[lokismomma]

Hi there, I dont even know if I am even in the right place. My name is Amber and I have become a surprise lab momma. To make a horrible story short, my baby Loki was found in a box last night on the side of the road. Sadly she is all that remains of her brothers and sisters. Our vet has placed her at around 6 weeks old. I have been around dogs my entire life and work as a kennel tech in a local shelter....but I guess I am here to learn as much as I can about my baby and this wonderful breed.

About Loki, she's a little miracle! Weighing in at 9 lbs 7 oz, she appears to be in good health despite how she was found. She was rather dehydrated when found and lethargic, though with the help of a syringe used normally for hand feeding parrots (which I raise lol) we got our baby girl hydrated. I was a bit concerned about the possibility of hypoglycemic shock as I was unaware of how long it had been since she had anything to eat so she was given very small amounts of nutristat puppy boot every hour or so to keep her from crashing. She seems to be eating kibble well, and we have her on nutri-source small and medium breed puppy kibble that has been slightly moistened with warm water. tonight she got up and romped around a bit before settling on her bed with her rope toy. I have a crate for her that has been open, and she spends quite a bit of time in there sleeping. are there any tips or tricks I can do to make her feel more welcome? I am a bit concerned at how young she is and the fact that her litter mates are gone. Anyone know of any ideas as to how I can simulate litter mates so she doesn't feel so lonely at night?

 

[lokismomma]

guess it would help if i added a picture huh lol

 

[Sophiesmama]

She is adorable! How can people be so horrible to do that to such precious little animals! Human cruelty never ceases to amaze me! Were her litter mates found with her? It sounds like you are in touch with your vet and following his/her directions. I can't offer you much by way of advice, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for rescuing little Loki! :hug::hug:

 

[lokismomma]

yes unfortunately her litter mates were with her, though they had passed

 

[lokismomma]

and actually, the vet suggested putting her down, needless to say he was fired on the spot...and now I have to find a new vet. The treatment she is receiving is standard procedure where I work, when we receive lethargic pups...thankfully I job requires me to know these things

 

[Sophiesmama]

Horrible! It is such a blessing that she was found in time! Poor wee girl! I hope they catch and prosecute the people that did this!

 

[lokismomma]

heh I kinda hope they don't catch these people for fear of what I might do to them if I ever found out who did this

 

[Sophiesmama]

heh I kinda hope they don't catch these people for fear of what I might do to them if I ever found out who did this

We'll all be lining up behind you!!

 

[Garth]

Firstly thanks so much for all you're doing for her. It sounds like she couldn't be in better hands. I truly despise some people for they way they treat animals. Hopefully karma will catch up with them & teach them a lesson.

are there any tips or tricks I can do to make her feel more welcome? I am a bit concerned at how young she is and the fact that her litter mates are gone. Anyone know of any ideas as to how I can simulate litter mates so she doesn't feel so lonely at night?

You could try adding an article of clothing with your scent on it in her bed. Also, could you get her one of those soft stuffy toys to snuggle up to? I would avoid anything with a squeaker at this stage in case she pulls it apart & swallows the squeaker. That would go some way to compensating for the rest of her litter. Also if you can get one of those ticking alarm clocks & wrap it in a towel, it's supposed to simulate their mothers heartbeat. Big thing to remember if you do that is make sure the alarm isn't set or it will give the poor thing a heart attack if it goes off!

I would also keep her crate in the bedroom at night. You can probably expect a few sleepless nights with her crying until she settles down. Labs crave human company so the closer she can be to you the better.

Good luck with her. Please keep us updated re her progress & post lots of pics of her growing up.

 

[Sophiesmama]

and actually, the vet suggested putting her down, needless to say he was fired on the spot...and now I have to find a new vet. The treatment she is receiving is standard procedure where I work, when we receive lethargic pups...thankfully I job requires me to know these things

Some vets really tick me off! I ran into one of those "knowledgeable" vets the other day! I wanted to ring her neck! Sigh...hope you find a good one soon!

 

[lokismomma]

Firstly thanks so much for all you're doing for her. It sounds like she couldn't be in better hands. I truly despise some people for they way they treat animals. Hopefully karma will catch up with them & teach them a lesson.



You could try adding an article of clothing with your scent on it in her bed. Also, could you get her one of those soft stuffy toys to snuggle up to? I would avoid anything with a squeaker at this stage in case she pulls it apart & swallows the squeaker. That would go some way to compensating for the rest of her litter. Also if you can get one of those ticking alarm clocks & wrap it in a towel, it's supposed to simulate their mothers heartbeat. Big thing to remember if you do that is make sure the alarm isn't set or it will give the poor thing a heart attack if it goes off!

I would also keep her crate in the bedroom at night. You can probably expect a few sleepless nights with her crying until she settles down. Labs crave human company so the closer she can be to you the better.

Good luck with her. Please keep us updated re her progress & post lots of pics of her growing up.

thank you so much for the tips!!! I will absolutely be trying those tonight!

 

[Garth]

Forgot to mention if all else fails, the human bed is usually a pretty good pacifier. :lol: