Rescued Maltie, couple questions?

[Kahne9Lover]

Hi, my husband's aunt wanted a maltese, she lives in Florida, so I sent her a Petfinder link to a rescue in Ft Lauderdale that had Maltie pups, 8 mo. old rescued from a pet store situation, and were being held at a vet's. She came home with Lexy two days ago. From the pictures she sent, I see quite a bit of pink skin showing through her fur, can't tell if the fur is thin or the skin is irritated. She has purchased a proper size crate, but the pup is making in her crate and lying in it. I'm guessing she went from mill to petstore and simply doesn't know any other way to do her business, which may account for the pinkness (her lying in it). She also doesn't like to walk, she'd rather be carried, so maybe she doesn't know what solid ground feels like. Never having had a mill dog, or a Maltie for that matter, does anyone have any advice on getting her over the floor fear, and what would be a good food for her to be on? My dogs are on Calif Natural (Maya seems to be allergic to everything else), so I don't know what to recommend to her for this pup.

[babymomma]

Im not sure about everything else.. But for food Id recommend Orijen all breed formula.. Thats what I feel my yorkie and She is doing amazing on it!... Id also recomend Taste of the wild and other grain free foods

[Kahne9Lover]

Thanks Babymomma, I've never had a small dog, so I wasn't quite sure. Also I was able to copy a picture, hopefully it posts ok

[aslan]

with our Bishop we had to umbilical him to us alot, take him outside frequently to avoid accidents, using a crate was useless with him as like yours he was used to going to the bathroom in it. We pretty much had to double and triple the amount of times he went outside and make a huge fuss over him when he did his business. He too didn't know what the floor was so it was alot of patience put him on the floor, keep putting him in a standing position, coax abit..they eventually get it..and BM has suggested excellant foods to you.

[luckypenny]

I agree, she may have to forget the crate for a while because the pup has been trained to eliminate in it. I'd suggest the umbilical method for house training. What are the floors like in her home? Your aunt could try placing carpet runners throughout if the floors are hard. This may sound weird but, she could also feed the puppy her meals by placing the kibble all over the floor as well. She could start in one room to begin. Then make trails all over.

Another vote for Orijen here.

[aslan]

oh pupper is very cute but yup pretty pink happenin.. try giving the little one a bath in oatmeal shampoo. you can get it at most pet stores, with soothe any itching and help with the pinkness.

[Kahne9Lover]

Thanks for all the replies. I will tell her about the umbilical method, and the food trails I explained to her about having a good quality food and how to read the ingredients. She sent me another picture, its a shame she is 14 hours away cuz I really want to give her a hug!

[aslan]

has the pup been taken to the vet yet, the area around her eye is abit concerning.

[hazelrunpack]

Oh, what a sweet she is...

[Kahne9Lover]

Aslan, she was actually being kept for the rescue at a vet's office, I did just find out that they had to shave all her fur off and treat her for mange. That was the "situation" that the shelter rescued these pups from at the pet store. THANK GOD FOR ALL THE SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO SAVE THESE ANIMALS!!!

[aslan]

oh yay good news, the eye area looked like mange thats what i was concerned about. so little shaved pupper is healing which is good, oatmeal bath will help. It's gonna take a little time and work but pupper will learn.

[Bailey_]

Awwh, what a sweetie!! I agree with Aslan...this puppy needs to have a bit of vetcare, but she looks adorable. Thankyou for directing your family to rescue!

As far as the floor is concerned, you've gotten great advice so far. The only other piece of advice I have, is to avoid carrying her as much as possible. It's easy to feel sorry for her, especially if she was a mill puppy, but that won't help her get over her fears. She needs to learn to walk on different surfaces, and she needs to gain confidence in her own ability. That won't happen if she's always carried, or even if she is touched/stroked while exhibiting her fear. Touch should only happen once she has calmed down.