We were told by the vet at the foundation (Protección Animal Ecuador) that he was approximately 4 weeks, that was as of early this week.

    2. When (and what) vaccinations should he be given?

    3. How many times should we feed him and what is the best way to potty train him? He seems to be doing reasonably well going to the bathroom on newspapers although accidents still happen.

    4. Likewise, any other tips or suggestions would be appreciated
    Hi there, what a darling sweet baby puppy. Bless you and your wife for taking him in.

    He looks to be a mixed breed puppy just looking at him, but puppies change a lot between 3-4 weeks and 8 weeks when they usually start to go to their permanent homes. He does have some Labrador-type breed in in him though because of his sweet Labrador puppy looking face, although purebred Labradors won't have that much white on their chest and all four feet unless they are mixed with something else. As he grows and matures, you may be able to recognize other breed(s) characteristics. He looks in these pictures, to me, about 5 to 6 weeks old.

    If he is eating a good quality dry food softened with water, that should be fine for now, just make sure the kibble is appropriate for growing puppies, either a puppy formula, or Sport type formula adult food with a good calcium/phosphorus ratio. I personally do not feel many types of Grain Free foods or Large Breed formulas, are good for growing puppies, unless they are designed for growing puppies. At this age he should be eating 3-4 times a day, pretty much as much as he can consume in 10-15 minutes, then take it away. You can slowly stop soaking it and just put some water over it and serve immediately, as he grows.

    As far as house breaking him, you are doing ok by paper training him, but if you can put the paper (or compressed paper pellets, I use Yesterday's News cat compressed paper litter for my litters of puppies) in a pan, and confine him to a space, (can you get an exercise pen, or baby gates?) you can teach him to potty in a box, and eat, sleep and play in a clean area, this will help later with transitioning to going outside to potty, and not in the house. Most puppies will choose not to eliminate where they eat and sleep, so work with that instinct. Later on you can introduce a crate, but he isn't ready now, he needs to potty on an unreliable schedule and will fail in crate training until 8 weeks or so. But work towards crate training him eventually, for your sanity and his safety.

    Here in the USA, most breeders use UC Davis, Jean Dodds, or the American Animal Hospital Association Vaccination schedule or a variation of it. I vaccinate my puppies as close to 8 weeks as possible and again at 12 weeks, then 16 weeks, and one more booster at 6 months of age, (I like 4 weeks between vaccinations) and Rabies vaccination between 16 weeks (NOT AT THE SAME TIME as any other vaccination, Rabies has the highest risk of vaccine reaction, so give it alone) and 6 or 7 months old. Here is the AAHA recommendations for vaccination: https://www.aaha.org/public_document...tice_table.pdf
    For this baby, I would start at 7 weeks, just in case he never got maternal antibodies. Also, keep him in your yard, and don't allow him to walk around areas where unknown dogs have been, he is very susceptible to Parvo, and Distemper right now. You can absolutely get him out and take him for car rides, and to other relatively safe outdoor places, as long as he doesn't touch the ground, and meet dogs with an unknown history of vaccination and health. You also do not want him to meet dogs that could be mean to him or permanently scare him. You want all good, positive experiences for him from people and other dogs. You do want to get him socialized, with your normal activities, coffee houses, our door cafes, training lessons etc....

    He needs lots of chew toys, at this age he can have stuffed toys with supervision, as he gets older those sharp puppy teeth will start to fall out (around 12 -14 weeks) and be replaced by his adult teeth and will Need to CHEW, I don't know if you can get Zogoflex toys in Ecuador, but my dogs and puppies love the Bumi, the Hurley and the Wox, and I love them because they save my house from being chewed. You can start leash training now, even if just around the house and yard, puppies are little sponges and learn readily with just a few minutes a couple times a day. Work on sit and sit/stay for his meals, not long, just a few seconds, but he needs to learn to respect that he gets to eat when you say he can, and some house manners. I always send my puppy families home with the advice "if you don't want them to do (whatever you can think of, jumping on you, pulling on the leash, getting on the couch etc...) at 85 lbs, don't allow them to do it now".

    Let me know if you need any help. Give the little guy kisses for me, have you named him yet?

    Oh! I forgot about the flea thing, do you have Dawn dish soap there? Bathe him in nice warm water, with the original Dawn soap, let it sit for a bit, then rinse him really really well, and dry him completely so he doesn't get chilled.

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  5. #14
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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  6. #15
    Senior Dog Charlotte K.'s Avatar
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    I believe that Anne (Windycanyon) gets her pups vaccinated for Parvo young, maybe 6 weeks. If your vet has a vaccine that only has parvovirus (and maybe distemper) in it, that would be a good start. Thank you for rescuing him!

 



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