I found a puppy. He looks unhealthy. What should I do to help him?

From th epictures he looks likehe may be a medium-large collie type and should do very well with obedience training and should be intelligent and high energy, Be sure to keep him occupied in order to prevent any desructive tendencies and consider crate training also. HE should be fed 4 times a day at such a young age and be sure to keep him up to date with monthly deworming medications. Your vet can help to estimate his age from his teeth and advise on dates for vaccination schedule

There unlikely anything you can do to the person you got the dog from at this point. As far as your new pet.. congrats. Without paperwork it is best to get him to a vet to have him dewormer and start his vaccines to protect him. He will likely need a hair cut and grooming appointment soon with all that hair. He does look to have Maltese but may have poodle or yorkie also. There is no way to be sure

Awww. It's very nice of you to take on this type of responsibility. The first thing you should do is to take him into the vet for an initial examination. They will be able to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong, versus simply malnutrition and dehydration. If this is the case, Champ will likely require something to eliminate gastrointestinal parasites. He belly looks very round in that picture, which in young dogs is usually associated with worms. This can be a very common cause of weakness and malnutrition, and the nutrients that he is consuming will not be properly absorbed until the parasites are eradicated. The veterinarian will also probably want to give some fluids, either subcutaneously or directly into the bloodstream. The method of delivery will ultimately be decided based upon the level of dehydration the vet detects. Champ will require a healthy, high quality large breed puppy food eventually. However, in the meantime, I would provide something like a Purina Critical Nutrition or HIll's A/D. These are prescription diets that are very high in fat and high calorie, and are typically not easily turned down by even the sickest of pets. Lastly, Champ probably needs your love, warmth and support. I am sure you have plenty of this.

Thank you for taking care of this dog, He is a sweet looking dog, From the photo he looks like a poodle mix, however your vet will be able to give you a better idea of what breed he is when he does a hands on exam, as he can see the whole dog, size and physique, which is not visible on the photo The same is with estimated age. The vet will also look at his teeth and will be able to tell you whether it is a young dog or an older one , and may be able to pinpoint an age range. If you cannot find out whether he was vaccinated, you can have him vaccinated and wormed at your vet. You may want to give him a bath and a brush before taking him to the vet, so he is presentable and it will be easier to examine him. Again, thank you for saving this little fellow.

Hi there. Ruffi is very cute. Knowing his size can be helpful in guessing what he is mixed with. However, just by looks maybe a terrier of some sort? Health is not something that can be determined by a picture. At this age he should be seeing a veterinarian every month for vaccinations and juvenile progress examinations. They can tell you how they feel his health is. Good luck to you and Ruffi!

What a cutie! You are right that some skin irritation like wearing a male diaper may have caused this yellow fur. Over time this should go away since the skin looks normal in the photo. Once he's settled in I recommend a veterinary exam. If she did not give you any vaccination history he should get all his vaccinations and should have a heartworm blood test and fecal check too. They you'll know he's up to date and protected. They will probably recommend using monthly heartworm and flea prevention too depending on where you live. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Rambo.

You are correct that scooting can be a sign of intestinal worms, which are very common in puppies. That can easily be treated with dewormers. Tear stains can happen more often in certain breeds of puppies, and that can treated with regular cleaning of the area with a tear stain remover. Pawing at his face could be a little more concerning, and it could be a sign of allergies, but without seeing him in person, I can't say for certain. If he did have allergies, it could be a life longer problem, but the symptoms can typically be controlled with medication. It's up to you if you want this puppy, but keep in mind that any purebred puppy is going to come with their set of potential health issues due to inbreeding. The things you have mentioned to me are not something I would be significantly concerned about to be honest, but again it's up to you if you want this puppy. I hope this helps!