Need Advise And Help !

[pomraksao]

Hi Folks,

Me and my wife ran into this sweet little abandoned fur ball puppy (I think he is a Thai breed dog) by the side of a food shop. He had such sad eyes and was so vulnerable that we did not have the heart to ignore him....we really felt very sad for him ...we decided to take him home.We named him Donut and I think he is barely a month old...

We live in Thalang area of Phuket:

1. Any good vet around this place?

2. My wife and I work and he has to be home alone for around 8 hours ... I keep all that is necessay for him (food,water and even turn the fan on)..My home is very spacious and large so he can move around a lot.... but there is this guilt that I am not doing the right thing by leaving the poor thing alone for 8 hours....ANy suggestion / advise on how to make things better for him...We don't want to give him away ...we want to keep him with us ...

Please let me know...

Regards,

Loke

[Nienke]

Hi,

I don't know about vets in Phuket. Maybe better to ask on the Phuket forum.

How do you know your cat is a 'he'? I thought it was very dificult to see untill the cat is 2 or 3 months old? Or am I mistaken? I remember years ago, I was still a little girl and working during holidays on a cat and dog boarding kennel, we always thought one particular cat was a male, until she gave birth to one most gorgeous silver-grey kitten. After this 'mistake' she got spayed.

As for leaving the kitten 8 hours a day alone, i do not think it is very good for the behavioral development of the kitten. S/he just is entering the most important learning period in life, and well the socialization period. During this period the kitten needs to gain experiences with all s/he may encounter later in life. As s/he stays alone for most time of the day, s/he will miss a great part of this.

Is it an option to contact one of the rescue organizations and have a look if there is a possibility that someone is willing to take care of your kitten during the day, preferable someone with children and/or other cats, and/or dogs etc. It is very much possible they have people who foster stray cats and maybe one is willing to care for your kitten during your absence untill s/he is old enough to be left alone for long periods of time. Just a thought.

Nienke

[bina]

nienke,

i think u had a language glitch. its a thai soi dog puppy

so;

1. water all the time is good

2. if u arent home all day, then u will have to leave puppy chow (dry puppy food) for him to eat ; if he doesnt have teeth yet, then someone will have to feed him with semi moist puppy food or rice, meat, cooked eggs, etc at least 4 times a day...

3. small puppy needs small space. close off a room; block off a corner, enough for him to have a carpet or blanket or box for a bed, a few meters then the food and water. thats it. at least for now. they play alot and sleep alot. afterwards starts the mess, at about two months to eight months of age.

dont know vets, but u do need to get him checked out, de wormed (no vaccines yet), and maybe a good going over for fleas et al.

schedules are a puppy's best friend i.e. same routine every day. if u arent home for 8 hours, consider a dog sitter coming to play and clean up puppy's doodoo and peepee messes that u will enevitably have for the first few months as he is a baby and after eating, he will poo.

most reasonable dogs do ok with the 8 hr work day of humans if they arent high energy types like boxers. they keep themselves busy with toys, running in the yard if u have one, on a cable for the time u arent home (many dog owners think that is more cruel than letting a dog loose to harrass bicycles, people and other dogs, but i think a cable for the day time is ok if dog is off cable when u are at home for play and petting) provided he is older (never keep a young puppy on a cable or running loose). when humans are home, the dog usually wakes up and demands the walks, playtime, petting and attention, and release of energy that he didnt use during the day.

my boxers slept thru our work day and came alive when we got home, apart from shredding up toilet paper or the occasional pillow. my 2 lhasas sleep and guard the house during the day, and when we are at home, suddenly become bundles of high energy, demanding a good long walk- good for me also for exercise. adding the second lhasa pup was a great move as it keeps foofoo busy during the day, and they keep each other company.

remember, dogs need a collar, a leash, decent food (home or bought), vet services, and a permanent place as a bed, relaxing area etc. YOUR bed is not the place. if he is the thai dog, some good training help might be neccessary also as ive heard that they are a bit head strong with a good guarding instinct.

bina

israel

[Nienke]

aaaarrrrgghhhhhhh, you're right. End of a too busy day, etc. etc. Read about the puppy and thai breed etc. Don't know why I had 'kitten' in my head.

Anyway,

I also wouldn't advice to leave a puppy of not more than a month alone for about 8 hours a day.

First of all, and i forgot to mention that in my kitten story, the pup needs to eat 5 to 6 meals a day. 4 meals a day is insufficient, IMHO, for such a young puppy.

Plus that the socialization period of a pup is from approximately 3 weeks to 3 1/2 months of age. During this period the dog needs to learn the bite inhibition and especially how to submit. It's extremely difficult for humans to properly teach a pup this. This a pup normally learns from its mother and from playing with its litter mates and later while playing with other pups and adult dogs. In case of the OP's pup, it is best to actively search for places where the pup can interact with other pups and adult dogs.

During the interaction the pup also learns that it is a dog and how dogs communicate.

During this period a pup needs to socialize with children, people of all kind, traffic, travel, different environments, other dogs, other animal species, (sudden) loud noises, etc.

Missing a proper socialization can cause (severe) behavioral problems later in the life of the dog.

Calling in a dog-sitter could be an idea. However, this will put a huge job on the shoulders of the dog sitter and s/he needs to take over part of the task to socialize the pup. The other part can be done by the owners on a daily basis before and after working hours.

Futhermore, when leaving a pup alone unattended/unsupervised for most of the day, means also that it can learn al sorts of behaviors you really don't want them to learn, such as destructive behavior and/or excessive barking.

Although I appreciate the intentions and the actions (of rescuing this puppy) of the OP and his wife very much from a dog behaviorist point of view, as that is what I am, I would not advice to take in a pup when one doesn't have the time to properly socialize and educate it. Unless, of course, you are able to find a proper solution.

Another solution than hiring a dog-sitter can be taking your pup with you to your work. If that is possible.

Nienke

Edited January 26, 2009 by Nienke

[pomraksao]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions and am happy to inform you'll that I took in another female pup(thai dog) from my wife's friends and they both seem to get along very well indeed ... playing and just so happy together ...

I did find a vet in Thalang ...it's a small pet clinic in the local market area of Thalang ... will be doing the deworming this weekend for both my beauties....Also I would be doing a lot of work on improving my dog training skills ... (thank god for Google)

Another bit of great news is that our next door neighbour has agreed to take care of them while we are working ...they are so darn cute that anybody would love to take care of them...

It just worked out beautifully ....

All's well in LOS ....

Cheers and again many thanks for your kind suggestions ...

Loke

[Nienke]

Very happy for you and your wife that things have turned out well. Obviously it was meant to be.

Wishing you loads of fun with your two new additions to your family.

Nienke