When we bring a puppy home we have to take into account that they are more defenseless against any disease. If we add to this that it is an abandoned puppy, which may not have received adequate nutrition, any condition worsens. You may see that your puppy is weak, does not want to eat, play, even has vomiting or diarrhea.
Surely in this case you have doubts about cHow to feed it, what needs it has, and how to know if it is sick. Next, in this post we are going to help you a little bit to know how to act in this circumstance.
My cahorro and its immune system
Puppies are more vulnerable to infections during the first weeks of life compared to an adult dog. Your immune system itself is not active. In fact, during this time they produce a response to infections thanks to the immunity acquired by the mother. This means that the mother transfers immune defenses to her through milk, especially in colostrum is where it is most concentrated. This is why it is so vital that the puppy is suckled by the mother. It would be appropriate for him to be breastfed for the first 45 days of life.
So, this coupled with other factors, puppies are highly prone to health problems, such as infectious diseases and parasites.
Typically, vaccination plans start at around six weeks of age. But, even following the vaccination plan carefully, there may be a small possibility that the defenses inherited from the mother will decrease before the puppy itself is able to produce a sufficient amount of its own antibodies. It could happen that in this time of vulnerability they catch some disease, such as parvovirus. Even so, vaccination plans are designed to reduce the risk of diseases.
Feeding my puppy
Depending on the type of diet, our puppy will grow strong or it may seem that it is weak. Food is a fundamental pillar in the proper development of our puppy. In fact, the nutritional requirement is higher during the puppy stage than in the adult stage.
And within the puppy stage it varies if it is a large or small breed dog. Small breed dogs must be given a higher level of calcium and a more energetic feed than large breed puppies. Large breed puppies should be given less calcium to avoid growth problems.
If the feed is of very low quality or we give it little quantity, they can develop anemia, but watch out for obesity too. Therefore, it is appropriate to look for a quality feed and follow the manufacturer's instructions, or what your veterinarian tells you.
My puppy is weak and vomits
If you notice your puppy is weak, and that he has vomited, you should observe what the vomit is like. It is something quite important, and of great help when taking it to the vet. Observe the color of the vomit, if with it he has vomited any object or food.
Another thing to clarify is that regurgitating is not the same as vomiting. We explain the difference with an example, when the puppy eats very fast and seems to get fatigued and ends up expelling the food as it was swallowed, there it has not yet been digested, that is regurgitate. And when what the puppy expels is accompanied by bile and the shape of what it has eaten is no longer appreciated so much, it is not even appreciated, that if it has become digested and that is barf.
As a palliative measure, the water must be withdrawn for 2 hours after vomiting. After these 2 hours, you will be offered water in small quantities and we will see how you react, if I vomit again, it will be withdrawn.
However, if he vomits repeatedly, and even the vomit is accompanied by blood, it is urgent that you go to the vet with your puppy.
Vomiting in a puppy can be due to a food allergy, something he has eaten, or most likely it could be parvovirus. It can also happen that your puppy is weak and does not want to eat.
These symptoms, although they are very general, for any type of disease, we must expressly be careful in puppies since, as we have mentioned before, they are more immunosuppressed and may be suffering from parvovirus or distemper. Parvovirus and distemper, or distemper, are the most common infectious diseases that a puppy can suffer from.
Parvovirus
La parvovirus o Parvovirus is a viral disease that mainly affects puppies. This disease mainly affects the digestive system. Its main symptoms are:
- Diarrhea that is bloody and very smelly
- Vomiting like foamy, as if it were slime, that with the advance of the disease become bloody.
- Loss of appetite (anorexia)
- Dehydration from diarrhea and vomiting
- General weakness
- Apathy, that is, the puppy is sad and does not feel like exploring or playing
- High fever
- In the most serious cases heart problems
It is vitally important to go to the veterinary center as soon as possible if your puppy has these symptoms, since parvovirus is fatal.
Distemper or distemper
El distemper affects the following systems: respiratory, lymphatic, digestive, urogenital and nervous. The symptoms will depend on the system they affect, although it usually begins with the respiratory system. Here are the symptoms:
- Fever
- Nasal and eye discharge
- Anorexia
- General weakness
- Cough
- Trouble breathing
- seizures
- Ataxia (incoordination of movement)
- paralysis
- cervical stiffness
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Skin problems
Of all the above symptoms, those that appear in the first phase of the disease are the fever, runny nose and eyes, loss of appetite and weakness. Like parvovirus, they are diseases with a very rapid evolution and contagion.
Most frequent parasitic diseases
In addition to parvovirus and distemper, Parasitic diseases is one of the most common pathologies in puppies.
The most frequent is that produced by toxacara canis, what has been popularly said that the dog has "worms." The symptoms of toxocariosis are:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting, sometimes
- Thinning
- Dehydration
These symptoms are preceded by the margin of a few days in which the puppy will cough. Importantly, toxacara canis it also infects the human species. Therefore, it is best to prevent it by deworming the puppies periodically, usually every two weeks, during the first three months of life, and the mother also in the last 20 days of gestation. After 3 months of life, it is advisable to continue deworming every 3 months.
In addition to toxacara canis, there are also other intestinal parasites such as Toxocaris leonina, Trichuris vulpis, tapeworms and protozoa that can easily cause diarrhea in puppies. If it becomes a large and prolonged infestation, your puppy could be weak, because this infestation could degenerate into other pathologies in turn.
We hope this information has been helpful to you. And you know, do not hesitate to go to your trusted veterinary center, especially in the case of vomiting and diarrhea in puppies it is vitally important to go urgently. In addition, the veterinary team are the ones who can really help your puppy.