!TL;DR - First Day Essentials
- DON'T feed puppy until home (prevents car sickness)
- Feed every 3-4 hours - puppies need frequent meals
- Play 30-45 mins, rest 2 hours in confined space
- Watch for yellow/brown vomit - means empty stomach
- Keep emergency supplies handy - baby food, Karo syrup, Pepto
🐕
1Arrival Day
DO NOT feed your puppy until arriving home. Puppies are prone to car sickness and feeding before the car ride will increase nausea.
2First Two Weeks
The first two weeks are crucial for adjustment. Your puppy needs consistent feeding every 3-4 hours and proper rest periods.
3Playtime Management
Puppies can play for 30-45 minutes at a time, then need 2 hours of rest in a confined space like a crate or playpen.
✅ What's Included With Your Puppy
All necessary supplies will come with your puppy including transition essentials kit with baby food, Karo syrup, syringes, and medications.
🍽TL;DR - Feeding Quick Guide
- Under 4 lbs: ½ cup dry food per day
- 5+ lbs: 1-1½ cups dry food per day
- Not eating? Use baby food + Karo syrup mix
- Feed every 3-4 hours - break daily amount into multiple meals
🥘Primary Food: Hill's Science Diet Small Paws
This is your puppy's main food source. The goal is weight-based feeding:
| Puppy Weight |
Daily Amount |
| 4 pounds & under |
About ½ cup per day |
| 5 pounds & up |
About 1-1½ cups per day |
Important: Break this amount into feedings every 3-4 hours. Small puppies will graze throughout the day - it may take 14 hours to finish the recommended amount.
🍼Emergency Food: Baby Food + Karo Syrup
If your puppy is NOT eating any hard food, use this mixture:
Recipe:
Mix 3ml of Karo syrup into an entire jar of baby food
Daily Requirements:
- Minimum 3 jars per day
- Add 1 additional jar per pound for puppies over 3 lbs
- Example: 5-pound puppy needs 5 jars per day
Feeding Schedule:
Feed every 2 hours. Use 3ml syringes - about 3 syringes per hour to get through 3 jars per day.
💡Feeding Tips
- Soak dry food in warm water or low-sodium chicken broth until soft
- Mix soaked food with baby food mixture or Caesar soft food
- Use paper plates - new bowls can be scary!
- Confined feeding - puppies often eat out of boredom in confinement
- Always offer hard food - continue supplementing until eating recommended amount
⚠️ Special Care for Smaller Puppies (Under 2 lbs)
- Give 1ml Karo syrup every 2-4 hours for at least 2 weeks
- Keep hard food available at night
- Wake up twice nightly to feed 12-15ml baby food mixture
🚨TL;DR - Emergency Signs
- Yellow/brown vomit: Empty stomach - give Pepto, then baby food
- Coughing: Usually minor - call before panic
- Diarrhea: Normal first 2 days, call if continues
- Not eating: Force feed baby food mixture
🤮Vomit / Spit Up (Yellow/Brown Bile)
This means your puppy's stomach is empty and needs immediate help!
Step 1: Remove Water
Take away water access for 4 hours
Step 2: Give Pepto-Bismol
| Weight |
Pepto Dosage |
| 3 lbs & under |
0.5ml |
| 4-6 lbs |
1ml |
| 6+ lbs |
1.5-2ml |
Step 3: Wait & Feed
Wait 45 minutes after Pepto. If puppy holds it down, give 3ml baby food mixture.
Step 4: Continue Protocol
- If holds down baby food: Feed 3ml every 30 minutes for 4 hours
- If spits up: Give another Pepto dose, wait 1 hour, restart process
- After 4 hours: Increase to 6ml every hour for 4-6 hours
- Gradually return to normal feeding schedule
💩Diarrhea / Loose Stool
After arrival, loose stool is common from stress. Don't be alarmed!
If diarrhea continues after 2 days from arrival, call for guidance on eliminating the irritation.
😷Cough / Hacking
Don't panic! Small breed puppies have tiny tracheas - slight irritation sounds worse than it is.
- Call us first before going to vet
- Usually resolved with simple antibiotic + cough expectorant
- No X-ray needed initially
- If temp normal, good appetite, and happy - antibiotic is good start
💊TL;DR - Health Monitoring
- 2-3 bowel movements daily - soft but solid texture
- Give dewormer for 3 days starting day after pickup
- Watch appetite - stress can affect eating
- Monitor temperature - normal temp = good sign
💊3-Day Dewormer
Found in the syringe with white liquid.
Dosage: Give 1ml for 3 days, starting the day after pickup
Important: Continue this final preventative as immune system develops
Note: If delivered via Pro Stop or Stork Delivery, treatment already completed
📊Normal Health Indicators
- Bowel movements: 2-3 per day, soft but solid texture
- Appetite: Eating recommended amounts (may take 14 hours to finish)
- Energy: Active during play time, resting well
- Temperature: Normal body temperature
🔍What to Watch For
- Yellow/brown vomit - Empty stomach emergency
- Refusal to eat - May need force feeding
- Lethargy - Unusual lack of energy
- Diarrhea lasting 2+ days - Call for guidance
- Coughing/hacking - Usually minor but monitor
🏥TL;DR - Vet Care
- First vet visit: Within 7-10 days
- Finish dewormer before first visit
- Discuss vaccines: Distemper, parainfluenza, hepatitis, parvo
- Rabies: At 12-16 weeks
- Prescription coverage available for specific conditions
📅First Vet Visit (7-10 Days)
Schedule within first 7-10 days after arrival.
Complete the final 3 days of dewormer before this visit!
Discuss with vet:
- Vaccine booster schedule
- Distemper vaccination
- Parainfluenza vaccination
- Canine hepatitis vaccination
- Parvovirus vaccination
💉Rabies Vaccination
Return to vet for rabies vaccination when puppy is 12-16 weeks old.
Ask your veterinarian about the recommended and legally required rabies vaccination protocol for your area.
💰Prescription Reimbursement Program
We offer reimbursement for specific first-choice prescriptions:
Cough/Respiratory:
- 14 days Doxycycline
- 10 days Azithromycin
- 1 injection of Convenia
Giardia:
- Up to 6 days Drontal Plus
- Requires positive OVA fecal test
- Direct smear then centrifugation (not Elisa/Antigen only)
Coccidia:
Important: Reimbursement only covers first-choice prescriptions. Email receipt showing initial vet visit and prescription cost to support@pilesgrovepups.com