CARING FOR YOUR POMERANIAN
                                                                            

FOOD

FEEDING RAW: The benefits of feeding raw are basically unchallengeable. Among them are: healthy digestion, strong immunity system, bright eyes, dense coats, cleaner teeth, more virile studs, easier whelping dams, robust puppies, longer life - and the list goes on.

If you have purchased a Showboat puppy or adult Pom, that dog has been raised on a raw diet which includes beef, bison, organ meats, poultry, fish, green tripe, vegetables and quality supplements such as Show Stopper,  Wild Salmon Oil, Vitamin C, NuPro vitamins and K-9 Liquid Glucosamine.  For optimum bone development puppies are given OsteoForm from 4 through 11 months of age.

Regarding raw food and holistic kibble, refer to the Raw Food link or the Raw Food brochure given to you with your Showboat Pomeranian.

STRESS

Stress can cause serious illness or death to a Pomeranian and is not restricted to puppies. When a Pom or other toy breed "goes down" they will show signs of the stress, shaking, disorientation or collapsing in weakness; he may drool, stiffen or even foam at mouth. This is hypoglycemia and quick action must be taken.

To help a puppy avoid such stress, feed him at least four times a day until he is four months old then three times a day for another month.

Feed a normal breakfast (1/4 rounded cup or 4-6 ounces of raw food depending on how active he is) or 1/4 to ½ cup of holistic kibble.

Feed a wholesome snack at midday

Feed a light early dinner, 1/4 cup meat, plus a few canned green beans or tablespoon of cottage cheese or sweet potato etc.

Early evening, give 2 or 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt (or Vanilla Yogurt if he won’t eat plain) and a small amount of kibble if you like.

For the puppy (or grown dog) who does go down, this is a life threatening situation and he needs energy, electrolytes restored. You should keep something like NutriCal at all times if you own toy dogs. Squeeze out a ribbon of this on your finger and put it on the roof of his mouth. Mix some water with Karo Syrup and feed it to him in the side of his mouth with a syringe (no needle of course) or an eye dropper, rub his throat lightly so he will swallow.

If he will eat, feed him and continue feed and NutriCal. If he does not show immediate improvement, wrap him up and head for your vet. His life is in serious danger.

Stress can also take its toll on a dog’s general health and certainly can affect his coat, and most especially if the dog is a show or obedience competitor. He should have Vitamin B daily, such as Dr. Roy’s Vitamin B with Iron (available in good pets stores or online at www.revivalanimal.com)

Dosage is on the bottle. I give 1/8 tsp to 1/4 teaspoon depending on weight.

 

Poms are seriously susceptible to tooth loss. You can get excellent products such as Leba III (www.onlynaturalpet.com) or PetzLife (www.PetzLife.com) in spray or gel to put on your dog’s teeth once or twice a week (or more often if there is a build up of plaque.) I use PetzLife and prefer the gel.

Brush your little guy’s teeth two or three times a week, or more often if you are that dedicated, and he will have ever chance to reach old age with his teeth still in his mouth. Use only toothpaste for dogs, not a human product.

Ignore dental care and he most likely will be toothless by age 8, and will start losing teeth early.

Do not fall for the old adage that crunching on kibble helps keep teeth clean. In fact the exact opposite is true. Kibble clings to teeth and speeds tartar which hardens into plaque.

VACCINATIONS   

Your dog should have a series of three 5-way distemper shots as a puppy and one 5-way distemper shot one year after his last puppy shot. At a year of age he should also have a rabies inoculation, or one year after puppy rabies shot if he got one.

The days of "booster" shots every year are gone. All 27 vet schools now teach, and have broadly informed veterinarians in the field, that repeated annual vaccinations are detrimental to the dogs and cats and interfere with the immunity the animal has built up.

Too many vets are still advising their clients to bring their animals in for the annual booster shot. This has been a big money producer for veterinary practices and many are reluctant to let it go. Most breeders are now encouraging their new pet owners to resist repeated inoculations unless there is a pressing reason such as an outbreak of distemper in the area or if the dog is going into a boarding kennel where he might be exposed.

It is probably wisest to give a "booster" (a regular 5-way distemper innoculation) 3 years after the adult booster and again as the dog starts into 'old age', say 6 years of age and no additional shots.  The older dog really doesn't need them and they can initiate complications in an aging dog. 

A show dog, dog being boarded, or for any other reason exposed to unknown illness, should receive a 5-way shot prior to being put into any of these environments.

States vary as to the frequency of rabies shots in order for the dog to be licensed, some requiring annual shots and some every three years. Alternately, a titer report that shows the dog’s immunity is high may chose to present the veterinary report to their animal licensing agency and request the additional rabies shot be waived and the license issued.

