Hi!  Someone referred me to this forum for some help and advice in raising an orphaned 2 1/2 week old Rat Terrier puppy (she was born on Memorial Day).  We have named her Oreo because of her black and white color.

I took her in three days ago to hand raise.  This is the first time I have done this.  We went to the vet for instruction, but I still have questions that have come up just in my general care for her.  Any and all advice would be extremely appreciated.

First, I know you are suppose to stimulate them so they can use the bathroom.  Oreo now urinates on her own, but she has only had one bowel movement, which has been over 24 hours ago. (She had it at 5:00 PM Wednesday, June 16.  It is 2:00 PM Friday, June 18 at the time I am writing this.)  I stimulate her anus, but she does not respond.  The one bowel movement she had she done on her own with no stimulation.  Am I to be concerned?  The one thing I worry about is colic.  What should I do to get her to have a bowel movement?

Second, when I feed her I run into a couple of more issues, the first being she squirms and scratches and just can't lay still as she feeds!  It is hard to keep the nipple in her mouth.  I use a bottle that was given to me my the vet and she gets plenty milk as she sucks, but she does not seem content with the nipple.  Should I try a Playtex baby nipple?  A couple of friends recommended this, but I was not sure if there were reasons to use the nipple and bottle that the vet gave me instead.  The other issue is that when she is feeding, she sounds real rattly in her chest.  I actually can't tell if it is her breathing through her nose that makes the sound or if it is really in her chest because the only time I hear it is when she is feeding.  My fear is that she has breathed in some of the milk and could develop pneuemonia.  What are some signs that would clue me on this?  Anyone have any similar experiences?

Third, at what age do puppies begin to walk around?  Are there things that I could do with her that her mom would naturally do that can aid in her development.  Are there behavioral concerns in puppies that are taken from their mommy before they were 8 weeks.  If so, how can I counter those.

Thanks in advance for any advice received, even if it was something I hadn't mentioned!  I need all the help I can get to give this baby the best.  She has been through a lot and certainly deserves it!

Bitches stimulate pups to defaecate by licking the pups bums, not suggesting you do that of course but a warm wet tissue or cotton wool soaked in warm water gently stroked across anus towards base of tail until pup poo's usually works. At 21/2 weeks pup should be able to lap milk and probably sloppy puppy food from a saucer.
good luck
Amos

I had been doing that, but it hadn't worked.  I ended up taking her to the vet again and they couldn't stimulate her to make her go either.  They ended up giving her an enema.  She came out looking half the size in her belly!  They said she was really full of it!  I could tell a big difference in her behavior also...she wasn't so fidgety.  She is sleeping peacefully on my chest as I type.  She is soooooo sweet.  Thanks for the response.  By the way, I asked the vet about the food and they agreed that I could mix milk with canned puppy food to get her started on solids.  Oreo LOVED it and she was a very sloppy eater!  We both had to have a bath afterwards!!!  lol

sounds like you have it cracked now, well done.
Amos

Good to hear the little one is doing better :)

Thanks dollface for the links.  I truly appreciate it! 

Hi Struggling :-) glad to hear your puppy made it, not sure what a rat terrier is though? Is it like a Jack Russell and small? Some of the good things to give your puppy to help him grow would be an egg beaten into the puppy milk with a little honey and scrapped beef  and puppy milk (buy a piece of stewing beef and scrape across it with a sharp knife, you get a sort of paste with no gristley bits) I hope he continues to improve :-D

Your welcome :)

Hows the puppy doing today?

Hi all!  Thanks for all the advice and help.  It is good to know there is support out there beyond the vet, someone going through the same things! 

In answer to the question about the Rat Terrier breed, here is a good website to go to:  http://www.ratterrierclub.com

Our puppy is doing good so far. (Her name in the beginning was Oreo because she was black and white, but we all decided we didn't like how that sounded and voted on a new name for her.  Her new and permanent name is Skittles!)  Skittles goes back to the vet on Monday for her four week checkup and for me to get some other issues checked out by him.  They may be totally natural, but she has me concerned.  When she sleeps, she starts shaking and rolls her eyes.  To me, it looks like she may be having a seizure, but maybe that is just natural sleeping movements.  I hope to get an all clear on that then.  Has anyone ever seen that sort of behavior. 

Other than that, she is the light of our home right now.  Well, to all of us except our 3 1/2 year old Pekingese, Tootsie.  She is SO jealous of her and can hardly stand to look at her.  A couple of days ago I had them sniffing noses and Tootsie seemed to be doing fine with her.  Then out of the blue she snapped and bit Skittle's nose!   Anyone have any advice on getting Tootsie on speaking terms with her?  I am afraid to get the two together again, I just don't trust Tootsie with her.  I let Tootsie watch Skittles waddling around and hope she will just get use to her.  Tootsie has never been a mom and has been fixed so she never will be.  I was hoping that she would have adopted Skittles! 

Sounds to be like you're doing a fine job with Skittles - great name! :-)

Re.Tootsie's behaviour, this can be very common when adult dogs meet young pups - pups can be unpredictable in their behaviour and have not learnt "dog communication/language" as it were, so adults can be confused and frightened by this little thing tottering around and not communicating properly...hence Tootsie snapping.

It is very uncommon for an adult dog actually to harm a young pup - but obviously mistakes can happen.  So, keep the meetings supervised but try not to interfere too much, just try to judge from Tootsie's body language and behaviour how she is coping with Skittles.

More than likely, Tootsie will become more and more accustomed to your new addition, as Skittles learns more about how to communicate and where she should sit in the hierachy (sp?)...good luck to you...sounds like heaps of fun! :-)

:-)  The name really suits her personality too; she is so fun!

Thank you for the advice on Tootsie.  It is hard for me to let Tootsie too close to Skittles, but I am trying to not be too overprotective.  Tootsie does seem to be a little more tolerant of Skittles' smell and even sniffs her every once in a while, so I am hoping this is the beginning of a great new friendship!  I will update on their progress!