NakitasMom Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 I clean houses for extra money and one family had a husky that they kept outside. I live in Louisiana and our weather has been extremely hot and humid. This family is not a "dog family" by any means. Their dogs are not spayed and allowed to roam the neighborhood and they have had three litters this year (20 pups that her five young children were allowed to handle very roughly). Their golden retriever has had heartworms. This is not a "back-woods" type family. They are very wealthy and live in a very nice area. They have all the means necessary to properly care for their animals. I complained about the husky looking lethargic and overheated. She was miserable and when they finally shaved her, her body was covered in a rash that the vet said was from her being left in the heat. I was there a few days later the dog was still outside. They're preparing to move and she was fed up with taking care of her so she picked up the phone and called the pound and said that a dog wandered into her back yard and they should come get her! After much begging and crying from her kids and mine and a very upset housekeeper she changed her mind. I told her that I would take the dog! Her husband said no but the dog had pups two days later (no one realized that she was pregnant again). He decided I could have them all. I drove over there and put the husky and the four pups in my van and got out of there before anyone could change their mind! So, Nadia (Mom), Nakita, Sasha, Leyka and Yurick came to live with us. :-) The pups are 3 weeks old tomorrow and are husky-chocolate lab mix (according to the previous owners) and so adorable! My whole family just loves all of them. Nadia is very smart and she picks up on training very easily (although she is full of mischief and doesn't like to obey unless it's very clearly in her best interest..LOL!) We have decided to keep Nakita (we already have another dog at home). I have found homes for everyone, including a wonderful home with my sister for Nadia (with another high-energy dog) I drew up a contract for everyone to sign with strict criteria for taking the dogs. Ok, all that said, I've not done the pup thing before and I'm feeling a bit lost at this point. I will probably post a ton of questions. I don't know when to start adding puppy food and when to start taking them out to potty and when to release them to their new owners (I currently have the date set at 8 weeks old). Anyway, I look forward to all the good advice the site has to offer. I've already gotten some good tips on husky behavior that has encouraged me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Oh boy. What an ordeal. I'm not going to be much help, since it's been years since I had a dog with a litter. In some states, puppies cannot be sold or given away, until they are 8 weeks old. I don't believe they can be shipped by air until they are 8 weeks old, so I would say that they should be kept with the mother until they are 8 weeks old. If they have teeth, you take some puppy food, and soften it with some warm water. I would maybe wait until they are 4 weeks, but you should get confirmation on that. If you have not yet done so, you should get them to a vet and have the mother and pups checked. There may be some meds that will be needed and shots will be required at some point. Wormer will probably be needed as well. The mother may need some supplements. She should probably have a series of blood tests taken to provide a baseline for her current overall condition. I'd also avise that you talk to the vet at some point in the near future, regarding having the mother spayed. It's too bad the Husky mom was shaved. Huskies should never be shaved unless it's absolutely necessary. Maybe in this case it was. Their fur will not always come back in properly. I would keep the area where the mom and pups are, quiet, clean, and in an out of the way place. Make sure the mom has some time to herself for eating and bathroom duties. I commend you for taking on this responsibility and recognizing the serious issues that the Husky mom was facing. It sounds like you'll be much more responsible than the pervious owners, who in my book, should be charged with animal cruelty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 welcome to the site glad u rescued ur dogs sounds like what nadia went through was horrible pups generally shudnt leave their mum till 7/8 weeks old im afraid thats all i can help u with as never had 2 deal wit a litter sum1 on here will b able 2 help tho good luck n post sum photos soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules dief taz tor Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 wow , well done you , weve only got 1 pup at the min and she was 8 weeks old when we got her, so not much good with answers untill that age im afraid , but ask away anyway , there will always be someone who knows lol, welcome to the site x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siberianandy Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 welcome to the site well done for getting mom and pups out of that horrible situation and i would not let the pups go until they are 8 weeks old sorry don't know much bout bringing up pups but if raindog or dunc see this they should have some answers for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 I was not allowed to take my pup home till he was 9 weeks old. Very much depends on the litter but I would say I wouldn't rehome before 8-9 weeks of age. Also, I know you didn't do it, but please never shave a husky. In the summer they blow their undercoat leaving the guard hairs. The guard hairs actually allow air to flow arcoss the skin which helps keep them cool. This obviously wont be enough for Southern heat so I would just keep them indoors with the air con on when its really hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqwidge Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Bless you for taking on these pups and mom...i really commend you for doing it, so glad they have a happy and healthy home now. Sorry can't help with questions, as never raised a litter! xx Welcome to the site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninooks mum Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 welcome tp the site nakitas mum and nakita you are an angel for rescuing nakita bet your house is full of fun at the moment best wishes Meg and nooks xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hi and welcome to the site - you've taken a lot on, but on behalf of the new mum and the pups thank you - it's so nice to see someone going out of their way to make a better life for a sibe I would say start weaning them off their mum at around 3-4 weeks, do you feed puppy mik to them or do they soley rely on the milk from their mum? Soak a good quality puppy kibble in water so that it's mushy, they won't be able to chew a great deal and helps them to absorb the food better. Just make sure you don't overfeed, - remember