Your To-Do List!                                               
 (You may want to print this page out for future reference.) 

 When you are finally holding your beautiful, sweet, adorable new Kingcreek puppy (lol), your vet will want to know what kind of shots he received from us.

You will be getting a health form with this info on it:   

Canine Distemper, Adenovirus type 2, Caronavirus, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus Vaccine, Modified Live virus, Canarypox Vector and Leptospira Bacterin.  

 Depending on when we gave your pup his first shots you should wait about two weeks before getting the second shots.  AND (this is verrrry important), do NOT let the vet give the second shots if your pup has any kind of loose stool.  You must get a stool sample first, find out why he has it, let him heal and then give the second shots.  Recently a client allowed the vet to vaccinate the pup with the second shots knowing he had loose stool and within three days the sweet puppy was dead.    Please take our 20 years of experienced advice and do as we suggest....it may save your pup's life....and heartache all around....:( 

 At Kingcreek Kennel we recommend any puppy kibble that is approved by the American or Canadian Veterinary Associations.  We use Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers' Soul.  Another good brand is "Wellness".  For more information see the page called DOG FOOD. Do not buy a huge bag weeks before you get your pup because it may rot.  Because a Toy breed eats so little, perhaps only one half cup a day, always buy the smallest bag of food.  If you are changing the food over from ours to yours you must do it gradually or your pup will get the runs…guaranteed!  Take our food which we will give you and add a couple of table spoons of your choice of food to it.  Every day add more of your brand until our food is gone.  This should take about 3 to 5 days.  This way no runs! The kibble will be in a bowl on the floor 24/7 because puppies are like babies and need to eat every few hours.  As he grows you can cut it back to where he eats only once (if he has a tendency to be overweight) or twice a day.  For the first two weeks or so, you should take some fresh kibble and soak it in water for about an hour.  Add some chicken broth or salmon oil to it to smell tasty, warm it up in the micro (if you want) and give this gruel to them at least twice a day.  (If you do warm it in the micro, swirl the food around with your finger to make sure there are no hot spots.) All dogs need essential oils because the body does not make it; hence the name.  So you must be sure your dog is getting enough.  I add flax seed oil, sunflower oil, cod liver oil or salmon oil to their food every other day or so.  This keeps the skin from flaking/itching.  (You should be taking this too, by the way…especially in the winter months when our skin tends to dry out.) Table scraps are wonderful according to my vet as it adds nutrients to their diet and it’s what all dogs ate for centuries before the pet food industry arrived in the 1940’s.  Beef bones are fantastic for your pup to chew on.  Left over steak or roast bones are super. (No bones from fowl of course!) They used to have to work for their food and enjoy knawing on a bone for hours. In fact, I highly recommend you buy soup bones from the grocer, boil them in water with beef broth, garlic and salt.  Cool, and give it to them for conditioning their teeth. This will also help eradicate the baby teeth which otherwise may need to be removed by the dentist (much cheaper this way!).  I also suggest products called  Kong toys and Nylabone are also great.  Greenies have been known to be undigestable in larger pieces and 10 dogs have died from the product (saw it on Market Place) getting stuck in the intestine and not being passed.  So, if you do buy the Greenie product, I suggest you buy the ones that are in itsy bitsy tinee weenee pieces. But really, the very best is the real soup bones I already mentioned. A warning here; two of my clients did not take my advice and lost both their pets due to them swallowing foreign objects such as rubber or copper pennies. By the time you figure out there is a problem, it's left the stomach and is now in the intestine where once surgery is performed, the success rate is very low.  Unfortunately, they usually die. 

