New rottie pup owner needing advice..

[Candie]

Hello,
I am new to the forums, and I have a 5 week old rottie pup named Zeus. (I know too young to have the pup) I got him when he was a little over 4 weeks old. The mother had passed away about 3 1/2 weeks after the pups were born:( I got zeus from a friend of the family. The mother was purebred, and the father as well. Zeus also has a white blaze/patch on his chest (as reading other topics in teh forums that Im not the only one with a white spot rottie!) This is my first pup. I have never had a dog under 5 months of age before. I have been feeding him "blender" puppy chow (add a bit of water to it) and some whole milk..should there be some other kind of milk I need to be feeding him? And when shoudl i take him off the milk?
He also hasnt had any of his shots, or been dewormed yet either. I am planning on taking him for his shots when he is about 7 weeks old.(I believe this will be the correct time for him. As for de-worming him..would it be best if he was taken to the vet for this as well, instead of purchasing de-wormer from like a pet store?
He really is a great lil guy, except sometimes, when Im doing some things around the house he chases me and "attacks" my feet lol Is this normal? sometimes he just bites a little too hard.
I keep him inside and have puppy pads in the spots where I would like him to go, and he actually uses them most of the time. well, thankyou for listening to me blabble on lol It would be greatly appreciated if anyone could help me with these few questions, as i have never owned a pup, nor a rotty one at that. I do have 2 other dogs though. a 1 1/2 yr old male siberian husky.(who still has no clue what to think abotu little zeus lol) and a pit/chow mix who loves zeus to death!

[Patty1231]

Welcome to the Forum! My suggestion for you at this time would be to take your pup to the vet ASAP for a check-up and their recommendations. I'm sure the more knowledgeable people here will chime in with suggestions, too.

[groupieindenial]

Thats sad that the mother died, what from? I'm not sure what kind of milk is best, as I'm not quite sure if he still needs it though. Puppies usually start eating kibble around 6 weeks or so, before going to new homes. Maybe canned stuff may be a better start, but I'm sure someone that breeds on here would now better.

There is lots of information on different premium foods on here, I'd go and read that. Pretty much everyone on here would never feed their dogs Puppy Chow.

IF you take him to the vet, DO NOT let him associate with other dogs, don't put him down on the floor he is WAY too susseptible in picking some virus. Don't let them make you wait long in the waiting room either. I swear my puppy got sick because of that.

[Candie]

Well the only dogs I let him associate with are my 2, and they are both up to date on there shots.What about taking the pup outside? would that not be a good idea until hes had his shots? I am most worried about parvo, I have seen too many of my friends get small pups and never get there shots and them catching that,its just a horrible thing.

[Judi W]

Yes, be guided by the vet. Shots are usually started at 6 weeks. Your pup probably does not have much in the way of pass-through immunity from its dam so the shot schedule is very important.

[BostonRott]

Actually, the latest recommendations are now to start vaccinations at 8 weeks or later. Earlier than that, and the mother's immunity will simply fight off the vaccine and the pup will get no benefit. This immunity is passed to the pup in the first 12hrs of nursing, and typically after 24hrs, the changes in the neo-natal intestine prevent any further absorption of IgG.

Colorado state is currently recommending vaccines at 8, 12 and 16 wks. Rabies not to be given before 16wks, and preferrably not in conjunction with other shots. I know many breeders now recommend holding off on rabies until 6 months, if possible and if there is no imminent threat of rabies in your area.

Deworming should definitely be done, and if possible, take a stool sample in too, so they can screen him.

Heartworm preventative is usually started at 12 weeks, and it covers the previous 4 weeks, so don't worry if the bugs are already out and biting.

He definitely should go outside in areas that you know are safe. Also, start with the socialziation with dogs that you know are EXCELLENT with puppies. Know anyone with a bitch of pups about the same age? HE's going to have missed out on all the manners lessons from mom, other puppies or another bitch would be excellent for teaching him.

THere are many threads recently on socializing a puppy, suggestions, links, etc. Take a spin around.

[BostonRott]

Here's the link to Colorado State's vaccine protocol. There are many who feel that a large part of the auto-immune and cancer disorders afflicting our breed are due to both over-vaccination and poor feeding.

http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/VTH/IDC/ncsudogv.html

[BostonRott]

One more interesting link on the duration of vaccines:

http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/Bake...pd/d21_frm.asp

[Candie]

I just wanted to thank all of you for the information you have provided me with.

[bacca]

The puppy should be taken off milk, if you want to give him any the vet will have milk replacement or you can get goats milk at the food store.
Dilute the milk 3/4 milk 1/4 water.

I would get him off that food as soon as you can. If you do not want to feed natural then get a good quality dog food.


I personally just give one shot at 8 weeks . Gretchen always gives good advice and sites.

[Candie]

well here recently, my lil guy has been eating very well, but I have 2 concerns..i think it was the day b4 yesterday he threw up once,( no blood in it) and not too long b4 that my hubby caught him eating his poop b4 he realized it was there to clean it up. Could this be why he vomited?(or maybe the milk I had been giving him?) Lastnight he also vomited again..after he finished playing with my other female dog.(He is so very Hyper!) This morning, he ate well, and no extremley runny stool, and no blood....and is just acting like a normal extremely playful pup! should I rush him to the vet for these reasons though? Right now I am just a very nervous pup owner, just very paranoid and dont want anything to happen to my little baby!

[Judi W]

I stand corrected on the schedule. :)

Also, don't teach him to go potty inside the house by using the puppy pads. Then you simply have to reteach him to go outside. Easier to teach what you really want.

[Candie]

okay thanx I thought he mightve been too young to train to go out at 5 weeks old, but I guess the sooner the training the better?

[Candie]

Well noone replied to one of my posts above, buts thats okay my pup is fine*shew* Took him to the vet and he said that zeus is allright(I was so extremely worried!!) I have to def get to his poop b4 he does,and no more whole milk. I have made him an app for his shots at 8 weeks old. I have just one question though...hes young I know, and his puppy teeth really hurt, he really enjoys "attacking" my feet and my son's and hubbys as well...I think he is too young to disilpilne, so shoudl I just be telling him" no zeus!) in a scolding kind of manner? I have also been here reading and learning alot about rottweilers and am grateful for this site, were people have rotties as well, and are kind to help me with my questions! Well thats all for now, we are all just enjoying our new lil baby zeus's company!!

[Soulworx]

It can be a bit daunting raising a pup from a young age... My advice is to read .... then read some more...
Then keep reading until you feel you have enough knowledge to write your own book! Being educated whilst raising a pup will make things an awful lot easier for you and the little guy.

Oh and stay away from cows milk.... the wee fella's cant digest it properly and its nutritionally inadequate. Goats milk is good.

Like the others have said go to your vets now... it will do no harm and he/she will be full of helpful advice. Also taking your pup to the vet for the first time without him recieving a treatment can make future trips to the vets easier as the pup will not associate discomfort with this first trip.

Good luck with the little guy!!

Oh and here's some info to start you reading
awwwe it wont let me link to it
i know..... go to google... type in "puppies cows milk" and go to the first result