FOOD

Purina One Puppy Formula Lamb and Rice dry food - keep available 24 hours a day. Rice is easily digested. Corn is not digestible.

Twice a day: (For puppies under 3 months old) Soak Purina One dry food in warm water until softened and stir in a teaspoon to a tablespoon of Mighty Dog canned food or Pedigree Puppy canned food.

WATER

Add one half teaspoon of Light Karo Corn Syrup to two to three cups of fresh water daily to help maintain blood sugar levels in small puppies for the first couple of weeks after you get your puppy and for adults prone to low blood sugar attacks. The stress of changing homes can cause a young puppy to have a sugar drop until it gets used to its new home.

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SHAMPOO

Premier System Shampoo and Premier System Conditioner from Drs. Foster & Smith are excellent products. I also use a lot of Bio Groom products. It is best to use a good quality shampoo formulated for dogs. Human shampoo does not have the same ph as dog shampoo. After bathing, blow dry while brushing with a small pin brush or wire slicker brush. Brush body hair towards head. After drying part hair from middle of head straight down back to tail and comb down on each side. Brush leg hair up then lightly brush or comb back down the leg. I use a light misting of mink oil or emu oil as a finish on the body hair and brush it in lightly. I use a small manicure brush to brush legs. I use a toothbrush to brush facial hair. Hair bows can be purchased from Jeffers Pets online. Use "latex" bands (not rubber bands) for topknots. These are also sold by Jeffers Pets. A flea comb is perfect for combing out eye matter in the hair at the corners of the eyes.

HAIR

Keep hair clipped from top one third of the ear tips. Excessive hair on ear tips may cause ear leather to flop over and will eventually break ear cartilage so that ears may be permanently flopped. Also, trimming ear hair will make the ears look smaller. Pet Edge online has a wonderful little battery operated trimmer that is not expensive. Also trim hair around rear end to help prevent soiling. Check puppies often for poop balls dried on anus area. Keep this area cleaned as dried poop on anus will block passage of bowel movements. This condition uncorrected can kill a puppy in a few days.

LOW BLOOD SUGAR

Read the article on Hypoglycemia and be alert for symptoms of low blood sugar. I suggest printing out a copy and keeping it handy for quick reference. Treat symptoms immediately with Karo Syrup and/or Nutrical mixed in water by dripping sugar water mixture into side of mouth and rubbing throat gently to make puppy swallow if it is unable to swallow on its own. Seek professional help immediately. You have no time to waste.

SHOTS

I start puppies on Six In One Puppy shots at seven weeks of age and continue with a shot every three weeks until puppy has had three shots. If your puppy is extremely small in size, shots are given in half doses. Thereafter a yearly booster shot is required. DO NOT vaccinate for Leptospirosis. Many Yorkies have very bad reactions to the Lepto serum and frequently die from it. Do not vaccinate for rabies until approximately five months of age. Small puppies do not react well to rabies vaccine.

COCCIDIA

It is not unusual for the stress of weaning or of changing homes to cause an outbreak of Coccidia which is a one celled protozoan parasite that eats holes in the intestinal wall. If your puppy develops diarrhea or loose stools with an unusually bad smell, ask your vet to treat it for Coccidia with either Albon or Sulfatrim Pediatric Suspension at the rate of 1 cc twice a day for ten to fourteen days. The majority of the time Coccidia does not always show up in a stool check at the vet's office. Many times it does not show up until it has progressed to a life threatening stage . Do NOT accept a negative stool check by your vet as a reason for not treating for Coccidia. If not treated, Coccidia will kill your puppy within a few days.

EXTERNAL PARASITES

I use Revolution (Rx from vet) drops once a month between the shoulder blades for parasites with excellent results. Revolution kills fleas, flea eggs, ticks, ear mites, cheyletiella, sarcoptic mites, and heartworm microfilaria. Bathing as soon as the day after treatment does not diminish effectiveness of application.

TREATS

I do not recommend rawhide chews. After chewing on them a while, the rawhide softens and a piece can be bitten off and swallowed. This can cause a blockage in the intestines and kill your dog. My dogs all love Pup Peroni Beef Jerky sticks and will do anything to get them. These make an excellent reward and incentive for training your puppy.

