Doggy Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘puppy health’

Once you have determined that your dog is pregnant you have approximately 62 days from the date of conception before the puppies arrive. This is just a generalization, some females will whelp earlier and some may whelp later. What you will need to look for is a change in behavior or nesting behavior, along with a frop in body temperature. Start taking her temperature two to three times a day at the same time each day when she is calm and relaxed at about day 58 to day 60. A regular (normal) temperature is between 100 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit. When her temperature drops to 98 to 99 degrees the puppies will typically be born within 24 hours.

After an initial drop in body temperature, it is important to give your vet a call to check in. You need to let him or her know that whelping will happen with a day so that he or she is prepared should you need to bring the dog in. You’ll want to make sure you have transportation available and someone that can either drive or help move the dog. A good idea is to line the backseat or the crate with heavy towels and remove any or all dog dresses she might be wearing, as this can be a very messy time to move the dog. You’ll want to

Prepare a whelping box that has sides high enough to keep the puppies in but low enough to allow the mother dog to get out. An indoor doggie gate may be used to keep puppies from wandering. Use some kind of disposable absorbant material, such as papaer towels, during the whelping process. Don’t use anything that may irritate the female or the puppies and avoid using anything with chemical treatment such as fabric softener or deodorizers.

Although most females will know what to do you should also have thread, sharp scissors, iodine or antibacterial solution, surgical gloves and several towels on hand. If the mother does not lick the puppies the towels can be used to dry them and clear the mucus and materials from their nose after whelping. The thread and iodine is used to tie off and disinfect the umbilical cord and the scissors are used to cut it if the mother does bite through the cord.

Keeping puppies clean is one hard task, and if you have ever tried it, you’ll know what I mean. Please persevere Normal 0   with puppy bathing though, if only for the sake of your dog health care routine. The way you bathe your puppy matters because you are teaching them, here and now, exactly what bath time will be like for the rest of his days. Cleaning your dog can be a fun pet health process though, and if you’re planning on bathing your puppy, read on…

The first thing – before you even run the bathwater – is to collect all the supplies you will need. These include a coat-conditioning spray (for long-haired dogs) and a natural-bristle brush during times of heavy shedding. Don’t forget a towel either. Then you need to make sure you’re wearing clothes that you don’t mind about getting wet. The entire affair will work better if your puppy is hungry; so do not feed him 6 hours before the bath. If you call your puppy over and give him some treats he will be well behaved in the bath. Remember, you want this to be fun. Now it’s time for a thorough brush-and-comb. Its important to make sure the puppy’s coat gets brushed properly before the tap comes on. Get some conditioner on the fur and brush this through all the way to the ends.

Something important to remember is that the dog’s ears need cleaning at the back. Tell your puppy how good he is at having a bath and reward him with treats. Show him his toy and let him play with it a little in the tub before you turn on the water. If your puppy has sensitive eyes, use a baby shampoo on his head area. You don’t want to burn your puppy’s delicate skin, so always test the water temperature before filling the bath tub. Then the fun part! Gently spray mild warm water onto its fur. Apply some shampoo to your dog’s coat by massaging in circles for short coats, or massaging in long strokes with the growth of hair in long coats, to prevent tangling. Providing you have a gentle brush, this can be used to massage the shampoo in all over the puppy’s coat. When you are sure you’ve rinsed out all the soap, do it again. You’ll always find that there’s more soap to get out! Lastly, condition the fur and rinse – then your dog is ready to be wrapped up in a towel and dried off.

The vast amount of all new puppy owners ask the question “How big will my puppy get?” To determine puppy growth rate, a person has to consider a lot of variables to ever be able to get an accurate answer for any individual breed of dog.And even then, you will still only be able to get an average “puppy growth rate” range…or that ballpark figure.

But how does a person try to estimate just how big their puppy is going to get?What you have to understand is that puppies at different ages grow at different rates.The very same way that dogs of different breeds are going to grow at different rates.This makes it very difficult to pin point exactly to the pound, how big that puppy of yours is going to be at one year.And, if it will continue to grow larger the following year.

Determine Puppy Growth Rate

Generally speaking, here is one way to determine puppy growth rate.An average adult dog will weigh around twice as much as it did when it reached 4 months of age.  And the rule of thumb for the giant breeds, your dog will double what they weigh at 5 months. 

So, before you purchase a puppy, you really need to do your research on the different dog breeds.  You need to know if your new canine is going to reach 9 pounds or 109 pounds.You have to educate yourself with the puppy growth rate of the different dog breeds. 

Different Breeds Grow At Different Rates

An average small breed dog, like a toy poodle will reach full weight by year one, at 8 pounds.A bulldog will reach 20# at one year, and 35 by their second year.A larger breed dog, like a german shepherd will reach 70 pounds by year one, and 75 pounds by year two.And the largest breeds, like the great dane is going to reach 110 pounds by year one, and 130 pounds by year two.

But also understand that 2 male puppies from the same liter can also vary in size, the same way your 2 brothers can be very different in size.  (I’m three inches taller, and fifty pounds lighter than either of my brothers)

What About Genetics

This then tells me, that genetics can also play a big part in puppy growth rate.I have a thin, long legged toy poodle that was not suppose to get any larger than her 6 pound mother.Instead, she had the genes of her moms sister, and she topped out at eleven pounds.Just realize that puppy growth rate is an average estimate of what your dog will grow up to be.(And I wouldn’t trade in my eleven pound poodle for any six pound poodle in the world.)

Find out everything you need to know about your puppy’s health.