Is it the skin that has the color or the coat? Hard to tell from the picture so thought i would double check.

Either way, it looks like just pigmentation change. Keep an eye on it just in case, if the skin starts to be abnormal in any other way than color or is itchy it would be worth getting a skin scraping done by a vet. They will be able to look under a microscope and check if there are an abnormal number or mites or any fungus lurking around.

As long as your dog doesn't show any other strange changes physically or behaviorally don't worry and just keep an eye on it.

Should be normal. She is probably hitting the second phase of the heat (where they are most fertile) so her hormones might be going a little extra haywire. Female dogs (just like female humans) can react to heat/period in all sorts of strange ways. My poodle girl clearly gets PMS and will be depressed and sleeping a few days before her heat kicks in. My Papillon girl sulks and is moody for anywhere between a week and 2 months after her heat (she is also a total wh*** during her fertile period and will stick her butt towards anything that moves as well as hump anything she can get her hands on, very disturbing but fortunately only lasts a few days). Another poodle girl i know gets really hyper for the first week of her heat and only sleeps about 2 hours a day, spending the rest of the day zooming around at top speed getting in the way of everything she possibly can and barking at everyone she sees (not usual behavior for her, under normal circumstances she is very calm, quiet and reserved).

The swelling should also be normal. Again different females swell to different sizes, some have very minimal swelling and its hard to see any difference whereas other swell to over double the size are very red and clearly quite uncomfortable. She may lick herself more than usual, which is fine and healthy as long as she doesn't seem to be irritating the area (they usually don't but some obsessive licking can damage the sensitive and swollen skin). You might also see her breasts swell a bit and some females get hot spots during or just after their heat (due to the hormones).

I'm sorry but poodles with short legs... It takes away all their elegance, grace and beauty. I just don't understand what the appeal is. I know of one poodle who has an extreme form of dwarfism (through no fault of the breeder) and he is cute, but i would never want to see it becoming a trend the way poodles with short legs seems to be in this country .

As far as taking your dog out before all the puppy vaccinations are finished, i think it is up to each individual owner to decide what is best. Obviously pet professionals will always tell you not to at all, 100% stay at home unless really necessary, however this is because not all people will consider the risks properly and will want to take their 2month old puppy everywhere they go (which is definitely not a good idea).
In my grooming place i will groom a puppy as long as they are in good health, not overly tiny and seem strong and alert. I do however discuss the potential risks with the owner and ensure the owner gives me enough warning that i can fully disinfect any area the puppy might go before they arrive in the shop.
As a groomer it is a tough balance to find as starting a puppy on grooming when they are young makes it more likely they won't have issues with it, however health is number 1, if the owner can wait longer until grooming, i always encourage it.

650g is crazy small at 12weeks. I would be worried about the health of the dog as it grows up. For tiny dogs a simply cold can be life threatening. Also their bones are much more fragile (in most cases) and can be easily broken.

The decision is yours of course, i have my own tiny poodle (although her weight seems to have stabilized at 1.2kg so not so tiny) but i do worry about her and constantly watch for signs of fainting, illness or injury (especially as she insists on bouncing and wresting with the rest of the pack).

As long as you are aware of the issues that can pop up with tiny tiny dogs, i'm sure she/he will make a fabulous addition to the family (my tiny girl melts my heart and really is one of a kind).

I would agree with that. Their body will be fully matured and their brain will be also (there is a reason most males aren't interested in a female coming into heat for the first time). Asking a dog under 2years old to deliver and raise a litter is like asking a 10year old human to do the same, aside from the physical toll it will take, they just aren't mentally ready for that kind of task yet.

It is definitely irresponsible to breed a female on their first heat (usually between 6-10months old) and i would usually advise not breeding on the second either just to make sure everything is in order. Generally the third heat would be towards the end of the second year which is when i would feel safe (plus this gives you plenty of time to show at conformation and agility and earn many BOB, BIG and BIS's before breeding ). For larger breeds it may be advisable to leave it an extra heat as large breeds can continue growing until they are 3 (although they often stop somewhere in the second year).

After that, you should never breed on 2 consecutive heats.

Once a dog hits 7years they should definitely stop breeding but i know a lot of breeders who stop at 5 years to make sure their dog has a long and healthy life (unless there were very exceptional circumstances, i 'retire' a dame at 5 years as well).

