howdy dooty from JuJu Berri Phamson!

[jujuberri]

My girlfriend and I are about to have a Maltese as our first doggie! We just want to be the best parents we can be and are very grateful to have found this awesome community. I have been spending a lot of time reading on these forums already, great knowledge!


We are expecting JuJu to come home on November 17th. She will be 9 weeks old by then. Here is JuJu at 7 weeks when we went to see the liter, really adorable, calm, cuddly personality so far!

If there are any good books that you folks can recommend, we would greatly appreciate it! Thank you for reading JuJu Berri Phamson's introduction, we are excited to be a part of this forum!

[Charlie'sMom]

Hello and welcome JuJu Berri Phamson .
What a cute name your parents gave you....very original!
You sure are very cute and from the sound of it, your parents are VERY excited about you coming home soon.

I don't know about any specific book, that would cover everything, but I'm pretty sure this site will....there are so many experienced Maltese owners and even a vet technician to answer any questions you may have.
Plus this whole community is like a family...you will love it here.

Again welcome and please keep the pictures coming.

Katie & Charlie

[Furbabies mom]

Hi and Welcome to SM! Your little one is a cutie! There is tons of info here, and many Malt owners, if you have any questions! Since you are getting her so young, (they should leave their mom at 12 weeks) be prepared to have house breaking to take longer, waking up in the night for potty breaks, more trips to the vets for shots, not allowing them on the ground until they fully vaccinated, and buy tons of chew toys and sticks, because they will chew on anything and everything until they are done teething. They also will probably not be too fond of baths and grooming! eventually everything will fall into place, it just takes time! Also remember to "puppy proof " your house, they get into everything!!!!

[jujuberri]

Thank for the warm and helpful replies Charlie'sMom and FurbabiesMom,
Your doggies are very adorable! My girlfriend and I feel very welcome here now =)

I greatly appreciate the quick reply and helpful advice Furbabiesmom, those are exactly the things I need to be thinking about to prepare for bringing JuJu home. Good looking out with the tip about not leaving pup on the ground until all shots are done.

We definitely set aside time to raise this puppy good, and I am finding a vet this week to speak to. We are college students but only taking an elective class for the rest of the semester (3 hours a week, 1.5hr on Mon/Wed). The rest of our time and energy will go towards JuJu =)

Once again thank you for the warm welcome and best regards!

-Jimmy and Gina (JuJu's human parents)

[Leila'sMommy]

Welcome!! I'm pretty new here myself. Your baby is adorable and I'm sure you can't wait to get her home.

I got my Leila before 12 weeks too and until this post, I haven't said anything about it because I was afraid of what others would say. Now, I'm not saying the same applies to all tiny ones who leave for their forever homes before 12 weeks, but I haven't had any problems with Leila. I just made sure she ate well, especially during the times of day when she's very active because of the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and kept an eye out that she didn't show any symptoms. However, that can be hard to tell sometimes if it's from that or just plain sleepy since young puppies sleep so much and can fall asleep so quickly. Another thing puppies learn from their littermates before 3 mos is how to play and they do that a lot with their mouths. During this time, they let each other know how hard is too hard by yelping and then ignoring the biter. So, if yours is a real biter, make sure to let out a loud enough "ow!" and substitute your body for a toy that she is allowed to bite. Be consistent and it will get better. This doesn't mean she won't bite again because those little teething gums will cause her to forget, but continue to be patient and consistent. She may end up needing a little time-out if she gets too carried away and "wild" with the biting, but don't put her by herself for more than two minutes and don't use her crate. Her crate is supposed to be a happy, safe place - not for punishment. I would recommend somewhere like the bathroom. But make sure it's puppy proof.

[jujuberri]

Originally Posted by Leila'sMommy

Welcome!! I'm pretty new here myself. Your baby is adorable and I'm sure you can't wait to get her home.

