# Getting ready to bring home baby Malchi!



## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

I will be bringing home my very first Malchi in about a month. He will be about 6 or 7 weeks old. I am very excited! But this is the first small dog I have ever owned. Does anyone have any tips or advice or warnings? Is there anything special I need to do before the puppy gets here? I will be buying a crate and some toys before he gets here. I appreciate any advice!


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Congratulations on your new baby! and welcome to SM! I think you will love it here! I hope WHEN baby comes home you will post "oh & ahhhh" pictures for us!
I am concerned that this little puppy is going to be very, very small @ 7 wks. old which would present health issues such as hypoglycemia! For an experienced person that is tricky---for a novice it could be life-threatening.
Most reputable breeders keep puppies until 12 weeks. Is it possible to have your breeder hold on to the puppy for you? In some states I believe it is even illegal for a breeder to give up a dog that early.
Please reconsider the timing and let us know what you are thinking.


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

The problem is that we are not getting the puppy from a breeder. It is just from one of my husband's friends at work. Their Maltese mated with their Chihuauha and they want to give the puppies away at 6 or 7 weeks. I could ask them to wait, but I am afraid they will just give him to someone else who wants to take him sooner. Do you have any advice on avoiding hypoglycemia? I have heard of it and of course do not want to put the puppy in danger. Thanks for your help!


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Welcome to SM.
Pups that young need confinement to a small area rather than run of the house. They need to be near food at all times (water too, of course).You'll need to make 
certain he eats every couple of hours. Keep Nutrical on hand and know the signs
of low blood sugar. It's too bad the pup will be taken from it's mama so early.
There is a lot of valuable info on this forum, so don't hesitate to ask if you cannot
find it. 
I would definitely have the vet check over your new pup as soon as you get him.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Hypoglycemia is "low blood sugar" and is usually treated with Nutri-Cal or karo syrup. Put "hypoglycemia" in the search bar above & research it. 
The real issue is that you would have to be w/the dog 24/7 and keenly observant to know when it needed treatment. I was standing on the street once talking w/my neighbor who had just rescued a little, tiny yorkie & it had an episode which turned into a seizure & almost died in front of me. Luckily I knew what was going on (she had no idea) & was able to take immediate action.
Maybe you could talk w/these friends and see if they would be willing to keep the dog for a few more weeks. The other issue that is hugely important is the socialization skills a little dog learns from the mom & the pack during these critical weeks. Taking a dog away from this environment too soon can lead to serious maladjustment issues.
Are you home all the time? I really hope you don't feel I am jumping on you, but these are things of importance for your baby


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I suspect that perhaps your husband's friends simply don't know any better. Perhaps you can encourage them to do right by the puppies and keep them with their mother. They sound like very inexperienced and irresponsible dog owners. A responsible person, like yourself, learns everything they can before they get a dog. You might save yourself a lot of heart ache if you wait and get a dog from a responsible breeder.


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

Sylie said:


> I suspect that perhaps your husband's friends simply don't know any better. Perhaps you can encourage them to do right by the puppies and keep them with their mother. They sound like very inexperienced and irresponsible dog owners. A responsible person, like yourself, learns everything they can before they get a dog. *You might save yourself a lot of heart ache if you wait and get a dog from a responsible breeder.*


good post!

That's basically what I said on blueberrybug's other thread.


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

Thank you all for your advice. I, too, agree that 6 weeks is early. I will ask for the puppy's birthday so I know exactly how old he will be. The good thing is that I am a stay at home mom who is home 24 hours a day. If the owners are going to give the puppys away that early, I would rather one go to me because I know I will take really good care of it. I do have two other dogs at home. A cocker spaniel mix and a blue heeler. Both dogs are of course much larger, but extremely friendly and playful. I wouldn't let the dogs interact while the puppy is so young, but later on I hope the puppy will learn from them. I will look into getting some vitamins or medicine to have on hand in case anything happens. Any suggestions on a good quality food for this puppy that will help avoid hypoglycemia?


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

There are several knowledgeable people on here who have tiny dogs---Pat, Jackie, April are just a few who come to mind. I am sure they would be willing to chime in and advise you on what the little ones eat. I am hypoglycemic myself so it is tricky---I have to eat often, small meals w/protein & fat. If I am under stress or too active it is erratic & difficult to control. 
Please, please don't be offended by this advice. I know you will think carefully about what to do and make your own decision in the end. Whatever it is, do stick around. You are most welcome.


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

*Picture of baby Malchi*

This is our new puppy that we will be bringing home in a little while. My husband was able to visit him yesterday and took some pictures. The owner says he calls him "Cricket" becuase he is the most vocal of the litter. We are so excited to have him as a part of our family!