If you only wanted to breed once (although i discourage owners from doing this for a number of reasons), IMHO the best time is on the 3rd or 4th heat. This is old enough to cope physically and mentally and young enough that you don't have huge risks of Pyometra popping up before you manage to breed (it becomes a serious risk in intact females around 4-5years old, but can still occur at a younger age, so you really want to get everything over and done with around 3years old).
Once she has had her litter and they are all grown up, spay her and enjoy growing old together .

You can spend that 10 months reading up on how to breed/whelp puppies as well as how to raise them. I would also suggest doing a lot of research and note taking on all the things that can go wrong, what the signs are and how to deal with them...
I would also highly recommend watching some whelping videos on youtube to get you used to the idea of how it looks (messy messy business) to prepare yourself mentally, the worst thing for a whelping b**** when she has a puppy head sticking out of her is a fainted/throwing up owner .

If you need some useful websites and some real life examples of "what to do when things go wrong" let me know and i'll pm you some stuff.

Ok, so like i said he is 'marking his territory'. Netering is the male version of spaying (which is the female version of neutering) also called desexing/fixing/castrating it is a simple operation to removes the dogs testicles. When this is done the dog no longer produces such high levels of testosterone and therefore has a decreased sex drive (most males won't show any interest in a female on heat after the operation) and usually has less drive to guard or mark his territory. Neutered dogs are often said to be calmer as well.

One of the other major benefits to neutering (aside from the elimination of him accidentally 'knocking up a girl') is that he won't develop testicular cancer. There is also a significant drop in the chances of him developing a whole range of nasty illnesses such as Prostate cancer, prostate enlargement, penis and anal tumors and Perinial hernia (where basically the abdominal wall ruptures). It is also said that due to the decrease in testosterone (leading to a calmer, less stressed dog) the chance of developing any disease is reduced.

Usually it is best to neuter a male before they start developing marking behavior as this is the best way to ensure they never will (unless they have a brother or friend who teaches them how to do it, even then it is easier to prevent them from making it a habit). As your boy is already old enough that he has probably developed a strong habit for marking, it will require some training after a neutering to totally stop his marking. However by neutering him you will significantly increase your chances of stopping the behavior completely as he won't have the hormonal drive to do so and you will only be battling the habit.

On a totally unrelated note, is your poodle a toy, miniature or standard (under 10", 10-15" or above 15" at the withers (shoulder blade) respectively)?

Its a common misconception that dogs will "miss" their balls (a product of anthropomorphism). Your dog will feel more relaxed, less stressed once his stitches come out. I could also say imagine how he would feel if he developed testicular cancer or an enlarged prostate (which occurs in over 60% of intact male dogs over 5years old).

Neutering is not only the responsible thing to do as a dog owner, it is also the kind thing to do as a dog lover.

Tq for your kind words. I welcome anyone to come hang out at the shop, epspecially if i get to meet a new dog friend. and if you want a more creative or interesting groom (than the standard teddy bear) for your poodle i would LOVE to come up with some ideas <3.

@LinTao - As with any operation there are some risks involved with neutering, but it is a simple operation and is completed without any complications in most cases.

For stitches, most dogs pay little attention to them (especially if you keep an eye on him for a while after the operation and tell him no if he attempts to 'worry' his stitches). It is a good idea to have an E-collar (Elizabethan collar) handy which will stop him from being able to reach them.

Neutering usually doesn't cost too much depending on the size of your dog. From what i remember (although it was a few years ago now) my Miniature Schnauzer was around RM200+). There is no harm in asking your vet how much they would charge.

Some people (i think mostly in America) will opt to have 'prosthetic testicles' implanted either to replace those removed during a neuter or to cover up where an undescended testicle is (sometimes one or both of the pups balls don't drop). It is totally pointless and a waste of money in my opinion, no vet in Malaysia will do it as standard and i'm pretty sure it would be hard to find one who would offer this service .

@berry5788 - A spay (the female neutering) is a slightly longer and more complicated surgery as it is more internal (for a neuter a vet makes a small incision at the base of the penis and then basically 'pops' the balls out whereas for a spay the vet has to make a decent sized incision in the dog's side or belly area and remove the entire womb). However it is still a relatively routine procedure and the benefits still far outweigh the risks.

I would suggest going to a vet you know is a decent surgeon for spaying as a not so careful vet could leave a small piece of the womb inside that can cause complications or nick the stomach, intestines or other nearby organs while removing the womb which would cause an infection (these both occur rarely, but its always good to know all the risks).