 Teeth need to be brushed every time you wash your pup.  This way when the teeth really need it (in about a year or two) your pup will not fight you.  The best toothbrush is the one that fits over your finger and can be bought for just a few dollars at Walmart. If for some reason your pup’s baby teeth don’t want to come out, chewing on a bone is good but you can take a pair of small pliers or your finger and thumb, grab it, rotate it every day to loosen it and it should fall out by itself or try pulling it yourself when it seems loose enough. This is very common and not serious unless you wait too long and end up with a double row of teeth; the baby and the adult.  At that point you will have to perform surgery....$$$!   Clip the nails every time you wash.  (If you are not sure where the quick is, take a flashlight and hold the nail up to the light; shine it through and you’ll see the quick. It hurts them if it bleeds!)  This way they won’t get too long.  If they do, they make the foot and the leg bone bend in an unnatural position which causes pain.  I have seen a toy poodle whose nails never got clipped and the nails curled right around and dug into the pads.  This poor thing avoided walking, it hurt so much. The quick tends to grow too, so when we took this dog in to the vets the nails had to be trimmed several times so that the quick would go back down to it’s normal length.

 Fresh water should be out every day all day and the bowl washed thoroughly with soap and water once a day.  If I give you a bottle of our water when you get your pup, do as with the food; gradually add your own water to ours over a few days.

You will need a crate.  Avoid the wire ones but if you do have one always cover it with a blanket to give your pup the idea he is hidden; they like that.  Your pup likes feeling safe so get Walmart’s plastic ones for under $30.00.  They are even airline approved and come in different colours. I suggest you get the small or medium (depending on how big your dog will get….ask me).  You will need this when transporting your pet to the vets.  You don’t want him running freely in your vehicle….or vomiting…or pooing…lol. Buy some nice cozy blankets and a round bed for him to sleep in.  This will be his safe haven.  The best bed is the one with the hood (not wicker; they’ll chew it to pieces!) because they feel secure in it. That’s why when they are tired or need space they will retreat to their “den” and that’s their way of saying “leave me alone”.  So you should. Wash as needed. 

When you buy dog toys, such as tennis balls, soft toys or even the harder toys, always throw them out once you see they are actually taking bits and pieces off.  Otherwise you'll end up with the chunk of toy stuck in the intestine and a dangerous and expensive operation to remove the object.  The Kong toys are the best as they are so durable.  Also, rope toys last a long time.  You may need to throw it in the wash once in awhile though. (But if they are too clean and smell like softener, they may never touch it again!)

As far as parasites, I highly recommend Revolution or Advantage Plus which can only be purchased through a vet.  This is a liquid drug which goes on their skin on their back and takes care of every kind of internal and external parasite you can think of.  When you bring your pup in for it’s second shots, bring in a stool sample and ask to check for parasites…just in case....(and remember do not let the vet give second shots if your pup has any loose stool.) One dose of this product costs about $30.00 but is well worth it.  Most vets will try to sell you these topical anti-parasite treatments to administer monthly.  I saw a program on TV called "A Dog's Breakfast" which talked about the recent recall after thousands of dogs dying and their research shows we over medicate our animals which leads to previously unheard of diseases in our dogs such as arthritis and cancers.  Also, a friend who is a retired veterinary is positive that our whole society over-medicates our animals and they end up with diseases and problems that my vet never saw 30 or 40 years ago.  He is sure forms of cancer, arthritis and diabetes are due to too many drugs and too many preservatives and additives in dog food.  Go as natural as you can.  We give Advantage Plus only twice a year...first and last frost.  If you can afford it, keep your dog on pure, high quality meat.  They are carnivores afterall.  You won't see a dog go in a field of corn to eat!  

If you are leaving your pet for a few hours at a time, make sure you put them in a laundry room or small bathroom where they can’t get into trouble.  You don’t want to come back to a chewed couch or shoe.  Once he’s older and more reliable, you can give him the run of the house.  But always start with a small room. Make sure this room is warm.  Give him the crate or bed to sleep in, some toys, water (no food if less than 3 hours) and paper in case he needs to go.  If you don’t have a door, buy a baby gate. They work great and keep your pet safe. 

