Helpful Information

Copella Papillons

Helpful Information

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Dog Food Warning

After the tragic choking death of our precious puppy, Phantom, I feel I must give a warning about semi-soft dog food packaged in rolls. I've used such foods and will continue to do so, but never unsupervised. Foods such as Natural Balance, Red Barn and Pet Botanics can become gummy and stick to the inside of a dog's throat. I gave Ace a piece of this food and he choked on it. I was there and was able to remove the food from his throat. Ace was fine, but I blamed myself for not cutting up the food into small enough bites. After this incident I always cut this food into small bites. Years later, I gave Phantom four bites of this food. I made certain the food was in very small bites. What appeared to happen is that Phantom must have eaten the four bites very quickly. They became lodged in her throat without my knowledge. When I found her, she was still warm. I removed the gummy and sticky food from her throat. A friend helped me perform CPR and we rushed her to an emergency vet's office for a shot of epinephrine. Nothing could save my precious puppy. I will always blame myself for giving her the food and not staying to monitor her until she had finished eating. I share this experience only to prevent this tragedy from happening to anyone else. Please monitor your dogs while they are eating this type of food.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES

Cotton Ball Remedy for Swallowed Sharp Objects

***If your dog swallows a sharp object, always consult with your veterinarian.***

This remedy can help your dog safely pass sharp objects. Use cotton balls that are made of 100% cotton. Do not use the balls made for cosmetic use or from synthetic fibers.

Tear the cotton balls into small pieces and soak in Half & Half. (I add a little potted meat to the mixture.) Feed the cotton balls to your dog one at a time. Do not force your dog to eat them. Allow your dog to take them from you one at a time.

If your dog weighs:

5 - 10 pounds feed 2 cotton balls

10 - 50 pounds feed 3 - 5 cotton balls

50+ pounds feed 5 - 7 cotton balls

As the cotton ball works its way through the digestive tract, it will attract all the glass or bone pieces or any other sharp objects you dog may have swallowed, wrapping itself around them. The cotton acts as a protective barrier for the intestinal wall, allowing the object to be eliminated safely with the dog's next bowel movement.

Your dog's stools will look strange for a few days, but should you see fresh blood or a tarry appearance to the stool, rush your dog to the vet immediately. Your dog will probably be just fine and the object will come out safely embedded in the cotton.

Easy Home Remedy for Diarrhea

Most dogs will suffer from diarrhea at some time in their lives. Occasionally a dog may require antibiotics for a serious intestinal infection. More often than not, the diarrhea is not serious and can be "cured" by this simple home remedy....canned pumpkin. All dog owners should keep a can of pumpkin for occasional diarrhea. Make sure you purchase plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix. My dogs will lick the pumpkin from a large spoon. They love it. Be prepared for very orange, but firm, stools.

Weak Puppy Maintenance Formula

This formula has saved many a fading or weak puppy.

0 to 48 hours (5% glucose solution)

1 Teaspoon white corn syrup

Few grains each of table salt and salt substitute

4 Tablespoons boiled water

As soon as the whelp is dry and breathing normally, weigh it and give 5 to 6 drops on the tongue and let the whelp nurse. Take weight every four hours, give glucose solution and let nurse.

NO supplement food for the first 48 hours.

48 hours to 72 hours

2 Tablespoons Esbilac or Just Born

6 Tablespoons boiled water

1 Teaspoon corn syrup

few grains each of table salt and salt substitute

Every 4 hours weigh, supplement and let nurse

72 hours to 1 week old

4 Tablespoons Esbilac or Just Born

12 Tablespoons boiled water

2 Teaspoons corn syrup

few grains each of table salt and salt substitute

1 egg yolk (de-stringed) beaten

1/2 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin

Every 4 hours weigh, supplement and let nurse.

1 week to 2 weeks old

4 Tablespoons Esbilac or Just Born

12 Tablespoons boiled water

few grains each of table salt and salt substitute

1 egg yolk (de-stringed) beaten

1/2 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1 Teaspoon (heaping) plain low fat yogurt

NO CORN SYRUP!!!

