We have had our new male Labrador puppy a week today, he is now 9 weeks old. We got him from a reputable breeder and watched him grow on a puppy cam at their home. Since getting him home he has never had a solid bowel movement and as of yesterday we had to take him to the vet as he was obviously sick. The vet has given him medication for his watery diarrhea and some probiotics. He is still having watery stools today and having to go out every 30 minutes, day and night. We are watching him closely for dehydration etc and are in contact with our vet. We as a family are now seriously sleep deprived, and the puppy has demanded a lot of attention due to being sick. It has thrown a curve ball into our training ideas, and now he already seems dependent on us more than he should be. We have a crate and a fenced in area in the house for him to be safe in, but he screams now if left for even a few minutes. We know he is unwell, but how do we cope with this without going mad. Having so little sleep is also taking its toll on us. He seems to be needing attention every minute of the day now. How do we get over this hurdle and get him back on track to be alone for short periods without going insane with the screaming and yowling? I am so thankful for this website and now this forum. Hope someone with more experience can help us out. He is a dear little chap and deserves the best, but this was not what we expected when we brought puppy home.
So sorry. Not the start you want with a new puppy. Hopefully the vet will get you back on top health wise and you can get back to training. I can’t see any harm in giving lots of cuddles in the meantime.I used to snooze on the sofa with Toby in the daytime if we had had a restless night. That doesn’t mean I can’t leave him alone now. Could you put the crate in your bedroom at night to hopefully give you more sleep?
Yes it is so unfortunate to have started off like this, but we have to do what we can to get him on track. We are giving him lots of attention and he does sleep in his crate with one of us, but he must be so uncomfortable, that he is having trouble settling down. It is good to hear that Toby can still be left alone even though he had all that attention, hopefully it will be the same for our little man. The vet will be running further tests because so far there has been no improvement, so he said it is important to get to the root of the problem, and then hopefully get him well. I appreciate your words, it is a worry when they are poorly.