I got my Leila before 12 weeks too and until this post, I haven't said anything about it because I was afraid of what others would say. Now, I'm not saying the same applies to all tiny ones who leave for their forever homes before 12 weeks, but I haven't had any problems with Leila. I just made sure she ate well, especially during the times of day when she's very active because of the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and kept an eye out that she didn't show any symptoms. However, that can be hard to tell sometimes if it's from that or just plain sleepy since young puppies sleep so much and can fall asleep so quickly. Another thing puppies learn from their littermates before 3 mos is how to play and they do that a lot with their mouths. During this time, they let each other know how hard is too hard by yelping and then ignoring the biter. So, if yours is a real biter, make sure to let out a loud enough "ow!" and substitute your body for a toy that she is allowed to bite. Be consistent and it will get better. This doesn't mean she won't bite again because those little teething gums will cause her to forget, but continue to be patient and consistent. She may end up needing a little time-out if she gets too carried away and "wild" with the biting, but don't put her by herself for more than two minutes and don't use her crate. Her crate is supposed to be a happy, safe place - not for punishment. I would recommend somewhere like the bathroom. But make sure it's puppy proof.

Thank for sharing your story and for the advice, we appreciate it with much gratitude. It makes us feel better knowing you had a comfortably fair experience raising your pup under 12 weeks. Of course, we are preparing for the worse. We definitely want to give JuJu the best life we can and it means a lot to us that already there are so many people here on this forum to support us. You all sincerely love your cuddle bugs and we can not wait to see the results of being good Maltese parents =)

The biggest priority right now for us is to find JuJu a vet and insurance, any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!


Jim and Gina

[Furbabies mom]

I have all of mine on Pet Plan, I think it's very reasonable and has very good coverage. You can go on line and get a quote, but there is a number to call to speak to a representative also.

[Charlie'sMom]

Originally Posted by Furbabies mom

I have all of mine on Pet Plan, I think it's very reasonable and has very good coverage. You can go on line and get a quote, but there is a number to call to speak to a representative also.

Debbie, your Pet Plan is from Banfield? I have the Banfield plan - $245 a year (divided into 12 monthly charges)- all vaccines and bloodwork with worm/parasites tests twice a year included.
Also I do not pay the office fee and I have 18% off of any medicine, vitamins, etc.
The Banfield is at all Petsmart locations nationwide, so I can go to any Petsmart in US in a case we're on vacation and they will see all Charlie's history.
Is it a good plan or do I need to change it?

[Snowbody]

Originally Posted by Charlie'sMom

Debbie, your Pet Plan is from Banfield? I have the Banfield plan - $245 a year (divided into 12 monthly charges)- all vaccines and bloodwork with worm/parasites tests twice a year included.
Also I do not pay the office fee and I have 18% off of any medicine, vitamins, etc.
The Banfield is at all Petsmart locations nationwide, so I can go to any Petsmart in US in a case we're on vacation and they will see all Charlie's history.
Is it a good plan or do I need to change it?

PetPlan is not part of Banfield. You can see any doctor of your choosing at any vet office or Animal hospital or ER. I've not heard good things at all about Banfield and it's doctors so that would be my last choice of where to go, personally.With PetPlan you pay for your vet's services and then are reimbursed -- they have various plans that change co-pay and deductible. You choose best for you. PetPlan is really for accidents, illness and injury so it doesn't pay for well visits or vaccines but it's the other things that cost so much money -- the fall when they need ex-rays or the intestinal problems and need for other diagnostic procedures, etc. These things can run into thousands, not hundreds like standard vet visits. They also pay for illnesses associated with breeds that many other plans don't pay. I've been happy with it and this year a broken tooth ended up reimbursing me more than I paid for my whole year of premiums.

I think pet insurance rates have recently risen. Ours went up quite a bit and when I called they said there was a recalculation of rates and rates vary according to part of the country you live in. We live in NYC so naturally rates are high because vets do charge a lot more here...overhead I would gather. You can easily get a quote online.

[Charlie'sMom]

Oh I see. Thank you Susan. I keep thinking about cancelling the Banfield plan, that's why I asked. I have the last 5 days for this year.
Our vet is really nice though.
I sign up only because my friends and few clients use it and I haven't really heard any complaints.
I'm going to check the Pet Plan right now. Sounds like something I may want to consider in a future.
Thanks again.

Katie