Poodles of fun!

Last month, we received our first baby, Meeko, a 2 month-old red miniature poodle pup from my Tita.

Before, that, she lended us a male pup, Gatas since Meeko was just a few weeks old then. We rarely cook. When we do, its usually pasta, or my husband developed a destressing hobby of baking bread (good for me!). So for gatas, puppy dog food was the best! We did not have any problems with his food. Nor did he had fleas. We just made a make shift bed for him made of a top of a box filled with retaso and rugs.

Then came Meeko. We fed her same puppy food as Gatas, which she ate with gusto..for 2 days. My husband was on night duty that week, so he was home the whole day. He noticed that one morning, Meeko never barked when he went downstairs and left her. When he brought he down with him to the living area, she just stayed in place, barely touching her food and drinking water. He got alarmed and notified me.

When I went home, I examined her as I would a pedia patient - I googled signs of a sick poodle (Hehe I am an ADULT nephrologist in training, so to be thorough, yes, we do google, too BUT WE KNOW HOW TO CHECK THE SOURCES REALIABILITY).

I pinched the skin at back of her neck. Its said that it should retract fully once the skin is released. As in a child, failure to do so within 3 seconds means that the child is dehydrated. When forced to stand, her hind legs would shiver. She was so lethargic!

For more information on how to check for dog dehydration:

I tried to force Meeko to drink, but nothing did the trick. We went to My Tita, a veterinarian, conveniently and brought IV fluids. After a few drops, and seeing his brother there, brought her back to life. Apparently, because she's used to table food (rice and some shredded protein and broth), she probably had stomach upset which may the reason she refused to drink and eat. She advised us to prepare table food for now, until she's 6 months old.

I wanted to share our experience because, I took care of a puppy once, who grew into an adult dog and led a happy existence, and we were able to take care of Gatas for about a month. That experience taught us that each puppy is different. Sometimes, what's convenient for the owner is not good for the puppy.

So my husband would usually buy lutong ulam before going home especially for our Meeko.

Now, she turned 3 months! and I noticed she got significantly bigger! :D