The 6 Week Check up
Posted by Delores Smith on Saturday, August 31, 2013
Wednesday was an eventful day as the litter had their 6 week check up at the Winkler vet. My SUV holds 2 large dog crates which fit 11 puppies quite nicely....that is my criteria when I shop for a vehicle - must fit 2 crates. It was a noisy ride in - it was a big adventure for the puppies. Being put in a crate...away from their comfort zone and driving in a moving vehicle. About 4 of them made constant whines and barks...can't imagine the noise if all 11 were vocal! The appointment took only 35 minutes from start to finish....overall the litter was healthy - vet was very pleased. The ride back was totally quiet! Two of the females, Ms Blue and Ms Brown had heart murmurs detected. Recorded is a Grade 1 heart murmur - they are graded from 1 to 6 with 1 being the lowest grade. The murmurs were barely detectible...the vet had to listen hard for them - They are also called innocent murmurs, which normally go away by their next check up or at the latest, 4 month check up. A
s a breeder, you are holding your breath until the last puppy is checked....while the news is disappointing, they are not serious conditions, so that is the positive I take out of this. I did not look forward to letting the two puppy owners know about their pups...any kind of health news causes angst and worry, which is understandable. Owner of Ms. Blue has changed to Ms. Pink.
Here is a good article I found about heart murmers...I think it explains it very well
http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/heart-murmurs-in-dogs/3912
While this is good in a clinical sense, it doesn't eliminate the emotions prospective puppy owers are going through...nobody wants to have an unhealthy puppy...including myself.I have confidence in my vet and her opinion that these puppies will have a clean bill of health by the time they are 4 months.
Puppies must be going through a growth spurt...they are one hungry bunch...attacking the food, which is now dry, like they haven't eaten all day. I have upped the 3 cups each feeding to 4 cups each feeding. I was telling the people who came to pick their puppy in person, that by the time the pup is ready to go home with them, he/she will be several pounds heavier. Dion is allowed to nurse them 1x a day, in the morning....she would prefer more times...her food has been cut back to normal and the milk production is very low. After Sunday, she will not be nursing them anymore.
s a breeder, you are holding your breath until the last puppy is checked....while the news is disappointing, they are not serious conditions, so that is the positive I take out of this. I did not look forward to letting the two puppy owners know about their pups...any kind of health news causes angst and worry, which is understandable. Owner of Ms. Blue has changed to Ms. Pink.
Here is a good article I found about heart murmers...I think it explains it very well
http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/heart-murmurs-in-dogs/3912
While this is good in a clinical sense, it doesn't eliminate the emotions prospective puppy owers are going through...nobody wants to have an unhealthy puppy...including myself.I have confidence in my vet and her opinion that these puppies will have a clean bill of health by the time they are 4 months.
Puppies must be going through a growth spurt...they are one hungry bunch...attacking the food, which is now dry, like they haven't eaten all day. I have upped the 3 cups each feeding to 4 cups each feeding. I was telling the people who came to pick their puppy in person, that by the time the pup is ready to go home with them, he/she will be several pounds heavier. Dion is allowed to nurse them 1x a day, in the morning....she would prefer more times...her food has been cut back to normal and the milk production is very low. After Sunday, she will not be nursing them anymore.