what goes in must come out lol look forward to seeing you around the site and seeing pictures of the pups. If you need any help just ask away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raindog Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 So, Nadia (Mom), Nakita, Sasha, Leyka and Yurick came to live with us. :-) The pups are 3 weeks old tomorrow and are husky-chocolate lab mix (according to the previous owners) and so adorable! My whole family just loves all of them. Nadia is very smart and she picks up on training very easily (although she is full of mischief and doesn't like to obey unless it's very clearly in her best interest..LOL!) We have decided to keep Nakita (we already have another dog at home). I have found homes for everyone, including a wonderful home with my sister for Nadia (with another high-energy dog) I drew up a contract for everyone to sign with strict criteria for taking the dogs. Ok, all that said, I've not done the pup thing before and I'm feeling a bit lost at this point. I will probably post a ton of questions. I don't know when to start adding puppy food and when to start taking them out to potty and when to release them to their new owners (I currently have the date set at 8 weeks old). First of all, well done for taking them on! Not many people would have done so. There was a recent thread on here about what age pups should leave their mum and most people seemed to agree that 7/8 weeks was about right (my personal view is that 8 weeks is better than 7, but there are arguments for and against). We usually give pups a feed of weaning porridge each day from about 2 weeks old - this gets them used to more solid food and by the time they are about 3-4 weeks, they show when they are ready for solid food by stealing mum's kibble. By about 5 weeks they have sharp claws and needle teeth and mum is beginning to lose interest in feeding them, so weaning onto solid food is important by that stage. By about 6 weeks, mum has usually stopped feeding regularly and the pups are totally dependent upon solid food. A good quality complete puppy food is the best option, although we sometimes mix it with a good quality tinned puppy food to make it more palatable. We are not really experts on potty training as our dogs do the training for us. Until pups are about 4 weeks old, mum cleans everything up for them. As they get more into solid food, mum is, understandably, less likely to clean up after them. At about 5-6 weeks we usually give them a secure puppy run outside for a few hours each day. This also allows the other dogs to get to know the pups from a distance without any actual physical contact. By the time the pups we keep are old enough to mix with the older dogs, they seem to learn from the older dogs about the niceties of where to pee and pooh. I don't know how useful any of that was, but good luck anyway! Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakitasMom Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Thank you so much for all of the advice. I didn't know about not shaving a Husky. Nadia's rash got infected and she had to be on an antibiotic. Now that Nadia's rash is all cleared up, her coat is growing back a tiny bit but it looks patchy. I sure hope she will look ok. Luckily my sister and her family are totally thrilled about her even if she turns out to be funny looking and I'm just happy that she will be in a loving family. My sister has another high-energy dog named Mason and they are very excited about having an equally high-energy pal for him. I think they are a perfect match. We told all the adoption families that the new pick-up date is at 8 weeks. The families come by for visits so they will already be familiar with their owners before they go. Leyka's family is pretty hilarious and they sit and talk to her and roll around on the floor with her and tell her all about her new home. They have several other dogs that they call their children and they dress them up in outfits. Something tells me that she will be loved! We are at the 4 week mark today so after reading your posts, we're picking up the food tomorrow and are going to start them on it. I will sure miss Nadia doing all of the work cleaning up after them. LOL We have kept them in their own room so Nadia could come and go as she pleases and still have her pups in a safe area. She has been very cautious with our dog Jazz. She is good with Jazz outside but when we bring them in, she is more tense and nippy. I think that's because she is being protective of the pups since her anxiety grows when Jazz gets anywhere near the pups room. We have pretty much kept them separate in the house. Jazz met the pups yesterday while Nadia was outside and she loved them and they played with her. We removed Jazz and brought Nadia back in and she didn't seem to mind. Hopefully as the pups wean, Nadia will be able to enjoy playing with Jazz more. It'll be good for Jazz too. She has been depressed since our other dog died just a few weeks ago. I'm going to start taking them out to the yard tomorrow to start house training. I'm not sure what to do except let them out with Nadia and see if they get the idea! In the past, when I've trained a dog, I just take them out every hour on the hour during the day for the first few days and then they seem to get the idea give or take a few accidents. It would make me very happy if it were that easy with little pups but I'm not so sure it will be that simple so I'm ready for lots of clean up. Again, I found your posts to be both informative and encouraging. Thank you so much -Stacy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 aww bless cnt w8 2 c sum pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 awww, keep us posted on how you get on and shout if you need anything - as nix says - can't wait to see some pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siberian_wolf Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 What a story! Welcome to the pack Very good and generous of you to rehome not just one sibe but one sibe with pups! Unfortunately I dont know much about caring for pups at that age but Im more than certain you will get planty of advise from other members who have had experience with rearing puppies and getting the ready to face to big wide world with their new family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiba Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 wow. good for you. kudos on being so kind to those poor dogs. Make sure you get that momma a good thorough vet check up. she could have all sorts of problems knowing the conditions she came from and how negligent those people were. i would test for heartworm, skin scrapings, fecal flotations, bloodwork, ear mites, etc. i would get her dewormed pronto also. because knowing those flakes, she hasnt had any of that stuff. good job again and hope to see some pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 good advice, angie added to rep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.