Rescued Pup Advice

Gamble

Novitiate
Hello!

I’m looking for advice/help with a Doberman pup I rescued. Pup was born on Jan 28 “supposedly” and does not appear to have any major issues as of yet.

Pretty long story but I will make it shorter by summarizing most of it. I came upon a post on Facebook about a guy that was trying to find a home for his litter of pups ASAP because he worked long hours and 4 pups had died already since the mom was not taking care of them and he didn’t have time, money etc... I had been looking to adopt a dog for sometime now so I decided I would try to adopt one.

When I got to his place I realized why 4 pups might have died since the room he had them was full of poop and the pups where covered in poop too. I was in shock and pretty annoyed at the conditions the pups were living in. At that point I told him that I did not think I could adopt one since they don’t even look close to 8 weeks old and appeared in very bad shape, the runt looked like she had less than an hour left and was not eating or drinking. The guy said that he had found homes for all of them except 2 of them, the runt and the one I was supposed to take. I felt guilty not taking him and leaving him behind covered in poop and dying. So after 15-20min of debating if I should risk spending thousands on vet bills if he was sick. I told the guy that if the puppy ate food and drank water I would take him, sure enough he brought a bowl of food and milk and he started eating it crazy fast. After my better judgement and with much fear of loving him and him dying due to being sick, I decided to adopt him.

As soon as I left with the pup, I took him to a vet that was close by and explained the situation. I had concerns that he might have a lot of worms since his stomach was pretty round, even before he ate. The vet dewormed him and told me that he looked good and the reason why his stomach was inflated was probably the milk the guy was giving him instead of water. either way she dewormed him just in case and I paid to have him bathed.

I got home and after examining the pup I found 3 ticks. One in his ear and the other two around his body. His right eye looks watery and a bit closed compared to his left eye. I am skeptical the vet examined the pup correctly since I paid for the bath and still found ticks.

Anyways, I would like to find out if he looks 5 weeks or looks younger? The guy told me they were born on Jan 28. He only woke me up 3 times last night and had to hold him like a baby in order for him to fall back to sleep.

Also, how many times should I feed him? Every how many hours? Do I throw away any left over food or do I just leave the bowl there until he finishes it? Do I leave a bowl of water or do I take the water bowl away until feeding time?

I got him eukanuba and I am adding water to the kibbles. I wish I had done more research about which food to get him but I was in a hurry to feed him and eukanuba was the best I could find at the time. He is pooping solid so I guess thats a good sign.

I read about the bite inhibition behavior and I plan to teach him that skill to the best of my ability.

The pups parents were super friendly and mellow which I guess that is a good sign of temperament given that the guy has them outside and not indoors like they are supposed to be.

Any tips or things I should do or look out for? I work from home so I will be with him basically 24/7 and can put in the time and work to raise a good pup.

Any tips are greatly appreciated!

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I would say 5-6 weeks as well. Being separated from the mom and littermates so young will add other issues to you raising him. The mom will usually teach the pups acceptable behaviors that are valuable to them in their first year. It’s going to add different dynamics to your training so I would be looking and interviewing trainers experienced with this breed now so you can get started with training and confidence building early.
 
I agree he looks about 5-6 weeks old. I would also find a different vet! If they bathed him and didn't find 3 ticks then or during the exam, I would not be happy! I understand why you rescued him, that guy should not be breeding dogs. As for feeding, I feed Fromm All Life Stages. Try to find a high end kibble and avoid puppy food, instead feed the all life stages. Search for feeding info on this site and you will find excellent advice on what to feed, how often, etc!
 
Welcome from Minnesota!

I think you're giving the poor little guy the best chance at a good life and I really hope this guy has the parents fixed when he's going to irresponsibly breed and not take care of them after the fact.

I feel sorry for the parents too if he just leaves them outside and they can't interact and be with their humans like they need to be.

It sounds like you're doing things right and I agree it would be good if you can find a good trainer experienced with the breed.
 
Hello!

I’m looking for advice/help with a Doberman pup I rescued. Pup was born on Jan 28 “supposedly” and does not appear to have any major issues as of yet.

Pretty long story but I will make it shorter by summarizing most of it. I came upon a post on Facebook about a guy that was trying to find a home for his litter of pups ASAP because he worked long hours and 4 pups had died already since the mom was not taking care of them and he didn’t have time, money etc... I had been looking to adopt a dog for sometime now so I decided I would try to adopt one.