PUPPY TRAINING PADS

I have the best results with the Puppy Training Pads made by Simple Solution and sold by Jeffers Pets. They are scented to attract the dogs. Do not change the pad every time the puppy uses the bathroom on it. The puppy needs to be able to find its own scent on the pad to attract him back every time. You may have to start out by putting the pad in the location the puppy chooses, and then day by day, very gradually move the pad to the location you prefer. Be sure to praise and reward your puppy every time it uses the pad.

TEETH

It is very common for Yorkies to retain their puppy teeth and to even reach adulthood with two complete sets of teeth. When baby teeth start to loosen, give your puppy frozen Gummy Bear candy to chew on. Many times the loose teeth will stick in the Gummy Bears and be pulled out. Nubby nylon chew toys can also help baby teeth come out. If baby teeth fail to come out, you may have to have your vet pull them. Keep adult teeth clean by popping off tartar build-ups with a dental tool, or have your vet clean the teeth. Yorkies as a breed have a tendency for dental problems, so it is important to take care of the teeth. There is a new type of dental chews out under the brand name CET. They are excellent for cleaning teeth, and I highly recommend them.

NO COLLARS FOR YORKIES

The trachea in a Yorkie is very delicate and can collapse easily under pressure or stress. You should never use a collar and leash on a Yorkie. Instead, use a harness with a leash to avoid any undue pressure on the trachea. Trachea problems are inherent with the breed, so great care must be taken.

PUPPY-PROOF YOUR HOME

You should consider that a puppy has an absolute right to chew whatever it can get its mouth on. You must put the puppy where either it cannot do any damage, or you do not care about the possible damage. Puppies can eat kitchen cabinets, destroy furniture, chew on carpet, and damage a wide variety of other things. Besides the destruction, the puppy may well injure itself seriously. A good solution to this is a crate for training. A crate should hold the puppy comfortably, with enough room to stand and curl up and sleep, but not too much that it can eliminate in one corner. Other solutions include fencing off part of the house, like the kitchen. Be sure the area is puppy-proofed.

Puppies are too immature to handle temptations. Consider the analogy with a baby, where you keep it in a crib, stroller, or playpen if you are not holding it. It is essential to puppy-proof your home. You should think of it in the same way as child-proofing your house but be more thorough about it. Puppies are smaller and more active than babies and have sharp teeth and claws. Things of especial concern are electric wires. If you can get through the puppy stages without having your pup get a shock from chewing a wire you are doing a great job! When puppy proofing your home, get down on your hands and knees (or lower if possible) and consider things from this angle. What looks enticing, what is breakable, what is sharp, etc. The most important things are watching the puppy and, of course, crating it or otherwise restraining it when you can't watch it.

Another step in puppy proofing is house-proofing the puppy. Teach it what is and isn't chewable. The single most effective way to do this is by having a ready supply of chewable items on hand. When the puppy starts to chew on an unacceptable item (be it a chair, rug, or human hand), remove the item from the puppy's mouth with a stern, "NO!" and replace it with a chew toy and praise the puppy for playing with the toy. If you are consistent about this, the puppy will get the idea that only the things you give it are to be chewed on! Don't stint on the praise, and keep the "No!" to a single calm, sharp noise -- don't yell or scream the word, and NEVER NEVER hit a puppy.

There are some products that can help make items unpalatable and thus aid in your training. Bitter Apple and Bitter Orange (available at most pet stores) impart a bitter taste to many things without staining, etc. Tabasco Sauce works best for me. They don’t like the smell of it and back away without tasting it. You should not depend on these products to keep your puppy safe, but use them as a training aid.

CHECK LIST

Breakables up out of reach.

All wiring and electrical cords out of reach.

Anything small enough to be swallowed (coins, shoelaces, bits of paper, nuts, bolts, paper clips, etc.) removed from floor.

Block access to behind furniture wherever possible.

No access to household chemicals or cleaning products.

Good luck with your new puppy. Give your new baby plenty of love and attention, and it will be returned tenfold. If you ever have any questions or problems, I will be glad to help you in any way that I can.

Jeannie Donofrio - Phone: 970-945-0970