Good Morning,
I first want to say "THANK YOU" so much for all the helpful information found here in the forum and on this website. This is the first place I look for information on the newest addition to our family.
Bella came to us about a week ago and she is 9 weeks old. I wish I could say that our story begins with such happiness but unfortunately it hasn't been. My 6 year old and I have been waiting for Bella for almost a month, but when we finally got to see her, we were horrified to see the terrible shape she was in. A friend had gone to get her and couldn't leave her in that environment. He brought her home and tried to nurse her back to health...he didn't want us to bring her home because he feared my son wouldn't be able to handle a possible loss of the puppy.
Bella was 7 weeks old when she was taken from her mother. I believe she may have been the runt of the litter and was not given enough attention. She was very thin....let me say that again....VERY THIN...She weighed about 5lbs. My friend took her to the vet and was told that she had hookworms and this was the reason she wasn't eating. A few days went by and her appetite started to pick up just a little but then she started to get worse again. After a week, she was taken to the vet again...found she was severly dehydrated...weight went to only 2.7 lbs...tried to put an IV but she freaked out so they sent her home.
This is when I finally stepped in. I guess my motherly instincts kicked in and I brought her home to nurse her back to health. I took her to my trusted vet and she was able to find not one but two instestinal parasites along with a skin infection.
For a week now, Bella gets three types of medicine and is force-fed water or Pedialyte. She is still very weak but she is eating now. Just this morning, she ate about 3 big teaspoons of food with some nutri-cal added to it. I know 3 teaspoons doesn't sound like alot but for us its a big improvement. I am still giving her about a cup of Pedialyte or water a day. You can still see every bone in her body, but its not as bad as a week ago.
Although I have found some great info on here, I think I need some reassurance on a few things:
1. How long will it take before she is hydrated enough that I don't have to hand feed her water?
2. How long before she starts to fill out and start eating the normal amount of food for her age?
3. All she does is sleep. She gets up, goes potty, eats and then goes right back to sleep. We take her outside to get her to walk around...get some exercise but after a few minutes, she seems very tired and sits down and won't move until we go get her.
She is so much better than just a week ago! We call her our miracle baby! Call me anxious, but I just want her healthy and as a normal, playful, feisty puppy!
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!
I first want to say "THANK YOU" so much for all the helpful information found here in the forum and on this website. This is the first place I look for information on the newest addition to our family.
Bella came to us about a week ago and she is 9 weeks old. I wish I could say that our story begins with such happiness but unfortunately it hasn't been. My 6 year old and I have been waiting for Bella for almost a month, but when we finally got to see her, we were horrified to see the terrible shape she was in. A friend had gone to get her and couldn't leave her in that environment. He brought her home and tried to nurse her back to health...he didn't want us to bring her home because he feared my son wouldn't be able to handle a possible loss of the puppy.
Bella was 7 weeks old when she was taken from her mother. I believe she may have been the runt of the litter and was not given enough attention. She was very thin....let me say that again....VERY THIN...She weighed about 5lbs. My friend took her to the vet and was told that she had hookworms and this was the reason she wasn't eating. A few days went by and her appetite started to pick up just a little but then she started to get worse again. After a week, she was taken to the vet again...found she was severly dehydrated...weight went to only 2.7 lbs...tried to put an IV but she freaked out so they sent her home.
This is when I finally stepped in. I guess my motherly instincts kicked in and I brought her home to nurse her back to health. I took her to my trusted vet and she was able to find not one but two instestinal parasites along with a skin infection.
For a week now, Bella gets three types of medicine and is force-fed water or Pedialyte. She is still very weak but she is eating now. Just this morning, she ate about 3 big teaspoons of food with some nutri-cal added to it. I know 3 teaspoons doesn't sound like alot but for us its a big improvement. I am still giving her about a cup of Pedialyte or water a day. You can still see every bone in her body, but its not as bad as a week ago.
Although I have found some great info on here, I think I need some reassurance on a few things:
1. How long will it take before she is hydrated enough that I don't have to hand feed her water?
2. How long before she starts to fill out and start eating the normal amount of food for her age?
3. All she does is sleep. She gets up, goes potty, eats and then goes right back to sleep. We take her outside to get her to walk around...get some exercise but after a few minutes, she seems very tired and sits down and won't move until we go get her.
She is so much better than just a week ago! We call her our miracle baby! Call me anxious, but I just want her healthy and as a normal, playful, feisty puppy!
Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!
. 