Every 4 hours weigh, supplement and let nurse.

2 weeks until gaining weight

4 Tablespoons Esbilac or Just Born

12 Tablespoons boiled water

few grains each table salt and salt substitute

1 egg yolk (de-stringed) beaten

1/2 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) plain low fat yogurt

2 Teaspoons scraped raw beef

NO CORN SYRUP!!!

Every four hours weigh, supplement and let nurse.

The Woods Maneuver

(for when a puppy is partially delivered, but stuck.)

Place mom into a back lying position. If this is a toy dog, you can probably do this by yourself, but even with the smallest dog, a second person is very useful. Balancing her between two pillows will help to keep her positioned.

Push both hind legs as far apart as you can safely push them. This is to enlarge the diameter of the pelvic opening. One person can manipulate each leg, pulling it first apart, then rotating the hip so that foot comes back more toward the head and the pelvis consequently raises up slightly. This is an important part of the maneuver....the pushing of the foot/leg toward the head which will raise the pelvis up slightly.

So far, you have changed maternal positioning in three important ways:

The mom is on her back; not her position of choice. It is a drastic change for her.

Mom's pelvic diameter has been increased somewhat by pushing the legs apart.

The pelvis has changed in position by being tipped upward ever so slightly.

Now, you want to DECREASE the size of the portion of the puppy which has gotten stuck. The bulk of the puppies (as well as humans) will get stuck against what most of us call the pubic bone. Just remember that your own pubic bone is in the front of the very lowest part of your abdomen. The skin there is covered with pubic hair. Now, just visualize the corresponding part of the bitch's anatomy to find her pubic bone. To decrease the size of the portion of the puppy which has gotten jammed against the pubic bone, you want to apply pressure to the abdominal area located directly behind the pubic bone while at the same time keeping mom's hind legs apart and rotated up toward the head.

Next time that you have a really really full bladder, lie on your back and palpate the area immediately proximal (toward the belly button) to the pubic bone. You can feel a soft swelling there that is your full bladder. This place is the place on your bitch that you want to apply pressure to decrease the size of the part of the puppy that has gotten stuck. You are, in effect, trying to "fold" the puppy up a little bit so that he can pass through the now enlarged pelvic diameter which has also been tipped upward just a bit which also serves to shake him loose from the "log jam" against the pubic bone.

Waiting for mom's contraction to occur, you will position mom, and apply pressure while at the same time, pulling gently on the presenting part of the puppy. You want the puppy to pass under the pubic bone and upward through the opening.

Formula for Lactating Bitches

I give all of my lactating bitches the following formula. It keeps the dam hydrated and provides much needed nutrients, including calcium. All of my girls love it.

1 bottle of Pedialyte or other pediatric electrolyte solution, unflavored

1 can goats milk

1.5 cups of plain yogurt

2 tablespoons pasteurized honey

Mix well and refrigerate. I give about a half cup to my dams four times per day.

Home Flea Rememdy

I've heard many times, but had never tried, this home remedy for fleas. Washing your dog in Dawn dishwashing liquid will kill fleas. When my daughter was trapped at home during an ice storm she needed a flea treatment. I told her what I had read. She had Dawn on hand. She washed her dog in Dawn and said it worked better than any commercial flea shampoo she had previously used. I would not recommend giving your dog a weekly bath in Dawn, but it can safely be used to rid your dog of a temporary flea problem. Be sure to rinse completely.

Fat Balls (Weight Gain)

1 lb hamburger
1 package cream cheese
1 dozen egg yolks
1 jar all natural peanut butter
about 1 cup rolled oats soaked in milk
1 jar wheat germ

Mix up, measure out, feed as needed. You'll need to mix it with your
hands. It's hard to mix and messy. I usually make this with more
hamburger (like, 2 or 3lbs) and freeze what I'm not using that day or the next.

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For the love of the Butterfly Dog.

For more information about Papillons go to www.akc.org or http://papillonclub.org

Copella is an AKC registered kennel name.