Hi I just recently became a mommy to a blue nosed pit bull. The person we got her from lied to us about her age. I came to find out she is only 4 weeks old. She was already weaned off of her mom’s milk for the most part when he got her. The “breeder” was feeding her an entire can of wet pedigree dog did with kibble mixed in. I knew right away that was horribly wrong. I went to pet smart and bought the ready made formula to start her back on. I went home and immediately tried to get her to drink it. She refused to drink any formula. She was starting to act lethargic and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the car ride home or her lack of eating so I added a small spoonful of wet puppy food and mixed it in with the formula. She immediately began to devour it. When I brought her home that same day her poop was normal and formed. The next night she began to have dark diarrhea. It was squirting out of her poor little butt. She’s been doing that for 2 days now. I called JV yesterday(Saturday) and spoke to a receptionist. She recommend continuing the formula and adding puppy kibble in and letting it soften for her to eat. I went out yesterday and bought Purina pro plan puppy food. She began that around 4 pm yesterday. She wasn’t drinking water up until yesterday but she is now. So de starting the kibble and formula mix her diarrhea is not so runny anymore but in 2 bathroom breaks back to back I did notice some blood spotting in her poop. It’s not a lot, it’s literally a few spots mixed in. Is that something I need to be concerned with? Do I need to bring her in to the walk in clinic today or should I wait longer to see if her poop begins to become normal again? She is sleeping a lot but I was told that she will do that for her age? When she isn’t sleeping she will run around and play, wag her little tail, she has 2 stuffed animals that she will playfully bite and drag around.
My question after giving you this info is should I bring her in to the vet? I know she can’t have any shots yet but I’m worried she is sick and don’t want her to die on me. 😢
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Dr Magnifico, My mother in law has been feeding about 6-8 feral cats for about 10 years. Some of them we’ve brought to JVC clinic for vetting and snipping. She now has terminal cancer and dementia. She has for the last year been letting 2 of them into her house. They use the litter box and sleep in her house although she’s never touched them. She is about to be admitted to Gilcrest for end of life care and these cats will no longer be able to come inside. We will still go feed them but eventually the house will be sold. We are wondering if you have any suggestions on what to do with these cats. They are all very healthy, just not young anymore and need to find homes.
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
Im sorry to hear about your mom. I think the best thing to do is to call Jenn, my office manager tomorrow and explain all of these. We have some resources available that might be able to help. I also think that you should start posting on Facebook and Nextdoor.com. Reach out to everyone you know.Elizabeth Adkins Post author Thanks I’ll contact Jenn tomorrow!
We recently got a 5 month old Great Dane. She was in several homes before we got her. She wants nothing to do with us and after 4 days of working with her she refuses to go outside and growls when I come near her, but she continues to lay down. She will not take treats from me either. I want to try to make this work but don’t know how to gain her trust. I’ve tried setting and talking to her.. ignoring her… positive reinforcement.. petting her when she comes up to me but all she wants to do tonight is lay there and growl at me. I would love some help and don’t think I can wait to get a trainer to come.
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Krista Magnifico Hello,
Thank you for giving this girl a chance. I guess I’m a little confused abo to how you manage the bathroom and what, if anything, she has had that has worked. I would start by calling everyone and anyone you can think of. Including the breeder. And start asking for resources to help. I also think this is a long and slow road in some cases so you really have to be prepared for that. And understand that each failure sets her back immensely. So I hope that you can find help. She is afraid. The only way to treat that is with time and patience and absolute dedication. There aren’t any tricks of fast cures here. Use everything you can to gain trust. Treats. Food. Anything. Some dogs will respond to other dogs. Some respond to men or women or no talking and just reassuring rewards. But it all takes time. I don’t know how you started out but I’m worried that it left you little negotiating room. We always start with an assessment. A leash walk. Understanding them. And train from there. It sounds like you need help. So please start calling. But please be vet upfront about only using positive reinforcement. It sounds like all of her previous experience might have been brute force and domination training which is part of the reason she already has trust issues. Also call a Great Dane rescue and see if they can help. I hope the others answer too.Catherine Post author Thanks, I tried a rescue, they weren’t much help. All they said was to get a trainer and they didn’t know any in the area. She was letting my husband carry her outside and once out she would walk with him, if I try to join them she doesn’t want anything to do with me. He’s away for work tonight and she won’t do anything for me despite taking my time and talking to her, trying to give her treats and feeding her. She went to bite when I was going to put the leash on. I try to let her have her space except for going out that’s the only thing I “force “ her to do. And when I take her out we go at her pace and as soon as she’s ready I let her go back in. (She let me take her out this morning)
scgreco413 Good morning-
Thank you so much for helping her. This is going to take a lot of time and patience. I would talk to my vet and find a reputable dog behaviorist that will come to your home. It will be time and money well spent. They will be able to see everything both you guys and your dog are doing and be able to assess the entire situation. This will make it possible for them to give you specific guidelines on how to help you and your dog. Until you can get a behaviorist out there- again I cannot stress that enough- I would start with walks. Walks help enforce a good bond and trust. This dog obviously has trust issues, and until she trusts you, you’re at a bit of a stand still with any other behavior changes. If your husband is the one she seems to trust more, he might have to take the reigns on this to start out and slowly you will have to incorporate yourself. On the flip side, if he is away, you’ve no choice but to try to find a way to bond with this girl on your own- which is quite possible. It will just take time to figure out what will help her let you in. Just know that time is key. Having said all of this, please know that it is a long road but definitely possible. Our household is living proof of that and what was once our most difficult rescue has turned into the best dog we have ever had😊
Hello,
I hope the receptionist told you to consider the ER. I cannot tell you if she is stable, or healthy enough to wait to come in at 1. I do always have to caution people with illness , any kind of change in behavior or fecal output and the tiny babies like you have are even more fragile. I think that if you are worried you are safest going to the ER.. I also know that in some cases I have to refer the patients I see on Sunday to the ER as we cannot provide the in patient care that we need to provide them,
Please keep me posted. I really hope that everything is ok. I would also hope that you call the appropriate authorities to report the breeder. Most people are not as kind and able as you are to care for a neonate.
krista