We have taken great pains to assure the health
and emotional well-being of your new Chin baby.
Make sure to purchase Nutri-Stat or Nutri-Cal to have on hand
This is because toy breeds are VERY suseptible to going Hypoglycemic (low blood surgar).
You will see that your puppy arrives to you in excellent weight, free of any parasites
well socialized and happy with a glossy coat and bright eyes. This is no accident,
please read more about How we raise your Puppy
Please carefully read the following instructions.
This is the purest of all dog breeds and by far the most delicate.
We pass the torch to you, to care and love this little treasure, as is her royal, oriental birthright.
The plural of Chin is Chin. Many people add an “s” but this is incorrect.
And once you have had one you will want more "Chin".
Japanese chin are physically delicate, and should never be allowed
to play, or be housed, with other breeds, or young children until they are full size.
They have delicate necks holding big heads and are remarkably frail and prone to injury.
Their love of play makes this a daunting task, but don’t let your guard down.
The smallest of dogs can make them either injure themselves or injure them, even in play.
We must protect them at all times. The Chinese and Japanese bred
them in close confinement for centuries. It is important to keep their world small.
It is a good idea to keep your Chin’s nails trimmed every week, so they don’t injure their eyes.
Also be sure any playmate for your Chin has short nails as well.
The Chin’s favorite game is slapping like a cat, so scratching their eyes is always a worry.
Remember that this is a stressful time for baby, having never been away from her littermates.
The more you can keep her in a familiar habitat, the better it will go for both you and baby.
Our puppies are used to living in a human baby playpen, and or EX Pen.
There is also a newer product a Pawmarks a Light weight xpen
mostly used for dog shows, but might be a good option for some people.
It is mandatory that you provide one of those options, for the baby. This is where he/she eats and sleeps.
Put bedding, toys, food, water (lixit bottle) at one end and a potty area at the other end.
Baby chin we keep, eat, sleep, travel and learn to be content in a cage, because we travel to shows.
If puppy is not on your lap or on a road trip, she should be in the playpen. DO NOT let puppy roam your home, unattended.
Letting puppy roam loose, will chill and stress the puppy
not to mention completely un-housebreak puppy, and ruin all my hard work.
Puppies have been known to hop on chairs, just as owners were sitting down, resulting in a Tragic ending.
So always know where puppy is, at all times, until they learn to get out of the way.
Once puppy is 4-5 months old, they may play for longer periods of time (supervised)
but for now, we suggest a strict “in the lap or in the pen” policy.
Remember, keep puppy's world SMALL.
In the playpen a round donut or cuddle bed works well.
We also like to have one soft toy, a rubber squeaky toy and something for baby to chew
Cat toys without feathers, or toy breed specific, toys work well.
Once puppy is 10+ weeks you can introduce RAW bones such as a small Chicken Neck, etc.
That will aid in help with teething (espcially given frozen) and tire puppy out.
Also keep a litter type pan in the playpen. We have used cotton reusable pee pads
which end up being play toys for them, so we reccomend using a litter pan
with plastic grid flooring that make it impossible for them to get at the disposable pads.
I found the best price and sized pads in Costco (yellow box of 100).
I keep a plastic tray with grid top, by the patio door
and if I see any of my kids head there, I pop them outside
with a "lets go pee" and out they go. This helps them to learn the command too !
While my desire is that my Chin will NOT potty in the house,
with toy breeds, house training is not always possible, so next best thing is to have
a contingency plan, of a pee pad by the door for them to target.
If you have a huge house with huge rooms, that they have access to (over 6 months of age)
then I would advise a potty pee tray, placed in every room near the exit door.
As puppy matures and is not using the pee trays, then you can remove trays
just leaving the one by the house exit door.
Remember to set them up for success, not failure.
Some breeders will use kitty pan and litter made of newspaper or pine
Simply remove solid matter with a tissue and toss in the garbage.
The urine will turn the pellets into sawdust which may be dumped every week or so
on your outdoor garden. There is virtually no odor with this method
and keeps the baby cleaner than using pee pads or newspaper.
However I found my pups wanted to just play in, and eat those.
FEEDING:
Please view our FOOD page for details.
PLEASE continue to feed properly formulated RAW FOOD !!!!
DO NOT microwave or cook RAW food as will destroy all benefits.
If you insist on feeding kibble, most toy breeders use
Royal Canin Mini Puppy OR Royal Canin Xsmall Food
or Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Puppy Toy Breed
or Purina Pro Plan Sport All Life Stage Dry Dog Food - High Protein, Lamb & Rice
Do not feed table scraps or canned food.
