PUPPY CARE

The top three important things to remember is food, water and sleep!

1. Due to their small size, teacups must replenish their energy more frequently than larger size puppies. The only way to do this, is by supplying plenty of nourishment in the form of food. You must remember that puppies only eat very small amounts of food at a time but they exert large amounts of energy. Also, do not change the puppies food for the first 2 weeks until the puppy has adjusted to it’s new home. Then, if you are going to make a change, do it gradually by slowly adding more of the new food to the old food each day until they are totally switched over to the new food.

2. Keep your puppy in a confined area. You can do this by purchasing a crate, baby or puppy play pen. Dogs are den animals and feel safe in a small spaces. We recommend no bigger than 3’x4′ since the puppy is so small. Make sure there’s enough space for food , water and their puppy bed.

Never leave your puppy unsupervised for the first 6 months. If you do, leave your puppy in a confined area.

3. During the first few weeks, do not let your puppy out to play for longer than a one hour period at a time. Play with them for a short time, then give them a small dose of Nutri-Cal® then place them back in their playpen so they can eat and rest. Remember that they are very tiny dogs and tire very easily. Please be careful not to over-tire your puppy especially in the first few weeks.  It may play so much that it is too tired to eat. It is up to you as the owner to be responsible and see that your puppy gets enough rest.  Puppies need a lot of sleep. Smaller puppies need as much as 20 out of 24 hours rest. Be especially aware of the amount of time children play with the puppy. These are babies and must be treated as such.

4. Make sure that the puppy is having regular bowel movements. They should be nice and solid.

5. Cleaning your puppy during the first month you should avoid submersing the puppy in a full bath. Instead, you can use a warm towel and wipe to clean. This is especially important around the anal area. It is important to make sure nothing is preventing him/her to go to the bathroom. If necessary, you can clean the anal area under the sink in warm water and puppy shampoo. Make sure the puppy is completely dried afterwards.

6. Keep all toys and bed clean.  Use the washing machine on a hot setting every few days.

7. Please be aware that puppies this small can get hypoglycemia if you’re not careful.

The best way to prevent this is to have a tube of Nutri-Cal® around. It is an extremely good source of food and vitamins. It is also one of the best preventatives and/or cures for keeping your puppy from going into hypoglycemia. It is important for at least the first week or so, to remember to give your puppy a little bit (1 inch strip) of Nutri-Cal®  in the morning and in the evening.
 
Also, if they have been out playing for a while, or have had a lot of people carrying them around or have been away from a food source for a prolonged period of time, give them a tiny bit before retiring them to their playpen.

8. The first few weeks for the puppy can be a little traumatic. Remember that the puppy has been taken away from his/her parents and brother and sisters. Try to make the first couple weeks as calm as possible for the puppy.

It’s important for the family to bond with the puppy during the first couple weeks. Try to resist to take it out to the workplace and houses of friends and relatives until he/she has had all their vaccinations and is a little older.

If you have children, try to keep the handling of the puppy to a minimum. The puppies are very fragile and sometimes children don’t know their own strength. This will protect the puppy from the possibility of drops and squeezing too hard.

 

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