# puppy update



## Hav a lot of pets (Apr 4, 2008)

Linus went to the vet today and weighs 2 lbs 5.5 oz! Wahoo!!! :whoo: What a "big" boy he is now (everything is relative).

I also went in to a new store in town and found Innova food. I put it down for him, and he ate it IN THE BOWL! I didn't even have to put a few pieces on the floor first. I hope that is not a "I'll eat it because it is new" phenomenon. I really hope he continues to like it.

I think we will be doing liver testing next month so hopefully that goes well....
Thanks for being there to here me ramble on about my baby.
Karen


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## PMcCoy (Feb 25, 2008)

He is such a cute boy! Peggy


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

I like the first photo, he looks very hnadsome! Congrats on the weight gain. Every little bit is good. I hope you'll share his test results next mo. and I sure hope they come out good.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Those are great pictures. How cute!


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## Jennifer Clevenger (Jun 26, 2008)

He is adorable. Don't worry too much about the test. I have seen two puppies on the very small side that ended up with no liver problems. Megan's Betsie is one of them.


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## swtxsweetie (May 16, 2008)

he's so adorable!!!! I just want to hug him


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## EstrellaVila (Nov 30, 2007)

He is soooooo cute!! Happy to hear about the food and weight gain! Yay!


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## Eva (Jun 20, 2008)

He is an adorable little "big boy"! 
Congrats on the weight gain :whoo:


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Well, karen, your baby is just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen! So, go ahead....... "ramble" all you want. :biggrin1: I just love those pics of Linus.

Way to go with the weight gain and new food too! :whoo:


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

OMG Karen!!!! He is the C-U-T-E-S-T little guy ever and I feel like puppynapping (is that a word???) him.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

:whoo:Weight gain! I'll say it again, that Linus is one cute patootie (a favorite word from a few of my forum friends).


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## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

Those are great pictures of your adorable boy!! And he has gained weight! 

I am curious why you are waiting until next month to check his bile acids.

Although he has gained weight, he remains VERY small. Roxie is a year older than he is--her birthday was 3/23. On 7/23 last year she weighed 4.2#, was considered small, and her bile acids were elevated.

You are feeding a fabulous dog food, but it is high in protein. A dog without liver disease will thrive on it, but it can make a liver dog sick. Have Linus tested and both of us can remain worry free.


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## Hav a lot of pets (Apr 4, 2008)

Thanks, everyone, for your posts. Of course I think he is adorable, but it is fun to hear others.

I have contacted my breeder and there have not been any liver issues in any line so far so that is nice to hear. I have been assured that this one month will not be a significant issue because he is still young and growing. It would be very different if he started about the same size as the other puppies and failed to thrive and stayed small, but Linus started at 2 3/4 oz and is growing quite nicely. Liver issues are always a concern with the small size, but I will keep on top of it and provide the necessary care (and keep you posted).

We had a lab/dachshund mix (don't ask!) who required a lot of care in the last four years of his life. Due to a spinal injury (osteoporosis caused a piece of vertebra to chip off and damaged the cord), he could not relieve himself. We had to catheterize him four times a day for 4 years. We are very used to high maintenance dogs!


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## Jennifer Clevenger (Jun 26, 2008)

Hav a lot of pets said:


> Thanks, everyone, for your posts. Of course I think he is adorable, but it is fun to hear others.
> 
> I have contacted my breeder and there have not been any liver issues in any line so far so that is nice to hear. I have been assured that this one month will not be a significant issue because he is still young and growing. It would be very different if he started about the same size as the other puppies and failed to thrive and stayed small, but Linus started at 2 3/4 oz and is growing quite nicely. Liver issues are always a concern with the small size, but I will keep on top of it and provide the necessary care (and keep you posted).
> 
> We had a lab/dachshund mix (don't ask!) who required a lot of care in the last four years of his life. Due to a spinal injury (osteoporosis caused a piece of vertebra to chip off and damaged the cord), he could not relieve himself. We had to catheterize him four times a day for 4 years. We are very used to high maintenance dogs!


Well, God Bless you!!! There are not a lot of people that would do all of that for their dog. Linus is very lucky to have you to love!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Oh I say God bless you too. What a wonderful mommy you are to have helped your lab/dachshund mix for four long years. Oh, and I had one of those don't ask mixes - Dachshund, Doberman, Mini-Schnauzer and Fox Terrier. Can you say "high strung"? LOL


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Cheryl said:


> You are feeding a fabulous dog food, but it is high in protein. A dog without liver disease will thrive on it, but it can make a liver dog sick. Have Linus tested and both of us can remain worry free.


Cheryl makes a very good point. A high protein food can be very harmful to a dog with a compromised liver. If you are going to wait to find out, you may want to choose a lower protein content food until then. In fact, dogs that have HMD (hepatic microvascular dysplasia, also called MVD) can thrive and live a full, normal life on a low protein diet.

Smaller dogs don't always have liver trouble, but without knowing, Cheryl offers good preventative advice from further complications.


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

Would ya look at that!!! Linus is just the cutest puppy ever!!
I must admit though, I do agree with Cheryl and Kimberly. It's probably better to be cautious. 
He's a lucky ducky, oops, I mean puppy, to have you.
Carole


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Karen, I don't know how you did that for 4 years with your previous dog, but kudos to you! I think I would have collapsed from the challenge. You are a great dog mom, that's for sure. 

There's a lot of info re: protein for "liver dogs" out there. The thing is, that some liver conditions actually benefit from a high protein diet (though it's best to avoid beef which raises ammonia in the system and to feed dairy protein with a bit of chicken or fish protein). Then there are other liver conditions that need a low-protein diet. In your case, you dont' know that Linus has ANY liver issue at all, so I wouldn't worry too much now. Once you do the liver enzyme test and the bile acid test, you'll know if you need to adjust his diet accordingly. Been there, don that... bought the t-shirt even! :biggrin1:

I'd try to avoid the 'food' they sell at the vets' and look into homemade or the better foods on the market. If you are already giving Innova for Puppy (which isn't a very high protein food, unlike their EVO brand), then you obviously know what a diff. a good food can make.


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## Lilly's mom (Aug 10, 2007)

*oh my goodness he is just ADORABLE!*


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## hedygs (May 23, 2007)

Linus is quite the cutie-pie.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

He is cute! I'd be afraid because he is so incredibly tiny----but he is absolutely adorable! I hope he ends up being a healthy guy/just tiny!


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## Hav a lot of pets (Apr 4, 2008)

*Linus's first walk!*

We finally were able to take our first walk today after waiting the appropriate time after his third round of shots. He was hysterical. He did not get what the leash was for a bit and then found that he LOVES leaves!

He liked his cloth harness, but would lay down after about 50 feet for a rest. I would carry him for a bit, put him down, and it would start again. It is very funny to have a dog that runs full speed just to get across the room. :biggrin1:

Thank you all for the posts--I love the community here.

Karen


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## jabellar (Jul 9, 2008)

such a cutie! 

I think I am getting infected with MHS.....


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

Your puppy is adorable. Our puppy is also very petite-10 weeks tomorrow and weighs 1 lb 11 oz. Our breeder had the blood panels done, the vet even had her over the weekend for an evaluation before we took her home. She is just fine-no shunt, no cardiac issues. Don't worry-they can be tiny, yet perfectly healthy.


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