Fur’Ever Families

Congratulations on your new best FUR’end friend and welcome to the TBP’s FUR’ever family!

INCLUDED WITH EVERY PUPPY IS…

• Vaccination records

• Registration

• Microchip

• Food information about the food they have been started on

• Helpful information about your toy breed

• 24/7 Support

• 30% Off Puppy Perks from our PuppEssentials Pet Shop

We love to receive updates & pictures! Don’t worry, you can never send too many! We love seeing how our friends are doing in their FUR’ever home. We wish all the best for you & your newest addition to your family. 

Note from your breeder: Please always follow up with your veterinarian to ensure your FUR’end is healthy. Blood sugar will drop for various reasons from stress, tummy ache, to a simple medical or serious reason like infection or disease. This is not meant to scare you but to educate you on how to keep your best FUR’end healthy and happy.    

Feeding Info

Guidelines to Minimizing Upset Stomach in Your Puppy  

• For the first two or three days, mix a greater percentage of old food than new food, about three-quarters of the puppy food he now eats with one-quarter of his new food.

• Then give him equal portions of new and old food for two or three days.

• Follow that with three-quarters new food and one-quarter percent old food.

• After that, his digestive system should be ready to handle only the new food.

Sometimes owners have to switch food abruptly, due to a recall or other unforeseen circumstances. Even in this situation, you can help your puppy adjust to a new diet. Try to find a food that closely matches the existing food in ingredients, types of protein, and amounts of fiber and fat.

Give your puppy smaller meals, watching for diarrhea or other issues. If he does well with the first meal, continue to feed him smaller meals than usual and then gradually get back on your old feeding schedule. A little tummy upset is to be expected, but if vomiting, seems sick, or stops eating entirely, consult your veterinarian.

Unlike humans, dogs don't crave variety in their diet. High-quality puppy food has all of the ingredients, in the right proportions, to meet their nutritional needs.

Recommended to have in a home with a toy breed

Low Blood Sugar

TOY BREED PUPPIES ARE MOST PRONE FOR LOW BLOOD SUGAR PROBLEMS

Low blood sugar can affect puppies much more often than adult dogs, even when your puppy is healthy, so it's important to learn about low blood sugar symptoms and what to do. The technical term is hypoglycemia and happens most often with adult pets that suffer from diabetes. Sugar moves into the cells with the help of insulin, and too much insulin can cause hypoglycemia.

Puppies almost never have diabetes, but can develop low blood sugar due to intestinal parasites that compromise digestion.

Very small puppies, especially Toy breeds under 6 pounds, are so tiny, they have very few fat stores. Fat is body fuel, and when there’s not enough, the blood sugar levels fall. Adult pets can make up this difference when their liver churns out the necessary sugar. But immature livers can’t manufacture enough necessary sugar and as a result, these tiny pups develop hypoglycemia.

WHAT ARE LOW BLOOD SUGAR SYMPTOMS?

The signs of low blood sugar can be vague. It’s important to watch out for them especially if your puppy is a tiny breed that’s most susceptible. Without enough sugar, the puppy’s heartbeat rate and breathing slows down and that triggers a cascade effect of other symptoms. Be alert for any one or combination of the following signs.

• The puppy acts weak

• The puppy becomes sleepy

• The puppy seems disoriented

• He develops a wobbly “drunk” gait

• His eyes look ‘glassy’ and unfocused

• The puppy starts to twitch, shake or tremble/shiver

• His head tilts to one side

• He develops seizures

• The puppy falls unconscious and can’t be awakened.

Without prompt attention and first aid, your puppy could die. But fortunately, when you recognize the signs early in the process, low blood sugar is easy to treat and reverse at home.

In almost all cases, the puppy will respond very quickly to treatment, within five or ten minutes. However, if treatment doesn’t reverse the symptoms within this time frame take your puppy to the veterinarian immediately as something else could have caused the signs. Even when your puppy responds quickly it’s a good idea to have the vet check your puppy sometime that day to be sure everything is as it should be.

FIRST AID FOR HYPOGLYCEMIA

When you catch the symptoms early and seek treatment immediately, most puppies are fine. But without prompt help puppies can fall into a coma, and their breathing and/or heartbeat may stop. Refer to the articles on rescue breathing and puppy CPR to save your pet’s life.