You can also choose to feed RAW but leave kibble out 24/7 as an option for puppy.
DO NOT EVER GIVE A CHIN BABY MILK, OR ANYTHING FRIED.
THIS WILL CAUSE ENTERITIS WHICH CAN LEAD TO DEATH.
Leave fresh (preferably filtered) water available at all times in the playpen
NJoy Chin, uses a Lixit bottle and holder so puppy does not play in the water or tip
Cleaning the bottle regularly is important.
They come plastic and or Glass (glass is dishwasher safe in most cases)
Be sure the baby can’t spill it on her bedding and get a chilled.
NEVER, NEVER FORCE WATER DOWN A CHIN!
THEY WILL ASPIRATE AND GET PNEUMONIA.
If you feel your chin is ill or dehydrating
take her to a veterinarian immediately for SQ fluids.
Put baby in Playpen to eat and LEAVE HER ALONE!
It may take an hour or so for baby to settle down and eat.
Be sure to give 1/2 inch of Nutri-Cal every 3 hours
for the first month she’s in your home.
This is especially important at the first morning and last evening meals.
Check baby’s bottom daily to make sure there is no stool blocking the opening.
If your puppy is not eating or strains to eliminate, this is the first thing to check.
You may trim some of the long hair around the anus to prevent the sticking.
Shampoo and rinse any residual stool off as it will make the delicate skin there very sore.
If you do find a stool sticking and it has reddened the skin, any diaper rash treatment
for human babies such as Desitin or Vaseline may be applied.
Take care not to let the baby walk on surfaces where other dogs and puppies
have been i.e. parks, veterinary grounds, clinic floors, pet super stores, etc.
These places are loaded with bacteria and viruses that could make your baby sick.
ALWAYS have your puppy in a dog cage, when going to the VET and keep other dogs away.
Veterinary clinics are NOT the place to socialize your precious Chin puppy !
From 6 weeks to 1 year puppies are susceptible to many diseases.
Most Chin that are on RAW diet have amazing tartar free teeth.
Giving them RAW frozen chicken neck, frozen sardines, frozen chicken feet (half or whole)
will help with the teething, and help keep those teeth clean.
However kibble, sticks and builds tartar on teeth and eventually if it gets
bad enough can get in the blood stream and lead to heart murmur or worse!
Thankfully there is a new Dog Service that is a mobile clinic
that will scale your dog's teeth for you for an affordible price !!
Anethetic free, teeth cleaning !!!! So after your Chin's adult teeth
Come in, you might want to consider this service as a routine prevention to tooth decay.
NEVER walk or play with your chin puppy during heat or humidex warnings.
Japanese Chin are a Brachycephalic Breed, which means
they can suffer a great deal, in extremes in temperatures and you do not
want them dying of heat stroke ! We exercise our Chin in early morning
and late evenings, enjoying our AC inside during afternoon Seista's
during the greatest heat of the day.
********** VERY IMPORTANT **********
VET VISIT :
NEVER allow your Chin to touch the ground near or at your VET office
Sick dogs go to the Veterinarian Clinic.
Your puppy should be on your lap or in a cage.
Do not let other dogs near your puppy.
I announce to everyone my puppy has a "VIRUS" to keep others away
* NEW WORLD LOCKDOWN MEASURES *
Vets have been known to give pups unwanted vaccines or treatments.
So I would advise everyone to WRITE DOWN what you want done,
So that you can hand this to who ever curbside picks up your puppy, to bring in clinic.
Your instruction Sheet should contain the name, date of birth, sex and breed of your puppy.
If puppy is there for a vaccine, make sure to NAME EXACTLY what you want done and give only half doses.
For my pups this will be 1/2 dose of "Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza, Parvo (MLV)"
at 4-6 months of age, 1 vaccine for the first year. NOTHING MORE OR YOU WILL KILL YOUR PUPPY
Read more about Vaccines Here: https://www.njoychin.com/Vaccines.html
Your Chin puppy was fully protected at birth from:
Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza, Parvo
through Maternal Antibodies they received from their Mother.
These are said to last on average until 16 weeks of age and render
any vaccines given before that time, "ineffective" and render
your puppy unprotected and vulnerable to disease.
Your puppy will have been fully wormed.
I will email you a Health Record, for you to bring to your Vet with instructions.
It is not uncommon for a puppy to get carsick and vomit from a road trip.
This is minor. However, if your puppy vomits at home for no apparent reason,
call your vet immediately, this could be very serious. Most ailments are minor if treated early,
however, if a puppy is allowed to vomit several times, it will rapidly dehydrate.
