Another thread about a new puppy.

[willowsmom]

Sorry, couldn't think of a wittier title. I'm a bit sleep-deprived.

My inlaws rescued two puppies (male and female)from a shelter several counties away, these puppies (along with another male pup) were dumped on the side of the road. The shelter said that they were 8 weeks. Umm... we're thinking about 6. My inlaws kept the male and gave us the female.

The pups both have intestinal worms, diarrhea...fun things. They are also very thin. The shelter said they are chocolate lab mixes... we don't know what they're mixed with, a vet tech said they looked like they were mixed with JRTs, maybe... we'll see how big they get.

Our pup is Roscoe. She's a very calm pup. Although, being a little sickly at the moment may have something to do with how calm she is. She drinks and eats... although, I think she could probably drink a little more - in due time, I'm sure.

Anyway... this is the first time in many years that I've had a puppy. Any tips or ideas for housebreaking (right now I'm taking her out consistently and crate-training), I've read that it takes about 6 months to really say a dog is "housebroken"... I dunno... I've never done it before.
Also, any ideas on how to clean diarrhea out of grass? Everyone says that with worms, you need to pick up the poo so that it doesn't contaminate the yard... but anyone who's ever tried to manually pick up spaghetti sauce off of individual pasta strands knows that it's difficult.

Ok... who here has actually tried to manually clean spaghetti?

So... any tips at all are welcome... I'm new to this thing. And while I'm enjoying her very much...it'd be nice if she came with a manual.

[Noelle C.]

After she eats or drinks, maybe 15 minutes later, take her outside. After she plays, take her outside. Keep her with you at all times, even if it means on a leash. She she squats at other times, pick her up and take her outside.

Get her treated for worms ASAP. Try to keep her potty area confined to one area right now. Kill the worms with fire. No, really, dump vinegar on those nast things and have someone else pick them up with a plastic bag and drop them in a bleachy bucket. That's what I'd do.

[willowsmom]

Yep. I take her out about that often.

As far as the worms go... will vinegar kill my yard also?
I also have no idea how to pick up diarrhea out of grass blades. She's already had her first round of dewormer two days ago. I'm giving her the second dosage on Nov. 5th. She's also on antibiotics daily.

[Ola_]

Did you have a worm test done at the vet's? Some worms can stay alive in your yard, while others can't - knowing what kind will be very helpful here.

[willowsmom]

They're roundworms. My inlaws took both puppies to the vet before bringing them home...they had a fecal test and were given the first round of dewormer there.

[gingerstar]

One of my favorite puppy books is My Smart Puppy - they cover everything puppy related. Also, anything Patricia McConnell does!
Good luck!

[Ola_]

I like the My Smart Puppy book as well. For the roundworms it sounds like basically you'd have to eat the eggs or something that was infected (i.e. if your dog would eat an infected rodent). You can't just pick it up by touching an infected area. In the meantime will she potty on a concrete surface like your driveway or the road? (on leash of course) This would be much easier to clean off than grass.

Here's one link I found about roundworms: http://www.peteducation.com/article....2+1622&aid=762

[willowsmom]

We had a hard rain last night. She'd automatically goes to the grass to potty... I've been checking her poo and haven't seen anything in it. It's still relatively loose...but she's on daily antibiotics.

I feel so neurotic. We're not able to take her to our local vet until later in the week...
I just want her to be healthy. I'm staying calm around her though... which she's responding too... she's a very relaxed puppy. She's good in her crate and has her little spurts of energy.

Thanks for the book recommendations! I'm going to go to the library I think, and look around.