For All Symptoms. When the blood sugar drops, puppies can’t regulate their body temperature. It’s important to keep him warm until the glucose level rises enough to burn for energy. Wrap your puppy in a blanket, and snuggle him with a hot water bottle or heating pad. This can also slow down the effects of shock.

For Sleepy/Woozy Behavior. Getting sugar into the puppy will counteract all these symptoms. Often, you’ll notice the wooziness when it’s been a while since the puppy’s last meal. So as soon as you notice puppy woozy behavior, offer him something to eat. Make it something smelly and yummy that you know he’ll eagerly snarf up, like a tablespoon or two of canned food.

For Drunk/Shivery Behavior. A highly concentrated sugar source like Karo syrup, pancake syrup or honey can work even more quickly. Just be sure your puppy is still able to swallow before giving him about a teaspoonful of the sugar source. If he’s very groggy, offer a bit of water first and if he won’t lap it up, give some with a syringe. Check to be sure he swallows, and then offer the syrup. He should be able to lap it up from the spoon.

For Seizures/Unconscious. Refer to the tips outlined in the article about seizures in puppies. Once the seizure has finished, or when the puppy has fallen unconscious, you can still administer a sugar source. He doesn’t need to swallow. It will be absorbed directly through the mucus membranes in the puppy’s mouth and transferred into the bloodstream. Honey works best for this. Rub the honey on the inside of his lips and gums, and watch for recovery in five to 15 minutes. You can drive your puppy to the vet clinic during this period.

PREVENTING LOW BLOOD SUGAR

When your puppy has suffered from a bout of hypoglycemia, you’ll know to be alert for the signs of low blood sugar in the future. You can also take steps to prevent the problem, especially if your puppy is a high-risk pet.

• Add two tablespoons Karo syrup to your puppy’s water for all day sipping. Be sure to dump out and add fresh each day or the sugar water could grow bacteria.

• Schedule several meals every day. Toy breed adults and any young puppy have trouble eating enough food at one setting. So a small meal several times a day helps keep the blood sugar levels normal.

• Provide dry food out all the time, in a puzzle toy ball, for intermittent snacking. You can measure this amount, too, and regulate how much the pup gets to help keep him slim, prevent puppy obesity, but provide health blood sugar levels.

Most adult dogs won’t have problems with hypoglycemia. However, playing and running too hard without rest can cause low blood sugar even in adults that are not Toy breed dogs. It’s up to pet parents to stay watchful and make sure the puppy and maturing dog eat right and maintain healthy food habits.

ToyBox Puppies Daily Schedule

• Rise and shine - Morning wake up & out to potty

•  Come inside for food and water 

• If puppy does not finish food that's ok, pick up food and water bowl so puppy can't get to it freely during potty training 

• Within 10 minutes of eating, back outside to potty. 

• Play time/nap time 2 to 3 hours 

• Offer water 

• Potty time **Remember potty time is not play time. You want puppy to understand that this is time for business.

• Late afternoon/evening offer puppy any food that was not eaten that morning. You may also split the recommended daily amount into feeding times throughout the day. 

• Within 5 to 10 minutes back outside to potty 

• Play time/nap time 2 to 3 hours 

• offer water 

• potty time after 

• Bedtime should be in a safe puppy proof place 

ACA PrePaid Registration

Congratulations to you and your new puppy. Your breeder has already microchipped your puppy. The microchip needs to be registered & activated in the new owner’s name. ACA has a new program that now requires the breeder to do this. You will receive your puppy’s Registration & microchip will also be registered in the same name. This will arrive via email. There will be a link for you to click on, this will take you to the site to name your new best friend and make any changes to your prepaid registration. You will also receive additional benefits through ACA. (a total of 3 emails.) Email Prepaid Registration & Microchip Activation

What are the benefits of registering my dog with ACA?

• Lifetime genetic health tracking, 

• 24/7 Lifetime Lost & Found monitoring services with USA based live operators, 

• Lifetime Worldwide Lost and Found Pet Tag replacements, 

• ASK-A-TRAINER, ASK-A-VET, 

• Dog Shows and trials, 

• Educational Seminars, 

• pedigree services, 

• registration services, 

• National Toll Free customer friendly customer support services, 

• Star Breeder qualification and tracking, and much more

Thank you for choosing ToyBox Puppies for your new Best FUR’end friend.