Post by Aussienot on Oct 20, 2006 3:44:27 GMT -5
* Poxie translates to diseased riddled
Yesterday we had a surrendered litter of the most pathetic 8 week old puppies that I ever want to see. There were 12 Cattle Dog x Unknown [hint of dingo] puppies. They were delivered packed three layers deep in a small box in the boot of a car. Originally there had been 16 puppies , (pity the poor mom) but four had died in the week before they decided to surrender them.
Once I had helped carry the box to puppy isolation and started 'unpacking' them, my heart sank. I was prepared to keep 5 - 6, ideally a mix of males and females, but couldn't find that number of viable ones. There was Big Blue Boy, the largest and most robust of the bunch, and Split Face Red Boy (half white, half red and black) who was jumping up and demanding my attention (pick me! pick me!) and after agonizing 20 minutes over the entire litter, Tan Spot Boy, a distant third but the ONLY other semi-healthy, alert keeper.
We wormed and flea treated those three, and this morning I was pleased to find them still alive and playful . . . . (actually I couldn't sleep and went in early to check in on them). Because we were short-staffed, I 'volunteered' to clean puppy iso and take care of the puppies this morning Their nighttime droppings were 10% excrement and 90% worms. No wonder they are skin and bones.
I admit I am now emotionally involved in a risky investment. Good nutrition is paramount. I brought in some Missing Link and a carton of eggs and some top quality canned food. And some chicken necks. They are on four small meals per day. Any ideas for a nutritional magic bullet? I was thinking about garlic, vitamin C and red meat. I may be asking for a miracle, and I don't even like Cattle Dogs but I would really like to help these little innocents, given the rotten deal that that they've had so far.
Yesterday we had a surrendered litter of the most pathetic 8 week old puppies that I ever want to see. There were 12 Cattle Dog x Unknown [hint of dingo] puppies. They were delivered packed three layers deep in a small box in the boot of a car. Originally there had been 16 puppies , (pity the poor mom) but four had died in the week before they decided to surrender them.
Once I had helped carry the box to puppy isolation and started 'unpacking' them, my heart sank. I was prepared to keep 5 - 6, ideally a mix of males and females, but couldn't find that number of viable ones. There was Big Blue Boy, the largest and most robust of the bunch, and Split Face Red Boy (half white, half red and black) who was jumping up and demanding my attention (pick me! pick me!) and after agonizing 20 minutes over the entire litter, Tan Spot Boy, a distant third but the ONLY other semi-healthy, alert keeper.
We wormed and flea treated those three, and this morning I was pleased to find them still alive and playful . . . . (actually I couldn't sleep and went in early to check in on them). Because we were short-staffed, I 'volunteered' to clean puppy iso and take care of the puppies this morning Their nighttime droppings were 10% excrement and 90% worms. No wonder they are skin and bones.
I admit I am now emotionally involved in a risky investment. Good nutrition is paramount. I brought in some Missing Link and a carton of eggs and some top quality canned food. And some chicken necks. They are on four small meals per day. Any ideas for a nutritional magic bullet? I was thinking about garlic, vitamin C and red meat. I may be asking for a miracle, and I don't even like Cattle Dogs but I would really like to help these little innocents, given the rotten deal that that they've had so far.