[srw01mom]

I have a 6 week old Beagle (Charlie) he has eaten cat food and has thrown up twice and not feeling to good. He was at the Doctor on Tuesday and received his 1st shot and was wormed at that time. Stool is soft but formed. What can I give him to help his stomach? He weighs in at 3 1/2 pounds.

[angiesample]

A 6 week old puppy is still very young... ive always been told when my dog gets sick is to not feed her for 24 hours and then do a mixture of cottage cheese or yogurt, rice, and ground beef. But im not quite sure this is the best thing to do for a puppy so young.

Once ur puppy is feeling better i would start working on switching him to a food that is designed for puppies.. cat food is not going to have the nutrients ur puppy needs.

I know u can also give dogs tums or tagament.. but i am unsure if u can do this with a pup so young.

Im sure others will have more suggestions, good luck and congrats on the new puppy!

[Lara's mom]

Rice cooked in low sodium (or homemade) chicken stock fed for 24 hours always cures my girls tummy upsets.

[CorkyMax]

Did you talk to your vet about this. It prob. has to do with the cat food but maybe it has to do with the shot or the deworming. This pup is very young for all this. In fact I wonder if you should of got the shot just now----Hope this did not include Rabies shot---It sure shouldn't of been given yet--let alone any other shot! Have I got this right, guys!? Will this shot be any good so early given? (Any vaccination this early?)

I didn't reply sooner because I am unsure of advice from me for such a young puppy. Actually this pup should still be with it's mother till at least 8-12 weeks--for many reasons.

I was thinking the advice Lara gave was right-on but like I said this pup is so young that it might not be for such a little guy----I'm sure Lara meant to stress the home-made stuff should have all the fat 'skimmed' off. Or you might end up with an even sicker pup. But the best bet would be to talk to your vet--Call on the phone! Also usually there is no feeding for the 1st 24 hrs But this may not be good for a 6 week old! Don't know--CALL YOUR VET!!

How is your puppy doing right now since you 1st posted 17 hrs ago? Keep us posted---We want to hear that the poor little guy is feeling and doing okay.

[srw01mom]

Thank you all for the good advice! He had a restless night but this morning at 5:00am he woke me up wanting to play. He has been acting fine all day. I have put the cat food out of his reach. He will not get hold of that again.

Thanks again for all your advice.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by srw01mom

Thank you all for the good advice! He had a restless night but this morning at 5:00am he woke me up wanting to play. He has been acting fine all day. I have put the cat food out of his reach. He will not get hold of that again.

Thanks again for all your advice.

So glad to hear he is doing better. Does he have an appetite now?

[Marc]

My vet recommends the 6 week shot when we have black and tans. There have been 2 out of 2 vets so far tell me that they are more susceptible to parvo than other coat colors. The genes that code for that color combination must make them more susceptible.

As far as it doing any good, probably not, but there's a chance. In a series of puppy shots, a puppy only needs one of them. The reason we give them a series is because some pups' immune systems will develop at 6 weeks, some at 9weeks, etc. The 'last shot' is for the late bloomers who didn't have an immune system that could build the necessary antibodies earlier. Does this mean wait to give only one shot? NO WAY! These little guys need a strong immune system ASAP, and that means getting them the vaccine that will work for them as soon as it will work for them. That's why we do the shots in a series.

[Yogi]

in actuality the 6 week shot is theoretical. Puppy boosters are given only after a pup is no longer nursing. As some pups will nurse past 6 weeks, giving them a booster is redundant and really has nothing to do with the immune system in the sense that it is late in blooming, it is continually blooming far beyond this time. The 3 ensures that during the early process that it continues to mature properly in place of the mothers nutrients so yes, all three are essential. By giving them every other week it helps ensure that the proper antibodies are there to fight off any invasive disease that the pup may encounter while the immune system is still under development. The first booster is given a week after nursing otherwise it goes to waste if the dog is still nursing no need for the booster.

[Marc]

I think you're talking about the colustrum - and it's only given to puppies during the first 24 hours after birth. It has whole antibodies which is why they can fight off infection for weeks. These antibodies are ready to go and don't need any work from the pup itself.

Nursing after the first 24 hours is for nourishment alone. The milk contains no usable antibodies for the pup. Any incidental antibodies that make it into the milk are broken down as proteins.

Vaccines are either pieces of dead viruses or modified live viruses that cannot hurt the pup, but will allow its immune system to fight it off anyway. Then, in the future, the pup's immune system will recognize the real virus and fight it off faster and more aggressively.

[Yogi]

True but the concept of 6 week booster is theoretical. It is not a standard based on anything shy of the average period of time a dam will nurse her pups. You do not give a booster to a pup while it is still nursing. No vet will do this as it is useless.

[Lara's mom]

You are absolutely correct Corky/Max. I just assumed that skimming the fat off of homemade stock was "a given". I should have mentioned it. Thanks for pointing it out!