File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Okay so -- yeah, I'm the one that bought this little brat pup a week or so ago from a flea market. Well, he nearly died over the weekend. He went all lethargic and still and feverish so we brought him to the vet yesterday early.

Turns out that all the puppies they've been selling? Totally, horribly just full of worms and parasites and sick. And they lied and said he'd had his shots and been dewormed. So we got antiparasitics and deworming medicine and he was on IV fluids all night to rehydrate him, etc.

But anyway, the main point of this is to ask for ideas on how to get him to eat better. He lost about a pound over the weekend, which is a LOT considering he was only five pounds to begin with. He's not at all interested in the bland replenishing food the vet sent, and he's too weak to eat regular puppy food, so we've been having to almost force-feed him and supplement with some sort of NutriCal gel.

Tl;dr - My puppy is sick and skinny. Halp me get him to eat?
>> Anonymous
I bought a sick pug once, and she hated the stuff we tried to give her. Your doing it right; When he starts to feel better, pup will want to eat. Maybe ask your vet if you can cut the replenisher up with something tasty? All you can really do to make a stubborn pup eat is make him feel safe, force it, and rub his belly while he's eating to make it digest.

Hope this works for you!
>> Anonymous
The poor bastard was taken away from it's mother too soon. (Fuckin' hicks and their flea markets...) Get some Esbilac Milk Replacer from the pet store to help keep him hydrated, this also provides important calories and nutrients.

Set him up a crate or pet carrier with a heating pad in the bottom and a towel over the heat. It's important to keep him warm, as an animal that young would normally be kept warm by snuggling with its littermates, thus conserving energy that can be used for growth. Also, put his kibble in hot water and let it stand 'til it cools a bit and gets mushy. It's more palatable that way.
>> Anonymous
i bought a puppy from some dude on a street corner, and he died within a couple of weeks.
>> Anonymous
The others are right, but there's still more that you could do.

Instead of NutriCal, find some PuppyCal if you can. I know it's sold at PetSmart, so if there's one in your area, try there. Same good calorie-rich supplement, but with even more calories and DHA and protein.

Depending on how old he is (did they at least tell you that at the flea market?), he should be fed Ebsilac as someone else suggested, but instead of kibble, get some good canned puppy food (which means nothing from Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree, Purina One ... Look for a holistic food, or a super-premium) and mix the Ebsilac formula right into that. Warm it up just enough to get the (tasty!) aroma in his little nose, and offer it all soft and warm and mushy in a bowl.

If he still won't eat it, just smear some on your finger and rub it in his mouth. Usually the taste will perk him up a bit.

ALSO.

As soon as he does begin eating normally, I would keep him on half canned food, half mushy kibble (from a good brand! PLEASE no Pedigree!) until he's at least three months old. Ebsilac can be a supplemental part of his diet until four months or older, if he gains the weight back too slowly.
>> Anonymous
Thanks for the suggestions, already! We got some of the food the vet sent down him, and all the medicine that was for today as well. He's already perking up a good bit just from having the food in his stomach.

We are having money troubles (my bills for college were more than expected, plus other bullshit going down), so I can't really afford to go buy him some $10 a can superfood... our big dogs eat Beneful, if that's any indication. I can get the Esbilac though, I think.

As far as warmth, we don't -own- a heating pad, but we've been holding him in our laps 99% of the time, so he's staying plenty warm. My Dachshund curls up with him as well, just like a mother... Remmy hasn't budged from his side. So hopefully we're doing okay by the poor little guy.
>> Anonymous
While it's irritating that OP appeared to think that buying a puppy from a FLEA MARKET was a smart decision, I think we're all missing the good point here: At least the puppy was taken to the vet. Do you know how rare that is around here? Normally people are like "MY PUPPY IS DYING WAT DO I DO" as if the thought of a vet never crossed their mind.
>> Anonymous
You should probably sic the ASPCA on the "breeders"
>> Anonymous
true the op is stupid buying another dog with money problems, but considering this puppy would have died after the flea market, i think we can cut some slick
>> Anonymous
>>198965

This. Also, the Humane Society.
>> Anonymous
>>198947
>>198951
The fact is our dogs are fit and healthy, spoiled more than most children, and we feed the lot of them the best food for the money. We bought a dog that would have been dead within a week and are working on making him healthy, so I think we did things just fine.

And the puppy is feeling better already after eating what the vet sent; we got more for him this afternoon. So while I appreciate all the help and the suggestions, there's more to caring for a pet than feeding your dog the most expensive shit out there and expecting him to thrive.

>>198957
Thanks for the tip. We didn't go out that day with the intention of buying a new pet; if we had, we'd have got a shelter dog. After Katrina a few years ago, I worked at one of the local shelters for about a month before school started back up. It's good to hear other people agree though.
>> Anonymous
try to feed him some microwaved scrambled egg, this will help him get onto more regular foods and is full of exactly the things your dog will need right now.
>> Anonymous
>>198912
Me again.

OP, please don't take this as coming across as haughty or whatever. I work at PetSmart, have for almost two years.

Before that I was just a consumer, same as you, and bought the best that I could afford, same as you. But Beneful is not the best out there, especially not for your money.

If you can find it (again, is there a store in your area?), Authority (our pet food line), Nutro Max, Nutro Natural Choice, or Blue Buffalo will be the best bet for quality vs. price. Blue is the most expensive food of those I listed, but PLEASE, if you can afford to buy a single thirty-pound bag (or fifteen, since you have little dogs), it will end up costing you less in the long run.

Blue (and Authority, and both Nutro varieties) have less filler cereals and grains, or more easily digestible ones. Blue stays away from the biggest allergy-causing ingredients, which avoids a lot of dietary, picky dog, weight, and skin and coat problems.
>> Anonymous
>>199299And again.

Less and more easily digested grains, "deboned chicken" and "chicken meal" versus shit like "whole ground corn" and "chicken by-product meal" and "bone meal" claiming to add calcium... Your dog will be healthier from the inside out. He will get full after eating less, meaning you don't go through a twenty-pound bag of Beneful every three weeks for one dog. He will digest his food better, meaning he shits less, and it smells less.

If you buy a bag of Beneful for your Dachshund, say a twenty-pound bag every three to four weeks, at 10 to 14 bucks a bag, you're wasting your precious money. Buy one thirty-pound bag of Blue... Once every five to six weeks, or longer depending on your dog's eating habits, at 36-40 dollars, and you're spending maybe four bucks more, total, for MUCH BETTER QUALITY.

It's worth looking into. The higher-end canned dog food is very expensive, I know, but you can usually get natural dog foods at places like Whole Foods or Trader Joes, for relatively cheap. And those are all-natural, healthy, no preservatives or added colors like Beneful has ...

...

I wish people would actually listen to the logic I spew at them every day at work. I do it for their dogs most of the time, not them.
>> Anonymous
>>199300
I know, I understand that and appreciate it. But it becomes very expensive after awhile -- I live out in the sticks and the closest petstore is about 45 minutes away. The gas alone becomes expensive, not to mention we're buying for two cocker spaniels, my Dachshund, and the puppy. We're moving in the next few months, though, closer to the city -- but I'll DEFINITELY try some of those brands you mentioned. Saving money, plus healthier pups, is always good. I appreciate it!