Hi
One of my pups in the last couple of days has started to put her head back and make a strained cry. She sleeps soundly, feeds, has solid poos but when she is awake she just wonders around looking upset.
I took her to the vets at 8.30am this morning to put my mind at rest but didnt really get any answers. I was told that she has some upper respitory noise and was a bit crusty on her nose but physically she looked well. She has put on 3oz but the rest of them 7-8oz this week.

He has prescribed antibiotics for the whole litter but said it is lightly to give them diarreah, which seems harsh when he cant confirm there is anything wrong at all.

He also said to bottle feed her but she wont entertain that idea.

I am sure she is feeding.

i dont know whether to dose them all or see how she goes. She sleeps so soundly and is ok most of the time. Could she just be insecure? I started offering them milk with naturediet puppy in but they didnt entertain that so will try again later in the week but is it true this is a really sensitive week, could this have upset her?

Amanda, the age of your puppy maybe relevent to this question, so you may include it.

With regard to your question: Personally, if the vet has prescribed anti's for the whole litter, then I would be giving them to them.

Better to be safe than sorry?

thanks admin,
The litter is 3 weeks old. Their noses may be slightly crusty from starting the weaning process.

the vet also suggested that i put them in a steamy room. We have just done that and warm cotton wool wiped their noses. This seems to have cleared her airway. i have given her a dose of the antibiotics and will see how she goes. She seems better for the steaming actually. i suppose with such small nostrils a bit of crusty dried milk up the nose would block you up. She seems to be struggling to sniff out mums milk to but after putting it in her mouth has fed a little before losing interest.

Having started the antibiotics you really need to continue with the full course as a part course will encourage antibiotics resistance which will be much harder to treat.  If their digestion is upset a tiny amount of live yoghurt daily can help maintain the useful bacteria.  If they have persistant diarrheoa though speak to the vet again as this will also need treating correctly.
I think the antibiotics are for the best if there is any question of a respiratory infection in a creature so young and throwing the head back can be an attempt to get more air in.

thanks, i will continue the course, although he did say she would be better in two days???
All is silent of snuffling after the steam room experience and they are all sleeping. i am beginning to think it could just have been a case of dried milk in the nostrils??? When i watched her latch on finally this morning she seemed to be unable to sniff it out then latched on but for a short while. i guess breathing whilst feeding could be a strain.

Is it ok to just treat her on the abc's or must i treat the whole litter who are absolutely fine?

> although he did say she would be better in two days???
>

Yes, you do generally see a response to antibiotics after about 48 hours but you do still need to complete the course and the infection needs to be completely cleared to avoid the organism involved, having experienced the challenge, developing resistance.

>Is it ok to just treat her on the abc's or must i treat the whole litter who are absolutely fine?

I would, otherwise they are likely to just keep reinfecting each other if infection is present.

Bisolvon powder (given twice daily for 5 days) can help if there is a respiratory infection and mucous is a problem. But it would have to be prescribed by your vet.

If it is a respiratory infection as with babies the mucous can get into stomach by them swallowing it back - this fills up the tummy making them reluctant to feed and often makes them gag/vomit. She could have gained only small amount of weight compared to other pups because of this.

Hope she gets better soon.

you did say on another forum that she was making seagull type cries which was a bit concerning, hope she is better now?

hi, i have been steaming her every 2 hours and antibiotics. nothing else i can do for her now. She is being kept very warm. Sleeping soundly now. just need to hope the antibiotics do their thing.
when she is sleeping i dont think there is much of a problem but when she is awake she seems so upset and then the seagull cries kick in. Mum hates the noise but cant always console her. She quiets down when you pick her up.

Think happy thoughts for her, i just cant lose her now :0(

come on lttle star get well soon ...wiltshireone thinking about u both ,im sure antibiotics will kick in soon ...i had a litter that all was the same as this little girl (3weeks of age ) and all got though it as will she :) xx

thanks White lilley, i have just had a small break through. She had a small feed of about a minute, i swung her as advised by another breeder and steamed her and she settled straight back down to sleep with no noises. Fingers crossed if i keep up this ritual every two hours the antibiotics will kick in and she will make it through.

I am so scared for her but feel a little more hopeful for seeing her latch on for a bit.

are you sure she hasnt  also got wind.... rub her belly and put her on your shoulder and tap her back as you would a baby.

i havent tried winding her, will give it a shot, cant do any harm!

The swinging seems to clear her with the steam and i am pleased to report she hasnt cried since about 3pm. Not sure if the Abc's are kicking in already or the steam every two hours but it has made her more comfortable.

one of the others is a little snuffly now so am treating them all with Abc's so fingers crossed we have caught this in time.

Bless ya, hope the suggestions work and they all are well soon. x

thanks Trish, feel much better about them than i did this morning x

Wish I coudl give advice on this one, but have never experienced it.  All I can say is make super sure the nostrils are clean and clear.  Does she have well defined, open nostrils?  Fingers crossed everything comes back to normal soon.

I'm very glad she seems a bit better to :-)

I thought she was lots better this morning but has started crying and squeeking when she is awake again. She seems more active than the others, the only one who wants to climb out of the whelping box. OH thinks she is an attention seeker as if you pick her up she stops the noise and enjoys a cuddle.

Her nostrils are obviously very small but well formed. As there are two of them like it now i will assume this is an infection and keep on treating with the Abc's and steam. She is the only one to cry though.

She did feed for a good while this morning straight after i had steamed and cleared her so know hunger isnt an issue thank goodness.

She is still spraying from her nose so still has discharge. Looks like the common cold but obviously serious as they are so small. It is so worrying but fingers crossed the treatment kicks in soon.

Hi, how is the pup doing ? I hope she is fine now.

Hi ya
they all got the snuffles but have just completed their antibiotics and seem fine. I now know the difference between distress noises and whinging noises!!
All the intense treatment is making me sooo attached to them but it is great to see them playing now and just starting to eat.
 
thanks for asking :)

Glad to hear they are all well again!
Have you sorted the abandoned girl? Wink, wink nudge, nudge! lol :)

Hi Trish, i am not allowed to talk about the litter but yep, a fab outcome :)

glad to hear is ok now wiltshireone :) xx

So glad to hear they are all doing well now.