When and if your dog does get a 5-way distemper vaccination, give him a ½ dropper of holistic THUJA as soon afterwards as possible and twice a day for the next few days. The distemper serum is toxic and can make a dog ill or even kill some more susceptible animals. THUJA will help de-toxify these effects.  If not available, give CHILDREN'S BENEDRYL in place of  Thuja.

For the rabies serum, even more toxic, give holistic LYSSIN, same dosage.  Or CHILDREN'S BENEDRYL,

Thuja and Lyssin are available from health stores or online from www.naturalrearing.com and other suppliers.

 

POTTY TRAINING

Your puppy was raised in my home and kept in a large exercise pen, 6' x 6' with pads on the floors. Three times a day the puppies are let out into the kitchen/family room area for play time in a larger space. If they start to potty they are scooped up and put on the pad in their pen. However, they have not actually had attention for potty training.

Do not train to paper unless you plan for him to use paper in the house. It is best if he lives in a confined area and doesn’t have the run of the house. Start training promptly. After he sleeps, after a meal and usually after a play romp, he will need to go potty. Take him outside.

If you do not have a pet door that would allow him to go out into a small fenced area, or into a garage, something like that, you might consider installing one. Your life will be considerably easier if your dog can go out by himself to relieve himself. However, a pet door that goes outside and into a large yard is not acceptable. He might go out when you are occupied and not realize he is out - a good scenario for him to be stolen.

Which brings us to Pomeranian theft. This is a highly sought after breed and very frequently stolen. Do not leave your dog in the car while you go in shopping, or on a back porch that can be accessed or easily broken into. Protect him at all times as it only takes a minute for a seasoned thief to open a locked door and your precious Pomeranian is gone.

MICROCHIP

If your dog came to you without being microchipped while still with us, it is important that you have him microchipped promptly. Many a lost or stolen dog has been returned to his owner due to the presence of the microchip.

Your vet or clinic will microchip him and give you the paperwork to register his number. Vets, clinics and police departments have chip readers and can identify your dog and you quickly. If your town has a Spay and Neuter Clinic you will find their price most reasonable. I prefer a clinic in our community that uses the Res Pet Tracking System as opposed to some of the vets who use Avid. Res is easier to deal with and does not charge for registration or any address or phone change as Avid does.

MISCELLANEOUS

Your little guy or gal can be easily injured. Do not let him jump off and on furniture or similar situations that can break legs and damage knees (patellas.) Small children should sit on the floor if learning to play with toy breeds and should not be allowed to carry them. We do not place our Poms in homes with small children, but children do visit and owners must be attentive to situations that can be dangerous. Nor should children be allowed to chase or in any way torment a toy dog who will either run and hide, thus learning to distrust children, or will protect itself and a child could be injured.

Your dog’s nails should be trimmed regularly. Best tool to use is a bird nail clipper, inexpensive and available at pet stores. Take the curved tip off the nail as you hold and press at the base of the nail. If you "quick" him and he starts to bleed, keep the pressure on and hopefully you have something on hand to stop the blood flow such as "Kwik Stop, Gel Formula." (or Kwik Stop Powder) In an emergency, corn starch is said to work. I’ve never used it so can’t vouch for that.

As your dog will be a companion pet and not trained for the show ring, the best thing to use for walks is a rolled leather collar or best of all, a harness. Poms are susceptible to throat damage and collars can cause it if tightened or jerked on - a harness is a much better choice.

The absolute best method of training your dog to walk on loose lead, sit, stay or anything else you want him to learn is through "CLICKER TRAINING" CT is all positive reinforcement, is quicker than the punishment old training methods used (and some die hards still use) and best of all is fun for the dog and fun for the trainer. Google "Karen Pryor" or "Clicker Training" or contact me for links to information and articles.

Brushing is important for your Pomeranian and proper brushing is critical to keep his coat looking beautiful, unbroken and matt free. Many pet owners prefer to have a professional groomer take care of their dogs for baths and trimming. Few groomers, however, know how to groom a Pom and they resort to clippers, essentially removing all the hair, undercoat and guard hair. This is a mistake in that the hair follicles can be and generally are damaged and the dog will never grow a correct coat again. Your dog’s coat gives him the beautiful Pom look, but also nature has a reason for the Pom’s double coat (same as Samoyeds and the Nordic breeds the Pom was bred down from.) The double coat will help him to stay cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather. Any owner can learn to brush properly and trim down a Pom so he is neat but not skinned.

Any questions or concerns that you may have regarding your new Showboat Pomeranian, please do not hesitate to email me or phone. I am generally quite busy with the dogs I have and the demands of life, so am partial to email rather than being tied up on the telephone. Additionally, you will have an answer in writing that you can refer back to if needed.

I hope you have a long and loving relationship with your precious new dog and that he or she will bring joy and comfort to you.

 

Karleene

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