@soekma88 - There are hundreds of different ways you can clip a poodle that are nothing like the continental (the standard show clip). We can discuss it anytime you are ready (the longer coat your dog has, the more options we have to play around with ).

If you are around Subang/Puchong, I like Dr Vijay (Healing rooms), Dr Ding (StAngels) and Dr Edmond (sorry forgot his clinic name but can get you the contact details) for surgeries. I heard from others that Dr Ding does good surgery (and have experience with him during checkups) and have had multiple good experiences with both Dr Vijay and Dr Edmond (Dr Edmond did the emergency c-section + spay when my poodle pups were having issues, plus his stitching work is very neat which is always a bonus).

Any good vet will do. I always recommend having 1 or 2 vets that you know well and trust. Before a spay/neuter you need to go for a checkup anyway so you can see how you feel about a few vets before deciding on who will do the surgery if the first one you visit doesn't fill you with confidence.

A lot of puppies will be really tired and lethargic for a couple of days after the jab (especially if they had a bit of a stressful experience at the vet) so that should be normal. Allow him to get loads of sleep but don't over-pamper him as this can lead him to decide that he is terribly ill and needs a lot of care and attention (just like a person, if a dog gets it into their head that they are sick they will take longer to recover and also often have a worse case of whatever they have, even if it is just post-vaccination moody blues).

Some puppies will have really bad experiences with their jabs. They can be painful and leave a sore bump for a couple of days. However some vets can be a little rough for smaller dogs. It is necessary to keep a dog very still for their jab (to prevent the needle from breaking inside or going to deep/too shallow) but usually for smaller dogs holding them in a hugging position with your hand holding their head against your shoulder is enough (unless a vet knows you well they will usually ask their assistant to hold so they know a firm grip is kept even if there is a little yelp.
You know your puppy best. If he is generally a bit of a whiner, they his screaming could have just been an overreaction and an attempt to get out of the situation. However if he is usually very quiet and reserved and let out huge bellowing screams and struggles, he could have been handled roughly. It is very hard to tell without knowing the dog or seeing the handling taking place so the only advice i can give is very vague. Basically, if you feel uncomfortable with the way the vet handled your dog, try a different vet. Some vets will be more used to (and prefer) treating larger breeds which need rougher more firm handling, whereas some will be excellent with smaller breeds that generally don't need rough handling and do better with a more gentle touch.

If he just had his vaccination today then yes i would just let him sleep it off. If he is really REALLY lethargic try giving him some nutritional supplement (Nutri-Cal, Nutri-Gel, any of those things) or a little glucose. If he isn't a little perkier by morning it might be wise to take a quick vet visit to make sure nothing weird is going on. Just make sure you don't baby him or give him loads of attention while he is being sleepy and stuff or he will keep doing the same thing to get the reward of attention, love and sympathy.
Remember that dog vaccinations use what is called 'live virus' which means they contain actual viruses that they are protecting against, but without the symptoms (the viruses are engineered in a lab to cause the immune system to build up a protection against the virus but the engineered versions have the symptom cauing factors taken out), however as your puppies immune system is still working as if they have the actual virus, the symptoms related to mild immune system activity (slight fever, lethargy etc) are still often present as they are a result of the immune system working, not the virus itself.

Some dogs also get quite achy joints for a while after the vaccination. One of my boys would scream if i picked him up for about 12 hours after each puppy jab (i know the jabs were done correctly as i was there and a vet that i know well and trust a lot was doing them). Picking a small dog (or even a big dog) up puts a lot more pressure on their body and joints than just touching him. So while he appreciates a soothing pet, picking him up gives him some discomfort.

Overall just don't panic, look at everything in a logical and neutral position (as much as possible), thousands of dogs are vaccinated each and every day and the vast majority of them show little more than a mild change in activity (of anything). The scared and worried furkid-parent in you, although probably screaming very loudly in panic right now is not what you want to be listening to, try to ignore that as much as possible and keep a close but calm eye on your pup.
If you aren't sure about anything, call your vet they will (should) be more than happy to put your mind at ease, and if they feel something is amiss, they will ask you to come for a checkup again to be in the safe side.

Sick sick sick sick sick. Yet another way to profit from doing evil evil things to animals.

