SLEEPLESS NIGHTS for NEW PUPPY

[NS]

We just got our puppy last Thursday and are trying really hard to crate train him. During the day he will rest/sleep in the crate with minimal whining etc. We have had him for 5 nights and every single night he cries, whines, barks on and off the entire night and he poops in the crate. There is a chance he has Giardia because another puppy in his litter has it. (We are waiting to get the test results back) Does anyone have any suggestions for us? I thought puppies slept soundly and that when they were asleep their systems shut down so they don't poop or pee. The last 2 nights he pooped and peed before going in the crate and he still manages to make a huge mess in his crate. Now when he whines/barks we take him out in the middle of the night and sometimes he goes. I have no idea if he is whining cause he is lonely or if he needs to go to the bathroom. Any ideas??? Thank you in advance.

[Jessica & Zoey]

We have a 6 month old puppy and when we first got her at 8 weeks old, she cried throughout the night for the first 2-3 weeks, but gradually improving over those weeks. We did not want her to be in the habit of sleeping in our room even while being in a crate. So we kept her and still keep her in our second bedroom in her crate. Everything we read said to keep the puppy in your room but we decided to just try our best to get through the crying. She now loves her little room and goes in when she's ready to go to bed. We even close her door now to keep the room dark and so we don't hear her every move! We love her to death but we want to maintain a couple boundaries. We played audio books from a computer during those first weeks so she could hear voice sounds which seemed to really help. I don't doubt moving him to your room will help but if you aren't interested in that, just hang in there because it will get better!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

No advice here, my two were both sleeping through the night by our bed in a crate by the second night and in bed with us by the end of the first week or so. Never a bed accident. We love having our guys close. It seems sad to me to have him crying so far away when he doesn't know where everyone went. Maybe just in your room for awhile then gradually moving him back downstairs as he gets to know the routine and where his pack is at night?

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

My puppy was the same way as yours loved the crate during the day but hated (and once soiled) the crate at night. He even scratched the top of his little nose trying to get out! :( I too had heard that they shouldn't sleep in your room so I slept in the living room with Oliver for his first week home so he could see me if he woke up in the middle of the night and got scared. Before I put him in his crate for the night I always tried to run him around so he was extra tired (and super empty) which seemed to work but we still had to make a couple of night trips. Honestly, we stopped using the crate at night after about a week and switched to a puppy pen with his bed, toys, and potty pad (for the first few weeks). He then just had hour crate time breaks during the day.

[Julie and Charlie]

I am going to put my money on giardia!

[NS]

You were right -- he has Giardia! Our vet prescribed Metronidazole in a liquid that is to be given to him 2x a day for 10 days. Does that sound right to all of you? Others I know have given their puppy Metronidazole + Panecur. I was also surprised because the vet tech didn't know if it was a cyst or not -- her response was regardless of what type of Giardia the puppy has the medication is exactly the same. I find that response to be unsatisfactory --do you agree?

We opted not to move his crate to our bedroom but have slept on the couch the last 2 nights, this way when he whimpers we take him out immediately and that has stopped the accidents in the crate. Last night he only woke up once which was AWESOME. 

Thanks again to everyone for their advice.

[Julie and Charlie]

I hope my "winnings" are a healthy puppy in a week or two :)

[NS]

The odd thing is he really does not exhibit any of the symptoms EXCEPT that he sleeps poorly at night and accidents at night. During the day he eats the same food the breeder was feeding him which is TOTW Bison/Venison Caninine, has lots of energy, poops/pee's regularly etc. I want to switch him to a grain free puppy formula but am planning to wait until we are done with Giardia and the associated meds

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You really do need Panacur. It has been proven to be the most effective treatment for Giardia. I would insist on it along with the metronidazole, which is not effective on its own.

Giardia cysts are not always present in every stool sample, but they need to see them to diagnosis it, so chances are they did find them.

[NS]

UGH!! The breeder said the same thing regarding treatment either Panacur alone or along with Metronidazole. Why would my vet not prescribe both to me? I am beyond frustrated with our vet over this entire thing and the fact that he suggested that I switch from TOTW to Iams or Science diet...Do you suggest I call the vet again and ask for Panacur too? I also asked the vet if it in the cyst form or the gut and they had NO IDEA! I think I need a new vet...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You may need a new vet, lol, but for right now, what you need most is Panacur. Insist that they give it to you. Giardia can be very tough to get rid of, and endless courses of metronidazole and other antibiotics can lead to all kinds of GI issues down the road.

The Rx food thing is going to happen with almost any vet, for reasons you can read all about in The Food Group.

[NS]

Thank you everyone! I called the vet and insisted on Panacur! So how we will give him Panacur and Mentronidazole for 10 straight days -- does that seem right?

[NS]

Well we gave him the Panacur and the Metro last night and he was AWAKE and hyper all night which was a bummer since I thought we had turned a corner once we started sleeping on the couch. Last night he just would not settle down in the crate and I was next to him. I had to take him out and he laid near me all night. He did not sleep soundly so it seems like the Panacur made him hyper. Have any of you experienced side affects from Panacur and/or Metro?

Also, my vet told us to give him both the Panacur and Metro together for 10 days straight. Does that sound right???

Thanks again for your help.