When I got to his place I realized why 4 pups might have died since the room he had them was full of poop and the pups where covered in poop too. I was in shock and pretty annoyed at the conditions the pups were living in. At that point I told him that I did not think I could adopt one since they don’t even look close to 8 weeks old and appeared in very bad shape, the runt looked like she had less than an hour left and was not eating or drinking. The guy said that he had found homes for all of them except 2 of them, the runt and the one I was supposed to take. I felt guilty not taking him and leaving him behind covered in poop and dying. So after 15-20min of debating if I should risk spending thousands on vet bills if he was sick. I told the guy that if the puppy ate food and drank water I would take him, sure enough he brought a bowl of food and milk and he started eating it crazy fast. After my better judgement and with much fear of loving him and him dying due to being sick, I decided to adopt him.

As soon as I left with the pup, I took him to a vet that was close by and explained the situation. I had concerns that he might have a lot of worms since his stomach was pretty round, even before he ate. The vet dewormed him and told me that he looked good and the reason why his stomach was inflated was probably the milk the guy was giving him instead of water. either way she dewormed him just in case and I paid to have him bathed.

I got home and after examining the pup I found 3 ticks. One in his ear and the other two around his body. His right eye looks watery and a bit closed compared to his left eye. I am skeptical the vet examined the pup correctly since I paid for the bath and still found ticks.

Anyways, I would like to find out if he looks 5 weeks or looks younger? The guy told me they were born on Jan 28. He only woke me up 3 times last night and had to hold him like a baby in order for him to fall back to sleep.

Also, how many times should I feed him? Every how many hours? Do I throw away any left over food or do I just leave the bowl there until he finishes it? Do I leave a bowl of water or do I take the water bowl away until feeding time?

I got him eukanuba and I am adding water to the kibbles. I wish I had done more research about which food to get him but I was in a hurry to feed him and eukanuba was the best I could find at the time. He is pooping solid so I guess thats a good sign.

I read about the bite inhibition behavior and I plan to teach him that skill to the best of my ability.

The pups parents were super friendly and mellow which I guess that is a good sign of temperament given that the guy has them outside and not indoors like they are supposed to be.

Any tips or things I should do or look out for? I work from home so I will be with him basically 24/7 and can put in the time and work to raise a good pup.

Any tips are greatly appreciated!

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OMG, thanks to rescued him!! My heart is broken when i hear that kind of stories , how the owners can be so cruel?!
Sometimes i think, is the reason why i lives in apartment and no house, otherwise i finished with all poor puppies like this :sorry::wideyed:
Good luck with him , he is already lucky boy to survive this :poop: and be with you!
 
A Doberman next to a coffee mug. He looks so tiny! Ugh what a situation. I'd report the guy to your local humane society. At a minimum they would check out his filthy place as a biohazard.
 
I agree he looks about 5-6 weeks old. I would also find a different vet! If they bathed him and didn't find 3 ticks then or during the exam, I would not be happy!
Totally agree with that! Three ticks and they didn't find them? And three ticks on a 5 week old puppy? Dear God. What does that show you? Such a horrible condition. That guy should be reported. At least he is in the right house now! You are going to have your hands full but you are giving this little guy a wonderful chance. My heart breaks for all the other puppies and the parents!

Welcome to Doberman chat! Stick around. You will find all the advice you need. And we will need constant updates on your little one! :love:
 
I just want to say thanks to everyone that replied and helped answer my questions! I truly appreciate all the positive comments and help. Little Gamble is doing much better and grew a very noticeable difference just in the 1 week I've had him.

Thank you all for giving me and gamble such a warm welcome to the forum
 
Poor little guy... I went to look at puppies from an undesirable situation and left without the pup I went to see. They were charging outrageous money for unhealthy puppies and I'd just lost my boy from complications after a FM surgery. Some people I know from training classes told me that puppy (roach back was the most notable health issue) would only cause me more heartbreak with expensive health issues.

The puppies were a little scabby but thankfully not dirty and no fleas and ticks or else walking away would've been impossible. I reported this puppy to the website that does the listings for the PA Amish BYBs and they said they would follow-up but who knows what that means.

Gamble is an adorable and fitting name!!!
 

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