And I'm sorry Kelvenwai but that is total nonsense.... only people who breed Teacup poodles say they have the same life expectancy as a normal toy. To determine life expectancy you take the average life span of a huge group of the breed/species in question. Yes a "Teacup" poodle that manages to not have any genetic defects, somehow manages to avoid any illness or injury its entire life, is given a fantastic diet and perfect amounts of exercise MIGHT reach the rip old age of 14 or so... HOWEVER the majority of "Teacups" die much much younger than that from an illness or infection that their tiny organs just can't deal with which brings the life expectancy down to closer to 10-11years (NOT the same as the 13-15 expected of a proper Toy).

Its like arguing that a Great Dane has a life expectancy of 13-15years, sure some can live that long, but the actual life expectancy is closer to 9 years as they are extremely prone to Cancer.

So your point is that because you know a lot of people with "teacup" poodles and none of them are older than 11years (very much the lower end of the poodle life expectancy range) that they are the same as a real toy?

Yes a "teacup" can be healthy on a normal day, it is if they develop any illness, virus or disease during their life (as many many dogs of any breed do) that trouble starts. A "teacup" will have serious issues from a simple case of kennel cough that would be pretty quick for a slightly larger dog to recover from. If a "teacup" has an upset tummy and skips a few meals they are in danger of fainting due to lack of energy.

You have to agree (which even most teacup breeders agree with) that a "teacup" requires special care and attention to ensure their safety and health, a dog that needs special care will always have a life expectancy shorter than a dog that doesn't because they are more fragile (hence the necessary special care).

I'm not saying that you (or any of the hundreds of people you know) are not allowed to have a "teacup", just don't go telling everyone that they are just as healthy and easy to care for as a real toy poodle, or miniature or standard because they aren't. Even a Tiny Toy should be given slightly more stringent attention as far as health and diet goes because what can be simple to recover from for a larger toy could be serious for a Tiny Toy.

Also the fact that the word "teacup" developed from Puppy Mills and Backyard breeders to sell runts and sickly puppies to unsuspecting new owners for more than their healthy and correctly sized siblings (yes this is where the term "teacup" came from) makes the entire thing sickening. If you happen to have an especially small Toy in a litter or otherwise healthy Poodles (or Maltese, Chihuahua, Yorkie that have become popular dogs to "downsize" to "teacup") and treasure him/her as the precious little miracle that he/she is due to surviving another day healthy and happy, then fantastic...
but purposely breeding undersized dogs to create even smaller dogs (or double breeding to get half a litter premature, or underfeeding puppies, or any of the other irresponsible methods for guaranteeing at least some of your litter are severely undersized) is wrong (IMHO) and should never be encouraged by anyone in any way (as even most "teacup" breeders overseas won't breed "teacup" dogs (usually a dog under 6pounds won't be bred) together due to the overwhelming health risks and complications that can arise during pregnancy and whelping not to mention the toll it takes on such a tiny tiny body).

I know that you (for some reason) feel very strongly about defending the right to breed "teacups", but i also sit very strongly in the opposite camp. So whenever you claim that "teacups" are as healthy/as easy/as long living as real Toys i will be there to give the other opinion until the facts change.


http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question...01210855AAt3N4t
[URL=http://thepoodleanddogblog.typepad.com/the_poodle_and_dog_blog/2006/10/teacup_poodlesb.html]http://thepoodleanddogblog.typepad.com
/the_poodle_and_dog_blog/2006/10/teacup_poodlesb.html[/URL]
http://www.barkrescue.net/teacup.htm
http://www.dogster.com/forums/groups/thread/463148

Ticks are evil evil little creatures that NEVER die. Try using a spot on product (i'm assuming you use the frontline spray) as it is easier to apply correctly. If there are a lot of ticks in the area (called an infestation) you need to apply the spot on every 3 weeks for a while to break the life cycle. You will need to treat both your dogs at the same time or the ticks will just bounce from one to another feeding off whoever doesn't have prevention on at the time.