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## Malt Shoppe (Jul 20, 2011)

I'm sorry, but that puppy is WAAAY too young to be removed from his mother. If that's a current picture, I question how old it really is, doesn't look more than 2 weeks to me. You are asking for heartbreak for yourselves and your family by bringing this puppy home too early.

Also, being so young, I'm sure there are no administered shots for this puppy. He should not touch the floor, lawn or other dogs at any time. The handlers of this pup should have freshly washed hands. I wouldn't let anyone touch this puppy until he had his shots.

This is very sad; it's unfair to that little puppy who relies on people to make the right decisions about it's care and life.


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

He is SO adorable! But he is so tiny! I want nothing but the best for that little baby and your family, truly I do, but please consider asking the owners to keep him just for a little while longer? I can't imagine that this little baby is 7 weeks old like they are telling you? From your previous posts, it is obvious that you already love and care for this little boy, and it is clear that you have a dog lovers heart! I wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious bundle of joy!


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

ohh! I just realized that on Wednesday you said you were not bringing him home for a month. So he is just a little baby! pheww! 

Grow boy grow! What are you naming him? Going to keep Cricket? I think that's cute!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

blueberrybug said:


> This is our new puppy that we will be bringing home in a little while. My husband was able to visit him yesterday and took some pictures. The owner says he calls him "Cricket" becuase he is the most vocal of the litter. We are so excited to have him as a part of our family!


Oh please PLEASE tell me this is not a current pic of that precious baby. If it is, I'm afraid to say that most of the puppies will not survive if being taken in by a novice. If this person is in such a rush to let the puppies go, perhaps you could offer to take in the mother and all the puppies until they are old enough to be separated from their mother and litter mates.

Please forgive me if I'm being overly emotional but it's been a really tough few weeks for me with way too many babies being sick and dying. I literally cried when I saw how young that baby is in that pic and am truly hoping and praying it is not a current pic.

You MUST have Nutrical on hand like Brit mentioned several days ago to help prevent hypoglycemia. That baby won't even be able to eat well on his own. You will need to use a high quality canned food for him to be able to eat. Possibly even need to syringe feed him, which means you will have to get something from your vet or possibly one of wonderful breeders here will have a recipe for you. By the look of that picture, you will need to be feeding that baby every couple of hours around the clock.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Malt Shoppe said:


> I'm sorry, but that puppy is WAAAY too young to be removed from his mother. If that's a current picture, I question how old it really is, doesn't look more than 2 weeks to me. You are asking for heartbreak for yourselves and your family by bringing this puppy home too early.
> 
> Also, being so young, I'm sure there are no administered shots for this puppy. He should not touch the floor, lawn or other dogs at any time. The handlers of this pup should have freshly washed hands. I wouldn't let anyone touch this puppy until he had his shots.
> 
> This is very sad; it's unfair to that little puppy who relies on people to make the right decisions about it's care and life.



I think OP is planning ahead. She originally said she would be getting the pup in about a month. *Still way to young*. That little guys eyes aren't even open yet.

Let us all hope that the people who have them will realize that at six weeks they aren't fully weaned and keep them with the dam.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I'm confused. She just posted today she's bringing him home "in a little while". I was thinking that meant sometime today. :huh:


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

Crystal&Zoe said:


> I'm confused. She just posted today she's bringing him home "in a little while". I was thinking that meant sometime today. :huh:


That's how I read it too! But, it can't be right?


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

No, I think a little while means a month and the pup will be about 6-7 weeks old. Still WAY too young to bring a pup home on so many levels. But this pup is coming from a work friend not an ethical breeder so they probably don't even know the serious health dangers or the result of taking pups away too soon and thus not giving them the socializing skills they need to be happy, healthy dogs. It looked to me from the post like the mating was accidental - I would hope so since who would mate a Chi and a Maltese??? 

We really aren't saying this to be mean or hurt you but I would ask the owners to keep the pup until he's 12 weeks. If they really have the pup's best welfare in mind, they will. If not, I would question how that pup's health will be. If you read some posts you can see the heartbreak of sick puppies who aren't sold by ethical breeders. It can happen to any pup of course but at least thought and precautions are taken to breed a healthy pup. I'm assuming he's being given for free, but the future vet bills could well make up for that free pup. If you do take him early or late, please read posts about new puppies and what you need and need to do. I wish you best of luck, really. BTW, which dog was the dam?