The outcome can be deadly and it is up to you to turn this around by getting baby to a vet
if you even think he/she may have vomited. Do not wait.
HYPOGLYCEMIA:
This is a potentially serious problem in some toy dogs. If your puppy overplays
misses a meal or cries too long, his/her blood:sugar level can drop making her lethargic and weak.
In the event that this occurs you will need to immediately apply 1/2 inch of Nutri-cal,
Nutri-Stat, or Kayro syrup to the puppy’s tongue to raise her glucose level.
She should be much stronger in 15 minutes or so. If not, get to a veterinarian
who can give her fluids (dextrose) immediately. If your attending vet has not had experience with Japanese chin,
please stress to him that intolerance to IV fluids is a breed characteristic and warming the fluids
first will help to avoid throwing them into shock, causing more harm than good.
Many puppies who have shown no signs of illness will have a bout after certain vaccinations.
Never give leptospirosis or coronavirus vaccines as dogs have seizures and or died from them.
Do not let your puppy be vaccinated with combination shots
that contain leptospirosis or corona virus in them.
ALWAYS ask what is in the vaccine before your puppy gets a shot to make sure it is correct.
NEVER vaccinate for Rabies before 6 months of age. Dose is for an 80 lbs dog !!!
ALWAYS STAY with your puppy, if they won't let you LEAVE and find a Vet you can trust.
Also don’t vaccinate your puppy before our recommendations of when the next shot is due.
This has been known to bring about hypoglycemia, anorexia and even death.
Veering from our vaccination protocol will not only put your puppy in grave danger,
it will also void your guarantee. Other causes of hypoglycemia
are over-exertion, missed feedings, or stressing the puppy.
If your puppy seems limp, lethargic, or just wants to sleep, it’s blood:sugar level is dropping
and you will need to act immediately. Give 1/2 inch of Nutri-Stat, Nutri-Cal or Kayro syrup ASAP!
This should bring the baby around in about 15 minutes or so. If it doesn’t perk the puppy up,
run-don’t walk to your veterinarian for some immediate SQ fluids.
If this happens, how quickly you react will determine the outcome.
Keep in mind as well that once a puppy has been allowed to go hypoglycemic,
the likelihood of it reoccurring is much higher.
This is operator error. If you have been giving her Nutri-Stat every 3 hours
as we suggest, you’ll have no problem with hypoglycemia.
Chin do not do well outdoors for extended periods of time. Debris and wind will damage their eyes.
They do not tolerate temperatures above 80 degrees. They’re also sensitive to cold weather
due to their light body weight. A good gauge of their temperature tolerance
is to stand outside with no coat on and barefoot.
They will be as uncomfortable or comfortable as you!
MINOR AILMENTS
COCCIDIOSIS:
This is a very minor ailment that all dogs are capable of breaking with when stressed, especially puppies.
Your puppy is free of coccidiosis at this time. However, with environment,
schedule, diet and water changes, he/she may break with it.
Your baby may have coccidia if you see mucous or a trace amount of blood in his/her stool.
Your vet will take a sample, examine it under a microscope. Cure for Coccidia is Baycox.
Never let them give your puppy any other medication for Coccidia, as issues will snow ball.
EAR MITES:
Check your babies ears from time to time for any foul smell or dark discharge.
Puppies are prone to mites especially if they are around cats.
There are several excellent, products available from your veterinarian
or feed store that are extremely effective in killing the mites.
Again, not a serious ailment and inexpensively remedied.
We recommend a product called Thornit. We order it from England.
After we bathe and dry our dogs, we put a pinch of it in their ears to keep them clean and dry.
This may be ordered on-line.
DIARRHEA:
If your baby has an off stool, she may have 2 cc's of plain flavored Kaopectate. (not peppermint flavored).
This may be repeated several times every 3-4 hours until stool is firm.
This is usually caused from too many tablescraps or canned food. However, it's much more important
that the baby eats than having a perfect stool, so do not eliminate chicken or canned food if he/she is eating well.
HERNIAS:
MOST Japanese Chin have hernias. This is not an ailment, but something your veterinarian may point out to you.
(Think “outsie” belly button). While it is up to you to have it repaired or not,
we can say with confidence that we have never experienced any complications from leaving them alone.
I have discussed this at length with many vets over the years and not one has ever seen a
hernia gone unchecked put a dog in grave danger. You may have it repaired if your dog is spayed or neutered,
but it is our opinion that the risk of any surgery far outweighs the potential danger of the hernia itself.
Having a puppy is just like having a human baby. It’s a constant battle of checks and balances.
The more observant you are, the healthier your baby will be.
