CountryCanine

Your puppies health and happiness are the most important factors to me. These are just some basic guidelines for you to follow. NOTHING takes the place of the relationship between you and YOUR OWN VET. I am here to help but your vet has the final say in any decisions reguarding your puppy!

First lets look at the signs that you should be aware of that NEED IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION:
1. A fever of 103.5 or more (Nomal is 101. Use a puppy thermometer & ALWAYS keep it on hand in the house!)
2. Bloody, runny, or watery stools (dehydration can happen in less than an hour with severe runs).
3. Not eating or drinking.
4. Lethargic
5. Throwing up
6. Worms visible in stools
These are all symptoms NOT TO BE IGNORED. If you cannot "afford" a vet then you cannot "afford" a dog .. PERIOD. Never "wait and see" if your puppy will get better!!! Small breeds MUST be attended to by a vet as soon as symptoms arise. Failure to do so can result in DEATH.

Vaccinations
Every puppy that leaves here has a shot record. Puppies need to have boosters every three weeks until they are sixteen weeks old. These vaccines are NOT a "choice" they are an absolute MUST. Rabies must be given according to your states laws. If your puppy is more than twelve weeks old it will have a rabies before leaving.

There are also "optional" vaccines that I do not give before a puppy leaves here such as:
Bordatella, Corona, Lymes, ect. Please discuss this with your vet and take his/her recomended course of action.

Parasites
Worms and stomach bacterias such as Coccidia and Giardia are BAD NEWS. Extremely easy to treat but they MUST be treated. Not every vet performs a fecal at every puppy checkup. ASK YOUR VET FOR A FECAL at ALL of your puppies check up visits. There are hooks, rounds, whips and they are again, easy to treat but MUST be treated. Signs of worms are a skinny puppy or a puppy with a pot belly. Ask your vet to give your puppy a tapeworm pill at it's FIRST VISIT even if there are NO SIGNS. We are a flea free enviroment but I still feel like this is neccesary.

Coccida and Giardia
These are difficult things to predict with a puppy that is being shipped. Puppies can have a completely NEGATIVE stool check before shipment and either of these can raise their ugly heads after shipment or moving a puppy to a new home. In the South, particuarly, we have a problem with Coccidia since we have no real freezing weather. All of our puppies go through a manditory ten day treatment but you must be aware of the symptoms and have your puppy treated IMMEDIATELY if you see:

1. Runny stool
2. Bloody Stool
3. Stools with Mucus in them

Like worms treating this is EASY and cost effective too (not expensive). Leaving it untreated is sure to cause DEATH. So...be aware of these symptoms and take your puppy to the vet at the first signs. Almost all dogs have Coccidia but their immune system fends it off and they shed it naturally. The stress of moving a puppy can make it "flare up" and take over their little tummies. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to

Watch your puppies stools for the first two months it's home! Do NOT fail to see a stool EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!

How to take your new puppy to the vet!
Ok...the vet's office is NOT the place to linger or hang out. It's not the place to let everyone hold your baby. It is not the place, ever, to put your baby on the floor!
THE VETS OFFICE IS WHERE SICK DOGS GO TO. IT MAY BE CLEAN BUT IT'S STILL CHOCK FULL OF COOTIES! DO NOT BE ASHAMED TO CARRY A CAN OF LYSOL AND TO SPRAY YOUR SHOES ON LEAVING AND YOUR TABLE BEFORE SITTING YOUR PUPPY ON A CLEAN WHITE TOWEL THAT YOU BROUGHT FROM HOME THAT CAN BE PUT IN A BAG AND BLEACHED UPON LEAVING THE VETS!!! Ask your vet to wash his/her hands before touching your baby! Do not let a tech "whisk your puppy to the back".
Ok? Was that strong enough? No?
THE VETS OFFICE IS WHERE ALL THE BAD BAD COOTIES ARE! KEEP YOUR BABY SAFE!

