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Ask the Veterinarian/a 4 week old pit puppy acting strange. Urgent.

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Expert: - 12/14/2009


Question
QUESTION: My neighbor has a four week old puppy,yesterday, as well as earlier today he seemed to be doing fantasic, but suddenly all he wants to do it lay there, and barely pick his head up. it's weird for him to be acting so strangley. We were wondering if he isn't getting enough from his mom, can we possibly feed him some warmed up milk? Or what could we do to help him. Thanks.

ANSWER: Warmed up milk will do nothing good for him. He must have gotten cold, or is sick from worms or even parvo.

Without knowing more about the bitch or the rest of the litter I can't tell you more. You can always get PUPPY milk replacement at the feed and pet stores and use that. We prefer Nurturall but Esbilac will work also. Follow the directions on the can/box.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you. He passed on a few hours ago, they are worried about the other though. They now have puppy formula. The other four seem to be fine. If one had worms, which he had, do they all have them? Can they be treated before six weeks? And also is it posible for a mother dog's milk to go bad?

Answer
Yes they all have them and no, most of the time you cannot treat them before 6 weeks. If the bitch isn't nursing at all you might want to ask the vet if there is a safe pill or liquid to give them for roundworms.

A bitch's milk doesn't go bad per se, but if she is sick or unthrifty herself from having worms or heartworms, etc, she might not produce enough milk. The milk can be tainted from diseases and medications also.

It's pretty rare for that but it does happen. Just remember no cows milk for any of the pups. You might want to find out what the bitch is eating too. If she isn't on a high quality Puppy food then she might not have enough milk.

Lactating bitches need to be on free-fed puppy food while pregnant and lactating. This is very important.

I hope the rest of the litter does well.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

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I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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