So dexters finally home! We pick him up yesterday morning and had a better than expected day, he loved the car and was watching the world go by out of the window the whole way home. As soon as we got home we got a wee in the designated wee area, some lunch and an introduction to the crate...to be honest he mostly slept all day-not in his bed tho he preferred the wooden floor next to it! Overnight wasn't too bad -in the crate at 11 he didn't cry but we went down at 3am for a wee and he was awake and alert did his business but when we out him back he was moaning like a seagull only lasted 30 minutes though and back to bed until 5.45 so I'm counting us as lucky! So here goes the questions, sounds stupid but I do not understand the puppy food instructions we are feeding him pedigree puppy food and the weight guide goes by estimated adult weight (we think) so we are feed him 305g minus the treats split into four meals but he never finishes the whole bowl does this sound too much for an 8 week old puppy!? Then this morning he went outside for a poo (soft) trod right through it (any tips on how to stop that!!) came inside whined even tho I was right there with him and did a diaharrea poo on the floor -is this because of the food situation? We are not really sure what to do? Thanks for your help Daniella
What adult weight are you using as a basis? I've always gone for the 25kg adult weight. If he's not finishing all the food he's probably getting too much so just reduce it a bit. I would just use his kibble for treats rather than add anything extra at the moment as treats can upset a puppy's stomach when little. Can't help with walking through his poo but if he keeps having diarrhea speak to the vet to make sure he's ok but upset tums are not uncommon in pups just settling in to their new homes Oh and make sure that he always has fresh water during the day. I used bottled water for Juno as different water tends to upset my stomach and when we go away she has bottled water even now
Welcome home Dexter! ☺ Are you feeding the same food as he was having at the breeders? If so, maybe check with them to see how much he was getting and how often. When we brought Ella home the breeder gave us a bag of kibble and 4 meals worth of mince/veggies with instructions on how much to give and when. I think this helped as we were able to keep it consistent. Good luck ☺
Hi and welcome! Having an upset tummy is quite normal at first, but make sure he is drinking enough. If he isn't eating all his food you may be feeding him too much. Does he seem cheerful in himself? A sleepy puppy with diarhoea, off his food -personally I would take him to the vet for a check up. I would slowly wean him off pedigree and swap to the best-quality kibble you can get. But leave that for a day or two. I'm sure he was wormed at his breeder's, but he will need worming again in a few weeks. The worming may also have upset his tummy. Don't worry too much, puppies often get a bit mixed up to begin with. But I would check with the vet for peace of mind.
Thanks both! We were using 30kg as a guidance and removing some of the kibble into a seperate pot to use as treats. I think I will reduce a bit as he didn't eat his breakfast again this morning- and that was an even smaller portion as we removed more for treats as we were hoping to charge the clicker today! No more diarrhoea yet this morning I hope it is just settling in, he's like a different pup this morning he wants to explore everything including the rabbit poo! Iv noticed sometimes after meal and water he gets hiccups for quite a while, is this because he is gobbling it up so fast he is taking in too my air with it causing hiccups or could it be related to the runny poo?
I agree with Karen; a vet check will put your mind at rest and start building up their relationship, too, without the need for any nasty needles. It is normal for a bit of an upset tum from all the stress of moving. Did the breeder tell you how much they were feeding him? In either event, the manufacturers' guidelines on foods tend to be very much on the high side and so if you're following them, you could simply be overfeeding, which would explain why his poos are runny, and also why he's not finishing his food - although my two would eat anything and everything put in front of them, however much it was!
Hi Karen and Fiona, He does seem cheerful in himself he is very playful when he's awake but then he seems worn out and needs a nap, he drinks loads and I would say eats about 3/4 of his bowl yesterday was 70g and today was 50g to account for treats, he is happy enough to eat the treats he just seems to get bored of his meals. I will ring the vets this morning though to explain the situation, hopefully he is just settling in Daniella
Thanks we are besotted with him! When he falls asleep on the floor should we be picking him up and putting him in his crate to sleep? He is sort of happy walking in and out of it although he only really puts his two front paws in to reach the kibble scattered at the back and then comes back out, he is also getting used to being put in the crate and left alone in the room for a few seconds throughout the day but rarely walks in all by himself
Lovely photos- congratulations. Apart from the food issue it seems to be going well so far! Too much food will give you squidgy poos. 300 grams sounds a lot and I am not sure that Pedigree is the way to go. You want a good quality kibble specially for pups. I started off on eukenuba puppy & junior but I am not convinced that was the best.
Thanks jane, that was the kibble the breeder was feeding them, maybe we should begin to change them. We did some clicker training this morning and then went to get fitted for a car harness but when we got home he was so sleepy he wasn't bothered about his 11am feed and just went to sleep I hope this is normal too!
Yes, lots of sleep when he likes. It's up to you if you want him always to sleep in his crate; I just let Chepi sleep where she liked in the day but I don't have children here to bother her (in the nicest way!). Just keep up with toilet training!!!
Ah brilliant I think it's lovely to have him chilling out in the room with us, although he prefers the hard wooden floor to the bed and blankets still! As long as he still happy to sleep in crate over night we will let he sprawl across the living room through the day! Thanks for the advice it's defiantly settling my nerves I didn't realise how anxious I would be about him haha
He is gorgeous! Welcome Dexter He has a nice selection of cookbooks to explore I see ( ) So many puppies get loose poos at first, just from everything changing, but over-feeding can cause it too. Feeding instructions aren't always clear, and the makers tend to overestimate food needed (in general) Its like having a baby, its so intense over the first few days, so much to do and remember. Sleepless nights......exhausting! Sounds like you are going good so far x
What a cute little thing! Myles was (and still is to some degree) a hard floor sleeper. I think it can be common for a lot of pups. Myles eventually started taking naps on carpeted/rugged areas but still at least 50% of the time chooses hard floor. So when he was in a crate I removed all bedding. He preferred it that way. Now I have one of those cot beds, which he loves. But still will sleep on hard floor as well. So anyway, nothing weird about a lab puppy that sleeps on hard floor Enjoy him, puppy days can be such a blur!
Also as a pup, Myles started to leave his food bowl without finishing it and I cut back the amount slightly and started mixing in just a tad of the canned version of his dry food. He loved eating again
