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They are fat and
healthy, they have food available free choice 24 hours a
day. They need the extra fat to sustain them through the
stress of moving to a new home. They WILL lose it as they
become more active.
We wean our puppies
at eight weeks, as recommended by my Vet. Teacups have
a very high metabolism and weaning any sooner is
detrimental to their health, emotional and behavioral
development. They need the interaction from 7 to 8 weeks
with other puppies to learn to act like a dog and learn
his place in the pack. Early weaning can cause bad
temperaments, fighting among dogs and a dog that is harder
to train. Puppies weaned earlier than 8 weeks will have a
tendency towards lifelong digestive problems as well as
weakened skeletal structure. Puppies should not have a pot
belly, that's a sure indication of digestive problems or
worms, or both. They should have a slight layer of
subcutaneous fat. Prominent ribs and, backbone is an
indication poor health, skeletal structure or food
deprivation and buyers will most likely incur staggering
Vet bills in order to get them healthy and keep them
healthy. Depriving an animal of food in attempt to keep it
small is cruel, but is practiced by many people. If the
puppies are sent to a new home before they are given time
to adjust to dietary changes, the digestive upset,
diarrhea, vomiting and resulting hypoglycemia from weaning
too soon hits them, then the buyer has to deal with it.
Some want to ''get rid'' of the puppies before the
digestive upset from weaning too fast and too soon hits so
the buyer will have to deal with it. A lot of the time,
puppies do not survive the stress. Five and six week old
puppies are absolutely adorable, but it is a very critical
and stressful period in their lives.
I do not let my
puppies go until 12 weeks of age. Their immune
systems are compromised from their shots, which makes them
susceptible to just about any disease they are exposed to
during the week after the shots. From the third to the
sixth day after the shots is the most critical period. The
week following the shots is a time they should be isolated
from the other adult dogs and puppies and not moved to a
new home because the stress, along with lowered immunity
from the shots can cause major problems and extreme
illness. And again. I know people give shots and send them
out the very same day, only to have the puppies get sick ,
then blame the unsuspecting buyer.
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