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

Sorry I was not more specific. "In a little while" means in a month at the earliest. We have spoken to the owners and they are willing to wait until the puppy is a bit older. This picture was taken at the puppy's house with it's current owner - we just went to visit and meet him. He is currently 2 1/2 weeks old. The dad is full maltese and the mom is 1/2 maltese & 1/2 chihuauaha. I am not sure if the puppy's eyes are open yet or not - I did not get to meet him in person. My husband said all the puppy's were sleeping when he was there, so the puppy could just be asleep in that picture. We are going to name him "Mojo" (husband's idea!). There was a little dog named Mojo in the Transformers movies and my husband always thought that was a cute name. 

You all can relax.  I have done as much research as a person can do on small breed puppies. I have owned large dogs all my life and know how to care for a dog. I am a stay-at-home mom who will be home with the puppy literally 24 hours a day. The only time I leave the house is to grocery shop or go to church on Sundays. I am a HUGE dog lover and will spoil this dog to death! I have trained dogs before & plan to put the puppy in obedience class when he is old enough. We already have a crate picked out and several puppy toys. Vet bills are not a problem - we have plenty of money for that. We have two other dogs and ALWAYS keep them healthy. This puppy will be greatly loved and very well taken care of. 

Just to be clear: we DO NOT have the puppy yet. He is still with his mama and 2 other litter mates. We will not take him home for at least a month, maybe longer. And no, I do not take offense at your comments. I appreciate fellow dog lovers.


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

blueberrybug said:


> Sorry I was not more specific. "In a little while" means in a month at the earliest. We have spoken to the owners and they are willing to wait until the puppy is a bit older. This picture was taken at the puppy's house with it's current owner - we just went to visit and meet him. He is currently 2 1/2 weeks old. The dad is full maltese and the mom is 1/2 maltese & 1/2 chihuauaha. I am not sure if the puppy's eyes are open yet or not - I did not get to meet him in person. My husband said all the puppy's were sleeping when he was there, so the puppy could just be asleep in that picture. We are going to name him "Mojo" (husband's idea!). There was a little dog named Mojo in the Transformers movies and my husband always thought that was a cute name.
> 
> You all can relax.  I have done as much research as a person can do on small breed puppies. I have owned large dogs all my life and know how to care for a dog. I am a stay-at-home mom who will be home with the puppy literally 24 hours a day. The only time I leave the house is to grocery shop or go to church on Sundays. I am a HUGE dog lover and will spoil this dog to death! I have trained dogs before & plan to put the puppy in obedience class when he is old enough. We already have a crate picked out and several puppy toys. Vet bills are not a problem - we have plenty of money for that. We have two other dogs and ALWAYS keep them healthy. This puppy will be greatly loved and very well taken care of.
> 
> Just to be clear: we DO NOT have the puppy yet. He is still with his mama and 2 other litter mates. We will not take him home for at least a month, maybe longer. And no, I do not take offense at your comments. I appreciate fellow dog lovers.


great news! He was just so tiny in that picture that it was alarming! I'm so pleased that he will be coming home to an educated and loving family. Best wishes for your new puppy journey! Please continue to share photos of Mojo!


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

Thanks.  I was starting to feel attacked. It's nice to have some positive feedback. Although I realize I wasn't very clear. Aside from my own two children, dogs are my passion! My husband always tells me that I love my dogs more than him! This puppy will be my 3rd baby and spoiled rotten!

Your dog is ADORABLE by the way!


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## Malt Shoppe (Jul 20, 2011)

Oh Blueberry, that's such a relief. As you can tell, we are very concerned about puppies/dogs in general. Keeping your baby with his mom as long as possible is best. 

I'm sure others here who have current experience with feeding pups can be of help.

Hope you keep pictures coming as he grows, it'll be interesting to see who he might resemble or just be his own 'new design'.

I think his name is adorable, Mojo....very cute.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I'm happy that you don't blame us. I feel better after reading your post. You sound like you're going into this with your eyes open and will be a very diligent mom. We've just read so many sad stories of very sick puppies that have died when they're very young, that we try to prevent others from making mistakes for themselves and the little pups. Taking care of these little guys is very different from bigger dogs but we have a lot of great info here and you can always ask. I do hope the parents of your pup will neuter and spay the parents. There are way too many beautiful pups in all the shelters and rescues who need homes. If indeed this was an accident and not a case of backyard breeding where these "accidents" keep on happening, I am sure they will get them spayed and neutered after the pups go.
So interesting that the dad is full Maltese and the mom is 1/2 and 1/2 that the pup would be black. :blink::blink: Awfully strong Chi genes since that's a quarter of the match. How big are both parents so you can figure on size of Mojo?


