I am getting a puppy, almost 4 weeks old. Yes, 4 WEEKS! Aieeee!!!1111

[99Forever]

6. Don't be intimidated...

.. you can do just fine and your puppy can thrive.

Since Spring we've got an education on young pup rearing. For starters, we got Sadie May, a White German Shepard at age 5 weeks. A previous pup from the same place had Parvo and it's a very awful and often fatal disease that hits both pups that haven't been vaccinated and older dogs with compromised immune systems. It's CRITICAL to get your pup in for it's vaccinations when they are due. Normally the first should be at 6 weeks, second at 10 weeks, final at 16 weeks. Check with your vet to be certain, because without mommy's milk and it's antibodies, it might be different.

We did add 2% milk to Sadie's food for about a week, then gradually changed to water, then to just dry, our vet said the extra fat was helpful. He recommends Purina Puppy Chow because of it's balance. Says the pricier feeds aren't necessarily better and some aren't as good. Sadie May is now 7 months old and is a long legged beauty filled with energy and love.

Then our 1/2 French Bulldog/ 1/2 Boston, Lolah had a litter of 6 pups. When they reached about 4 weeks, Lolah couldn't keep up with their appetite, so we supplemented by feeding them a "slurry" of whole milk and Puppy Chow mixed in a blender for a week or two, changing over to water. Lolah weaned them completely at 5 weeks. At about 6 weeks we began to to see some diarrhea in them, the vet suggested it might be from the wet food, so we gradually reduced the water over a couple of days. Worked like a charm.

Anyway, congrats on your new family member and just have fun and patience with him(her). Pups are my most favorite thing in this world, besides grandbabies, that is. We're lucky enough to have both.