Nutrical
What can I say about Nutrical other than it's a lifesaver with tiny puppies. If your puppy is under 3lbs it probably needs Nutrical at least once a day. Once a day for three lbs. Twice a day for two pounds. Three times a day for 1lbs. This is my general rule of thumb. 
Nutrical looks like a tube of toothpaste and comes out like toothpaste. For tiny puppies a 1/4" strip is plenty at one time.  Toy breeds are susceptible to "low sugar" and Nutrical will help these tiny puppies sustain a healthy glucose level until they gain weight.  Puppies do not have stored glycogen like adults/dogs do, so therefore they loose the glucose with stress and high level energy play.

Toys and Treats
I am big on "what works for me". You may find things you like but always keep safety and healthy first and foremost when buying treats and toys.
The KONG toys are GREAT. I buy the puppy Kongs and use peanut butter or IAMS puppy biscuits in them! NOT TOO MUCH PB!
Talking toys that are thrown on the floor are great.  Example is the Taco Bell dog toy.  All of our dogs just treasure these little talking toys. If they tear open sew them shut or throw them away! Be safe!
We give American Whole cheese as a treat and I also give whole wheat "bread balls" made by wadding up breand and rolling it into small balls. Can be a bit sticky so watch for choking. In fact always supervise treats and toys! We cannot be careful enough as the toys aren't really regulated like they should be by a safety commision.  Never, ever give small puppies leather chew sticks or bones...I use the crunchy sticks that are compressed "chewies" that fall apart into jiblets and the puppies love them.  Petco and ATwoods carry these in large economy size bags.

DIET
This is a HUGE factor in your puppies future and day to day living. We feed Science Diet Puppy Small Breed now. We tried all the rest and stuck with the best. Purina is the only other acceptable form of feed. Your puppy will need this for the first year of it's life. Your puppy needs NOTHING ELSE in it's diet!  I look at it this way, as many years of research to have the name of Purina behind it, it's got to be good!  Your vet or pet store will tell you that the most expensive brands are "best", but learn to read the labels and compare ingredients.  And pay for the research!!!  Most vets and petstores get cuts on purchases by pushing that feed as a shelf item.  I recently had a prominent pet store employee tell me that a dog food salesman came to their facility and did the top 10 selling dog foods by brands and they all compared equal on the ingredients chart and fat/protein scale.  So read your labels!!!

What goes in and what goes out are ALL important at this age. Sometimes they need to be coaxed to eat but if they will NOT eat they must go to the vets. If your puppy refuses to eat here are a few things you can try, but remember, your ultimate goal is for your puppy to eat DRY FOOD with no additives. Always work towards this goal!
1. If I have a puppy that is being finiky I will add warm water to their food and let it sit for two minutes. Stir it well.
2. If the warm water doesn't work, follow step one and add a teaspoonfull of Puppy replacer milk powder (comes in a can at most vets...keep this on hand!).
3. If step one and two fail I will offer the puppy a small amount of canned puppy food  slightly warmed.
4. If all else fails my vet recommends feeding Gerber baby foods Turkey or Chicken gravy.  If you are having to feed a substitute baby food or have a finicky eater,  do NOT FORGET to give your NUTRICAL as it has the glucose needed ( puppy will become hypoglycemic)
If your puppy is not wanting to eat it needs to see a vet immediately if none of these steps work!

Socialization

This is a subject often overlooked! Your puppy needs to develop to it's fullest extent. It cannot do that without proper socialization and without being properly housebroken. Two books you will absolutely need are:
Housebreaking For Dummies
New Puppies For Dummies
Buy these and they will be a constant resource for your questions on almost any type of training or problems that might arise.
Socialization is key! Puppy classes, taking them on car rides (watch the heat!!!), to the park, pet stores, ect. is great for this (only when puppies are THROUGH with puppy vaccines at sixteen weeks!!!). Remember basic courtesy and pick up after your dog and please teach your puppy manners from day one. No one wants to be clawed, chewed on, or slobbered on!
PUT YOUR PUPPY ON A LEASH and walk it at least fifteen minutes a day! Even if it's in the house! Start this EARLY and keep it up for the REST OF YOUR PUPPIES LIFE!!!