Puppies shake for only a couple of reasons.  Either they are cold (bring him in!), scared or over tired.  If you have children, they might be over playing the dog.  Let him sleep.  When you first get your dog he will be sleeping 75% of the time.  Just like a baby they grow during their sleep and need a lot of it…so when he goes to his bed, hands off!  Let him alone.  Sometimes they are so young, they don’t even know they are tired.  You need to be the parent and monitor the play time…usually 30 min is enough and then they need to sleep again.  You need to be especially diligent if you have young children who are eager to spend fun time with their new playmate. If you don’t want your dog to have an aggressive side to him, don’t play aggressively with him while he’s a pup.  If you do, blame yourself if he grows up to be a biter or a growler.  Also remember that dogs were meant to guard or kill vermin and still have those genes in them.  We do rough house with ours and they do kill mice.  We don’t mind that kind of behavior, but you may....(remember we are breeders and farmers!)   

Your pups fur will have to be trimmed by the eyes (when they can’t see anymore!) and by the anus where their poo can get stuck to the fur and clog it.  The real indication will be them squatting and and pushing and no poo coming.  Sometimes they will drag their bum around on the floor trying to clean it off.  Pick them up and you’ll see a hardened crust of poo on or near the anus.  Carefully take off as much as you can and then with warm water soak his bum under the tap all the while manipulating the hardened poo with your fingers until it softens up enough that it falls off.  You must be very gentle and patient because if you pull it off too soon you will be injuring your pup because the skin will be pulled off with it.  Ouch.  If it is red and swollen looking, put some zinc cream or any antibiotic cream on it.  And make sure you trim all the fur off the area so it doesn’t happen again! 

Toy breeds do not have tear ducts so you’ll notice a crust form in/near their eyes.  You have to soak it with a damp warm Kleenex and gently pull it off at least once a week. Otherwise the bacteria grows and causes the skin underneath the crust to redden and get infected.  I use the tick comb and run it through the dampened crust to gently pull it off.  Wash well with dog shampoo.  If it is sore looking, put a tiny bit of polysporin on it...don't get that in the eyes though unless it's polysporin for the eyes which you can buy at any pharmacy over the counter. 

Make sure you read the article I give you on “Stress”.  The first two or three weeks are crucial.  Do not take him anywhere, do not let people touch him, do not wash him (I did the day before you got him).  Do not introduce him to the whole house all at once.  Do not go on car rides. But if you do he may get the runs.  Call me or your vet immediately as these breeds can go down hill very quickly.  Do not let him go any more than 5 hours without food!  Their blood sugar can drop so low they go into a coma and die.  When a dog (or cow, or sheep, or cat etc.) gets stressed the immune system is strained and a single cell called Coccidia or Giardia can over take the pup and cause listlessness, lack of appetite, runny stool usually with blood or mucus in it.  This bug can kill your pup.  So take measures immediately.  Don’t let the runs go longer than two days or he may not survive.  Take him and a stool sample to the vets and he will likely prescribe medication to eradicate the bug. And lastly (whew!), remember that no matter how happy your pup appears, he is STRESSED for two to three full weeks, so don’t take your pup anywhere until then!   

 
I saw a special on TV where they are doing further studies on dogs that have been immunized with only their first three puppy shots and one annual booster and it’s working because the vaccines are lasting much longer than the presupposed one year. Some breeders only immunize with booster shots once every three years....  (Please bear in mind this does not include the rabies or parvo vaccines which do need to be done regularly.) Do some research and if you ask your vet remember he/she may be biased.  For more information on single doses of vaccinations see www.canismajor.com, www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/annual_vacs.htm for more info.  Do your homework! When its time to get your furbaby spayed/neutered, ask the vet to use "Isoflorine" as an anesthetic.  Yorkies and toy breeds seem to do better with this one.   

Part of the excitement in bringing home a new pup is buying a nice new collar.  I know of dogs that have been seriously injured or even killed by their collar catching on something and the dog choking to death.  It only takes minutes!  DO NOT leave collars on your dog when unattended...even in the house.  I also recommend the body harness over the neck collar.  They are much safer. I have given you the worst case scenario here, so don’t be alarmed.  Do use common sense and DO follow my advice (especially on stress) and you likely won’t have any problems.        Just enjoy your new family addition and be blessed because.... your Kingcreek pup will reign King of your heart forever!!