Guest Anonymous Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 We just purchased an unregistered English Bulldog and have a question. Louise (her name) had the misfortune of her mother dying during birth. She and her brother were the only two out of a 6 pack that lived. She will be five weeks old tommorow and is currently on a diet of formula/mashed up puppy food. I know this is a few weeks before a typical breeder will let the puppies go, but the breeder was releasing both she and her brother immediately. We currently have a year old pug (Clyde) who we picked up at 6-7 weeks. Louise seems like she is doing fine. We took her to the vet today and she went ahead and got her 6 week shots. The vet said they usually wait until 6-8 weeks because the mother's milk has something in it that counteracts the shots. Since she has been on formula the whole time, he wanted to go ahead and do the shots. She weighed in at 2lbs and the stool sample turned up negative. The vet said she looked healthy. We understand that having a puppy this young is going to be a bit of extra work for the next few months. Was it a terrible idea picking her up this early? Any pointers to make sure she turns out healthy? Is 2lbs a normal weight for an English Bulldog of 4.8 weeks? She isn't very confident in her walking yet and I don't know if this is common. The vet thought it was. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 I dont have much advice but good luck. I still dont udnerstand why the breeder let them go so fast? a responsible breeder would have kept them anyways until they were at least 8 weeks old.. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Thanks for the reply. There were a few circumstances in her letting this one go. She was having to hand nurse them and that combined with a few unforeseen family cirmustances was pushing her hard. They had a death in the family and were going to have to make a 10 hour drive out of town tommorrow and would be gone until Sunday. She actually screened me on our call to determine our fitness to take care of the pup. She knew she was a bit young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Good luck with it! please keep us updated!! ps... we love photos!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendalyn Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 That's a tough situation since the mother died. :cry: You'll want to be careful with a pup that young around your other dog. Your pup's immune system is very weak right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lokipups Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 You're going to have your work cut out for you for sure, remember, sleep is overrated :wink: . The downside to taking a pup this young, is that the pup never gets the chance to learn "dog manners", bite inhibition, pack hierarchy, etc. An ideal solution to that problem is if you could find someone with an older, well socialized female, you'd be amazed at how a tiny pup can bring out the mother instincts in a bitch. Even if the pup was around the dog a few times a week, it'll help. Be sure to mimic as much of the behavior of a mother dog, correcting the pup when it bites too hard by growling and snapping like a dog (I know, I've done it and felt ridiculous doing it :-? , but it does work), cleaning it's orifices with a warm damp washcloth regularly throughout the day, and picking it up carefully by the scruff to move it. Mother's milk has colustrum in it, which is loaded with natural antibodies to fight off diseases, this poor baby didn't get that advantage, so early shots were a must. There is an upside to having the pup this young, she'll be handled by humans much more than a normal pup, and that will in turn make her very bonded to you, and very human socialized, a pretty good thing :) ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Bitch Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Brj, there is some similar information in this thread: [url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=11797[/url]. I have some other tips on file if you would like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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