[Kalisee]

Hi all! A few little questions about our little baby, I hope I dont seem all that naive. I just got my little one on Saturday and havent taken her to the vet yet.

1. When should we take her to the vet? She was born the beginning of April, shes about 7 weeks old. Are shots really necessary?

2. Can she have a bath yet do you think?

3. She eats puppy food..(little hard crunchies for puppies that I soak for a bit before I give them to her)...is there something I can make her as a change, like rice with chicken or do you think that isnt a good idea?

4. Do all little ones have to be crated? I havent started doing that. She sleeps in a big plastic container with her blankets etc . When she needs to pee she cries and I take her out (sometimes 4am). Regardless that she doesnt go to the paper all the time, she hasnt peed in her bed. I am not sure about closing her in a crate...I feel badly. She likes the container only for sleeping, she yells alot if you put her in there when shes awake. It seems cruel to cage her.

5. She sleeps ALOT. She is happy and playful when shes awake, but I wonder how she can sleep so much!

6. Thank you for being so nice to read the questions.

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[flippedstars]

Take her to the vet right away. Monday. Do not put her on the ground there and don't let her touch anything there (even the table...protect her with a blanket).

Yes, puppy shots are necessary. I would get her her first one at 8 weeks, a second at 12 weeks, and a final one at 16 weeks. Or you can do 9 weeks, 13 weeks and 17-18 weeks. I do the latter. Until 2 weeks after her last shot you will have to keep her off of the ground in all public places so she doesn't get yucky things like parvo or distemper.

She is young to be away from her mom. It's actually against the law to sell a puppy before 8 weeks of age in the United States. That said, you have her now so...what's done is done. Just don't expect too much from her in the realm of potty training, sleeping through the night, etc. until she is quite a bit older. 12-14 weeks is the ideal time to bring a new chi puppy home, so as you can see you got yours quite a bit early.

She can have a bath. Just use Johnson's baby shampoo for now.

Try not to mess with her diet right now. Perhaps soak her puppy kibble in some goat's milk, but don't mix things up too much beyond that. You don't want her to get diarrhea. The goat's milk is good because puppies 7 weeks old still are taking drinks from momma/nursing from time to time.

Crate training is optional. It definitely is beneficial in the long run though. It is good to have a safe place to leave them when you have to go out.

Good luck with your new little one

 

[OzChi]

What flipped stars said is all excellent advice! I just wanted to add that at only 7 weeks your puppy will need to eat around 4 times a day to keep her blood sugar even and avoid hypoglycemia. You can also get some sugar syrup called nutrical from the pet supply and give her that morning and night to ensure her blood sugar doesn't drop. You can even use honey for this. She will only need about 1/4 teaspoon at a time.

Good luck with your little cutie and please don't hesitate to come back and ask as many questions as you need to. There are lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will steer you down the right track.

 

[Lindsayj]

Seven weeks is awfully young. Flippedstars had some great advice. Don't mess with her diet. She's probably stressed out enough with the big change of leaving her mom and the only home she knew to come to live with her new mom. I wouldn't rock the boat with anything else.

I don't use a crate. I have a playpen like a baby would use. I leave Chloe in there when she sleeps. She doesn't seem to mind it at all. Chihuahuas love dens. So, they may really like having a crate. Just make sure there are plenty of blankets and things.

You should be very careful with her and not let her around any other dogs or get on the ground outside until she is vaccinated. The doctor will let you know when it is safe to be around other dogs.

She is very cute though! Congrats!

 

[thatrandomgirl]

Take her to the vet as soon as possible. And yes, shots are very necessary. I can't tell you anything more detailed, but your vet can give you that info. I second the suggestion about bringing a towel.

I wouldn't bother with the bath unless she really stinks, but you'd be okay to give her one if you'd like.

There's really nothing bad about crating unless you leave her in there constantly. My chihuahua hated her crate at first, but now when she always goes in on her own accord. She loves it in there. But if what you're doing is working, then you don't have to crate if you don't want to.

Welcome to CP! Cute, cute puppy!

 

[pupluv168]

We started with a play pen for a human child. It's nice because you can fit food water a blanket and potty pads all in there at night. However, Toby quickly became a chihuahua houdini and learned how to climb out of it. So we moved to crate training. At first he didn't like it, but now it's his safe place. When we travel and whatnot as long as we have his crate he is perfectly ok. No matter what you choose to do, the puppy cannot be left to her own devices. At night she needs a potty pad because at her age she can't be expected to hold it.

If you want to bathe him, go ahead. Just use baby shampoo.

Shots are a must. He needs his first shots to protect him from dangerous and deadly diseases.

Good luck!

 

[AussieLass]

I was going to get my pups immunised by the usual method of 3 lots of needles a couple of weeks apart. HOWEVER, after finding out about Titers/Titres Tests (blood tests that test for your dog's level of immunity) I stopped after the 2nd needle in the series and will never immunise again during the lifetimes UNLESS the Titers/Titres Tests indicate I need to.

When googling Titers or Titres Test, spell it both ways as different countries tend to spell it differently.

 

[theshanman97]

i agree with the others! and dont worry about age! here everyone gets their puppies at 6 weeks! i had tillie and pippi at that age! YES it can cause problems but it depends on the way you handle it! good luck! x

 

[LBChi]

What a little cutie pie! Thers is absolutly nothing wrong with a crate. Mine are in theirs at night and when we are away for longer than an hour. Its their den, they have their blankets in there and I cover the top and the back with a blanket so its more den like. its not crewl at all.
Good luck with your little cutie, what is her name?

 

[Kalisee]

Wow!! You are all amazing! Thank you very much!

I know that 6 weeks is quite young. I didnt buy my little chi, she was in a home and something happened to her mother and they couldn't drink milk from her. I am not sure of the details and I really don't know details as to why she even had puppies in the first place. She had 7 puppies, 2 of which did not live.

She is going to the vet this week. I don't let her step out of the house and even in the house we dont wear shoes anymore. I dont know if that does any good but she is just so little and close to the floor..!

She sleeps through most of the night. She wakes to pee..I take her to the pad and she goes. She has chosen 2 places she likes to go. I have pads there too.

Basically, she is no trouble at all....yet!! I have had her a whole week and I dont know how her little brain fits all this information but she is really smart for something that little! This is not bragging because all her little brothers and sisters on this forum are the same...and the cutest things in the world at that!


I cannot thank all of you enough!!

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[okchic]

I got Carlos at 6 weeks and he did great! He took to the potty pads very quickly. I just set him on it every now and then and he figured it out. He had a crate as his bed, but I left it open. I used baby gate and left him in a hall blocked in at first with a puppy pad.He has been healthy always. He had first shots at 7 weeks and every 3 weeks after that (3 shots). I took him with me a lot just to drive thrus and rides to socialize him and he loved it and he wasn't exposed to other dogs at first. Good luck with your baby. She is adorable!

 

[susan davis]

I second the playpen (doggy or baby) idea. So much easier than getting up in the middle of the night. Mine learned right away. Good luck with her. Sue