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

I thought his coloring was interesting, too. All I can go off if what my husband has told me. My husband saw the parents, but he didn't say much about them. All I know is that one litter mate is white with tan markings. There is a 3rd litter mate, but they are keeping that one and I don't know anything about it. They are giving away the other 2 puppies for free, so they are not looking to make any money.


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## Luna'sMom (Oct 7, 2007)

The colour isn't that surprising  Maltese have a double recessive (ee) genotype at the E locus colour gene which basically stops the dog from producing black pigment (in their hair...) this masks the effect of many other coat colour genes. I've tested Luna for example and if she didn't have the ee genotype she would be black or sable (can't remember which). 

This means that if breeding a Maltese to another dog breed that doesn't have the ee genotype a number of interesting colours are possible - including black, tan etc depending upon what the Maltese and the other dog might be carrying. 

- I'm a coat colour nerd... sorry 


@ the OP: Great that your saving this little puppy - hopefully he will be very healthy and a great little pet. I would be slightly nervous about leaving the puppy alone with your two large dogs - perhaps separate them except for closely supervised times for the first few weeks/months. A toy breed is sooo tiny that a misplaced foot or overly-zealous correction by a large dog can be disastrous. 

Sounds like your very responsible and planing for the future - a pity the pups parents owners weren't responsible - but at least he will have a nice home with a family that loves him!


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

I am buying the puppy a crate for very specific reasons. I know that a tiny dog needs a safe place to sleep, hide, rest, whatever. And of course, I will put him in the crate whenever I need to leave (which isn't very often). 

I am buying him puppy toys, a special blanket, high-quality puppy food and Nutri Cal to have on hand in case he doesn't eat well at first. This puppy will be very well taken care of!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Please forgive us if you feel we have over-reacted. SM is involved in rescue and we see a lot of heart-breaking situations with these little fluffs and so we are kind of sensitive at times. I hope you will stick around. SMers are really wonderful folks.:wub: I'm not worried. I'm happy this little pup has you. I believe he will be just fine. Having a "teeny-tiny" is a bit different from having a big dog, though. The two main things to keep in mind are small, frequent meals and keeping them away from other dogs and outside, if possible, until they have all their immunizations. :Welcome 3:


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

Blueberrybug, you are already a loving, caring, conscientious mommy--you are planning way ahead, stockpiling supplies and getting ready for that _adorable_ little bundle in the picture! Congratulations! We can't wait to see more pictures later on!!!


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

Thanks for your encouraging words. 

I do have one more question - should I just use newspaper/puppy pee pads in the house for him to go to the bathroom until he is vaccinated? Or is it okay to let him in our backyard right away?


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

blueberrybug said:


> Thanks for your encouraging words.
> 
> I do have one more question - should I just use newspaper/puppy pee pads in the house for him to go to the bathroom until he is vaccinated? Or is it okay to let him in our backyard right away?


I would use potty pads until he is fully vaccinated. He won't be fully vaccinated until 16 weeks and unless you can guarantee with absolute 100% certainty that there has been nobody walking in your back yard that has walked in Parvo infested soil, I would not risk letting him out. I have a gardener who does our backyard so I don't let my puppies outside until they have all the vaccinations because I can't guarantee his shoes didnt' come into contact with parvo and it lives a loooong time in the soil. 

Good luck and I am looking forward to pics when he comes home!!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

Aw I'm sorry you were starting to feel attacked. We're just...well I'm just an overly worried neurotic dog mom with my babies and all babies in general. lol I've had several dog customers whom I've grown to know and love become very ill and one even died this past month. And the one who died could have so easily been prevented but the 'mommy' kept telling me she's had dogs all her life and I could tell she didn't want anyone telling her anything because she already knew everything. She came back in telling me she had no idea how different toy breeds really are compared to big dogs and apologized and wished she had asked questions rather then blow me off. Of course me being the type of person I am, am kicking myself and constantly thinking what I could have done different so it never happens again.

I look forward to seeing your baby grow up here on SM!! You're going to do great!


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## blueberrybug (Aug 3, 2011)

I honestly appreciate all the wisdom & advice - that's why I came here in the first place. But after 10 different people write 3 paragraphs on how what I am going to do is wrong, it gets a little disheartening. I am doing everything I can in advance to make sure this puppy will be well taken care of and researching as much as I can. And I know this little puppy will require LOTS of work, energy and attention. But I want to do it! And I know toy breeds are different than large breeds - thus all the research! I am just really excited and expected more excitement from people, not so much "friendly criticism".


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