On top of that you need to treat the area. This is where the Bayticol comes in. Although Bayticol is created as a tick bath for dogs, i very very very rarely suggest using it as such (unless there are literally multiple ticks in a 1inch area, all over your dog). Bayticol is a crazy strong poison and it is so easy to overdose (through licking, or making it too strong) and can even cause a dog to become lethargic just from applying it correctly (simply from the fumes and absorption through the skin). Over time Bayticol seeps into the liver and kidneys and can cause problems in the long run so isn't a great product to rely on to keep the ticks off your dog. If i have a dog come in with a severe tick problem i will usually recommend myself or a vet to do the tick wash to ensure it is done as safely as possible.
Saying that, Bayticol is an indispensable weapon in my arsenal against dreaded ticks. It works really well to treat the area that is infested (inside/outside your house). Dilute it as you would to treat your dog, but use it instead to mop the floor and walls (paying special attention to any cracks and small holes. Also remember to look up, ticks that have no food (such as when your dog is on tick prevention) will often climb up high (to the top of walls/corner between the wall and ceiling) to hibernate until a food source comes along again (when the prevention runs out).
When you mop the floor/walls, move your dog to another area and leave the Bayticol for a couple of hours. Then mop over with water to remove the poison (this isn't so necessary for areas your dog can't reach such as close to the ceiling). I usually suggest mopping with Bayticol every couple of weeks for a few months to make sure you don't miss any of the ticks (they are very sneaky and love to hide). You can also wash any material bits (dog beds/curtains etc) in Bayticol as well (although it sometimes discolors some materials, you can always start with a tiny bit of Bayticol to try and keep everything the right color) to make sure there are none hiding in there.
Once you don't see any more ticks in the area you can step back the Spot on to once every month. Keep an eye out to make sure they don't start to multiply again.

Tick eggs are white and usually will be found in one big pile (one mother bug will lay hundreds and hundreds of eggs in one go). The easiest way to clean them up is to pick them up with a strip of tape and then burn the tape to ensure they won't hatch anyway.

Generally you need to keep using prevention constantly for at least 6months to really really make sure there are no ticks left. If there is even one female left around after your preventions and moppings, the infestation will start all over again.

I know how you feel, ticks really really suck, i hate them more than anything else i think.
Good luck, hope you are all tick free soon .

Oh yes - if you have time to sit and pick ticks off, or look around the walls/area and pick them out, this will speed up the process as there will just be less around. Keep a bottle of water around that you can drop the ticks in (clean out the bottle every 2days) to make sure they don't get back into action.

This post has been edited by Divas: Feb 10 2011, 09:40 PM

For boys who mark you can use regular baby diapers, but sideways (so it covers the penis and leave a kind of pouch under to catch the pee). I also use this as extra protection when any of my girls are on heat so Prince doesn't get them accidentally (of course he is separated from them as well, but the extra 'just in case' diaper really helps my peace of mind), plus he always goes on a marking rampage when they are on heat so would be wearing it anyway.

as yeowa said, there are female 'panties' that you put a pad in for females on heat, however they don't stay on very well and increase the chances that she gets an infection by a lot so i don't really like them at all.

As far as poop goes, the way a dog is built, it would be very hard to put a diaper type thing on them for poop without it just smooshing into their coat and behind area, causing terrible mats, dirt and probably a nasty swollen infected anus (if you have ever seen a dog who's coat has trapped poop over the rear hole for even just an hour or so you will see how red and swollen (and obviously uncomfortable) it gets :S).

As far as 'toilet training' it is important that your puppy learns to go in a particular place at a young age so they don't develop the habit of just going wherever they are as they get older. If you gave them pampers to prevent accidents until they were 10 months old they would be so used to just peeing/pooing wherever they are, it will be next to impossible to train them out of it without moving house!! Plus, you will have to train them where the right place to go is eventually (just as you have to train (i guess some people would prefer the word 'teach :S) a human baby) so you might as well start as soon as they get to you as a puppy has the capability to learn and is more mobile than a human baby of the same age (it will be much faster this way).

You took him home already?? at 5 weeks old???!!! Please tell me i have misunderstood and you have just confirmed a booking.... :'(

yey, i thought i was misunderstanding somewhere but thought i would check. In that case congratulations, Dorian looks like a real cutie <3 .

Parvo is a very contagious virus that is spread through direct contact with an infected dog or contact with fecal matter of an infected dog, it has an incubation peiod of 5-10days. It can show intestinal or cardiac symptoms either of which can quite quickly lead to death if not treated promptly, especially in young puppies. There is no known cure for Parvovirus. However once the virus has been contracted, the vaccination will do nothing. For a dog/puppy who has already contracted Parvo, the only course of action is to treat the symptoms, boost the immune system and overall health as much as possible and hope the virus will pass. For a minor case diagnosed and treated promptly, recovery can occur within 3 or 4 days, however for a more severe case, recovery can take as long as 2weeks with proper treatment and care.
Parvo can be prevented by keeping a puppy (or adult dog) up to date with his/her vaccinations and practicing good hygiene and quarantine practices in kennels and other areas where large numbers of dogs live together.