New chow puppy questions

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chowderchoww
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New chow puppy questions

Post by chowderchoww »

Hi!

I just brought home a 9 week old chow chow boy yesterday @chowderchoww on instagram ^^

#1 How common is bloat in puppies and how should I be careful? I feed him kibble soaked in warm water for 2-3 minutes before draining the water and adding supplements. The breeder told me I shouldn't carry him and play with him after meals to avoid tummy problems but how long should I wait? Sometimes he looks at me bored and I'm not sure if I should play with him or wait awhile more.

#2 He's running a flu at the moment, sniffing non stop and sneezing but he refuses to eat his medicine. He won't open his mouth when fed through a syringe and if I add it to his food he ignores the food.

#3 He also has rashes that I'm applying hydrocortisone lotion to. But with all that fur its hard to see where the rash is. The breeder hasn't told me much about this and he hasn't gotten his third vaccination, should I wait till his third vaccination to bring him to the vet for a check or wing it and just bring him there ASAP

#4 He does the nipping/play biting thing and thinks fingers are chew toys. He doesn't show much interest in his toys -- It's a 5 minute oooh new toy then ignores it thing so apart from telling him "NO" then ignoring him what else can I do to make him comfortable since he's teething after all?

He pretty much toilet trained himself and has been a dream to watch except for the health concerns. I'm a new chow owner so I don't really know what I should watch out for?

Is there anything else I should be concerned about?
Thanks in advance!
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chowchowmomma
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Re: New chow puppy questions

Post by chowchowmomma »

Hi Chowder! The description you gave of your chow chow sounds like Distemper virus. But first let me ask you a few questions- does your puppy sleep a lot? Does he have a runny nose or green mucous? Any blood or puss in his poop? As I can see from the pictures he does sleep a lot more than the average puppy and I noticed his hair loss, that could be 3 things mange, scabies(which you can catch & will be a lifelong problem) or it could be hair loss associated with Distemper virus. Now I know people put alot of faith into vets but they are idiots in my opinion. I had 2 Chihuahuas I bought in 2007. I bought 1 from a breeder and the other from a pet store. I noticed both puppies had hair loss around the eyes, chest and a little on there upper left legs. They were also sneezing(not alot at first). One had a extremely wet nose and the other had an extremely dry nose.They also wouldn't eat anything,not even treats! So I brought them both to the vet. The vet said it was kennel cough, she gave them medicine it didn't work. So I bought them back to the vets insisting this time she test them for distemper. She told me it was a waste of time and money because they didn't have it. I told her they were having blood and puss in their poop and that's definitely not kennel cough. Her answer was maybe they ate something they shouldn't have. I was so frustrated at this proint and demanded that test. She finally gave in and did the Tier test. The Tier test had to be sent to California. After 3 days I got the results back that both puppies had not only distemper but parvo too! I had to keep them at the vets at night and then durning the day move them to an emergency vet office. Well 6,000 dollars later and heartbreak...both puppies died :(

Ps ~ Your breeder is wrong. You can totally play with your puppy after it eats. If any my 2 chow chows are the most playful after they eat!!! They get the zoomies where they run around the whole house.
Don't worry you won't give him bloat! :D
Rory's Dad
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Re: New chow puppy questions

Post by Rory's Dad »

Sorry, but I am going to be a lot more critical than chowchowmomma was.

1st off, why would you accept the puppy with so many obvious health issues. If you are completely dedicated to the pup, then you should have a vet of your choosing examine him immediately. You should NOT rely on what the breeder told you or any existing medications. With any standard sale contract you have a health guarantee. A pup at that age with those problems already is likely to have continued issues. You will want to be informed on what they might be and how expensive a prospect you are looking at.

Seriously consider where you got this pup from. It doesn't sound great. Did you research the breeder or check any references? The breeders advice on contact after eating is dead wrong and sounds like they are trying to hide other problems. Bloat can be an issue with chows, but its not something that should be an everyday concern. If the dog really requires the medicine for the flu symptoms and wont take it, a vet is the best option as they can administer is intraveniously. I would be very worried about an undefined rash. You need to know what it is to treat it properly. It could simply be hotspots (but I doubt it in that young a pup), or it could be a contagious strain of mange. Skin lesions (rashes) can also be the result of some parasitic infestations. I would really want to know if direct contact with the dogs skin could be a risk. Are you applying the ointment using surgical gloves? Hydrocortisone is a steroid hormone treatment and is used in a wide array of diagnosis', but most commonly used as an anti-inflammatory for allergic reactions. So, likely the dog has been diagnosed with some allergies. Since you don't know what those are (food, environment, etc) it will be hard to resolve the underlying issue. The ointment is not usually applied to any open sores, so you should have been instructed on that.

Doesn't sound like you got a ton of support from the breeder. I would bring the pup to a respected vet, who has experience with Chows ASAP. Sadly, from the sounds of things you are probably looking at an expensive visit. And I hope I am wrong, but I would expect that to continue for at least a while.
chowderchoww
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Re: New chow puppy questions

Post by chowderchoww »

@chowchowmomma @Rory's dad

Hi!
I've brought him to the vet last wednesday and she shaved him down for the skin, he got injections and various other medications for the flu.
Thank you guys so much for the help, but right now it doesn't look like it's distemper.

As for the skin he did a microscopic skin scrape and no mites were found.
He has a followup visit with the vet on wednesday will check again with her.

His breeder said he has previously done a health check and has no existing health conditions. Should I take his word for that?

Right now he is eating his medicines, but I see only minor improvements. Skin appears to be slightly better too.
While I'd agree that I haven't gotten a lot of help from the breeder I feel its more of inexperience than unethical. I should have accepted a healthy pup but I did fall hard for him the first time I saw him so regardless of his health issues, he's mine, and I'd fork out as much as needed for him to be okay.

Also, I have another question.
His breathing is rather fast? Is that normal in chow puppies? ( I read that its cus' they're learning to regulate their body temperature)

Will get the vet to do a thorough check up for him this wednesday.
Thank you guys so much.
Rory's Dad
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Re: New chow puppy questions

Post by Rory's Dad »

I certainly can understand falling for a certain pup within the litter. Rory is our 4 year old male, and he was selected 100% because he nuzzled up to my wife and they formed an instant bond. He has ended up being the best of any of the Chows we have ever owned. We decided to show him because we thought he was a handsome dog. The breeder has repeatedly made excuses for that dog and said she wouldn't have picked him for us if she knew we were going to show him...he has earned his ACK CH designation, is 1/2 way to a GCH award, and was ranked at high as 20th in the US among show Chows this year.

And he has the best personality/behavior I have ever seen in a chow. I think that is really due to him being the right dog, in the right place. To this day, they still have a fantastic rapport. He is an absolute delight.

When we got our female from the same breeder, she 'recommended' Amber as the best show potential dog in that litter. She is a nice dog. Has a sweet temperament, but a ton of quirks. She hated the showing aspect, and is retired at just over 2 years of age. We don't force it on the dog if she doesn't like it.

So, I really do get picking the dog, or the dog picking you.

But, I wouldn't think that any of the other dogs from that breeder were free of the issues you have experienced. And I applaud your dedication to getting a healthy dog.

As for the breathing...Chows can be vocal without actually barking. Some call it 'chuffing', similar to what a tiger will do, or a cats purring. It may not be a breathing exercise, but a communication. You would have to pay attention to when it occurs to say for sure.

Best of luck with the vet visits. Hopefully you get good results.
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