Hello All-

I responded to a local animal control ad regarding 12 gsd/tervuren mixed puppies dropped off their on wednesday, due to be gassed on Friday. Thursday drove to rescue and picked up 3 (2 girls and a male). Promptly read Ed's article on not raising 2 puppies together, and am not considering that but rather am fostering them and trying to place them.

I am unsure of the breed veracity and unsure of the age. They are VERY small to my eye. Maybe they weigh 5-6 lbs each. They are up and about often. Eating solid food. Some teeth are in. They are roughhousing, chasing balls (very clumsily) etc.


I have a decent amount of experience with rescuing dogs, but NONE with puppies at all. Some broad questions: 1) Are there certain markers that would give me a better idea of their ages? 2) I I have, so far, allowed no interaction with my 3 year old male, unaltered gsd and my 4 year old female fixed rottweiler, other than sniffing through the puppies crate. IS that the right course of action? 3)I have not corrected them when they scuffle with one another, mostly out of a vague sense that it's too early to do so. Is that wrong?

Any and all info/advice/tips is welcome. And BTW if you want what might be a gsd/tervuren cross and you're in or around WIlmington, NC, please get in touch.

Thanks,
Brock Wilson

are you in wilmington??

can you let Diane know at DogTrain(off Kerr ave) that you have these pups??

she won't take them, but she is amazing, and can let you know if one of her clients is looking for a pup, and if they would be able to handle that cross...

there are a few rescue groups there, but i would talk to diane first...

Thank you Mallory. Will defintely follow up w/Diane.

I have additional concerns for anyone who cares to comment. I have always heard that 8-10 weeks is the optimal time to separate puppies from their mother. I am almost certain that these puppies are significantly younger. I weighed them today and they all weigh between 4 and 5 lbs. Their ears are fully up on two and semi-up on the third.

In terms of prempting future problems, what are my concerns if these puppies are as yound as 4 weeks old? Should I be socializing them with other dogs? Should I be shielding them from other dogs? How about people? Less or more? Should I keep their world very small or let them explore the backyard and the house?

I am at a total loss, give that I dont know their age and dont know their breed. I'd like to help them develop as healthily(sic) as possible and would LOVE some advice.

Thanks,
brock

I retained control of the two girls and a friend took the 1 male, who is a total fireball of energy and drive.

What

Kudos for saving these guys.

The puppies should NOT be separated if at all possible. Please see if your friend will let you raise the male for another month or so, unless it is a hardship on you to have them. This male could have problems from being separated from his littermates too early. It WILL affect his development.

I raised a litter of rescues and they were 5 lbs at about 3.5 weeks, teeth were just starting to come in, and they nursed from their mother until they were 5-6 weeks old. If they are indeed that small, maybe if possible you could supplement with bottle feeding (Leerburg has a fantastic milk supplement recipe).

The litter I raised just turned 1 year old a couple days ago. The male I kept is 65 lbs. He was 5 lbs when he was 20 days old.

Please try and keep the pups together if at all possible.

Angela, Thank you. While the male seems to be thriving and the girls less so, I understand that that is not indicative of a smooth development going forward.

The girls do not seem to be gaining any weight (although it's only been a few days) and they seem both bewildered and lethargic. Are they too young to be the stereotypical, high energy, curious, get in to trouble phase of puppyhood?

They eat and they walk around and explore when I let them out of the crate, but the sometimes flop over of their own accord and lie there, awake but motionless. Rarely do they play with one another, which seems strange. They played more when their instigator brother was around.

Their stool is runny. They are not throwing up. The dont feel hot or cold. But again, this is all new to me. Please alert me to anything should be aware of.

Thanks,
Brock

Are you bottle feeding them? They should be quite active. At 4 weeks I could not contain my pups anywhere, they were very busy, and I hardly ever saw them sleep. Have they been vaccinated recently? Vaccines are very hard on the puppies systems.

I would take them to a vet, he could also give you a more accurate estimate of their age. If they are up and walking they would be at least 4 weeks, my pups were still crawling at 3 weeks. My pups also nursed right through to 8 weeks (I started weaning at 4.5 weeks but they liked to "top up" on mother's milk). Any chance of getting the male back for a few more weeks?

Edit: this article/e-book will help you: "hand raising puppies" http://leerburg.com/pdf/bottlefeedingpuppies.pdf

Am going to bring the male back in. His stool is solid and his energy is high, both aspects are opposite the girls. They must be ill. Will schedule with my vet asap and if he concurs w/ you Angela, I will bring the male back in. Getting progressively more alarmed by the girls lack of energy. Will keep you posted.

Brock, are you bottle feeding them? What exactly are you feeding them?

Just followed Angela's link to Ed's article on bottle feeding. They had been eating Purina puppy chow for the two days between the shelter and my assumption of them, and seemed to be ok with that. I have had them for 3 days and their appetite has waned progressively and their energy is low. I am off to get all the ingredients for ed's formula. Finger's crossed that that helps them recover. they are precious and I am failing them, I think...

 Quote: brock wilson

Will schedule with my vet asap

I'd do this immediately.

Even dehydration, potentially deadly, could escape the attention of someone new to such young pups (like me).