11/30/2019
SWIMMER PUPPY SYNDROME INFORMATION:
When you’re feeding your pup, feed it more throughout the day but provide in small time limits. The reason for this is because if your puppy is eating too much during the feedings, it will be too heavy to try to walk. So if you give your pup less time on the ni**le, like five minutes each feeding but feed it more times, the puppy will still get what it needs. When they eat too much, they will be too heavy to lift themselves up to try to walk, so they get lazy and start swimming.
Some important things to do is to make sure your pup is not sleeping on their tummies, make sure your puppy is either on its side or backside. If you find your puppy sleeping on their stomachs, especially after eating, gently move them to their side.
The items I used were rolled up towels, small ones, and then I just taped all around it to make it stable, so it doesn't bend, and when my pups went to sleep in my hand, I would gently put them down and place the gadgets I made between them, so they don't roll. When Tehya (my brindle) showed signs of swimmers, it literally took four days of this consent care to start showing signs of improvement. Swimmers usually strike after they are about two weeks old. The reason I found is that even though we can't see their growth inside, they are growing at a rapid rate, and if they continue to stay on their tummies, their rib cage becomes flat, and then the organs become crushed, thus making it hard for them to breathe.
I lost a pup to this, too, because the vet had no idea what she was doing. So I made it a point to do my research and made this page to help and give hope to others dealing with the same situation.
I also used soft foam squares and wrapped Tehya in medical gauze, but don't wrap it so tight around the body because you don't want to restrict the rib cage from being able to rise. When your pups are walking, they should be on a rug of some sort so their paws and nails can grab onto it? You can buy pieces of the carpet at Home Depot too, and you want to put things inside the whelping bed like stuffed animals 🧸 stuff they can climb onto, and whatever you do, don’t put them on a slippery floor, wait until they can walk and play normally. I didn’t have to wrap Tehya’s legs at all. It’s weird how it works by just keeping them off their tummies until they are strong enough to lift themselves up. Just remember not to feed your pups for an extended period of time, feed less time but more often. This way, the tummy isn’t so heavy, keeping them from wanting to walk. When they're too heavy, they will swim. I would keep the gadget on for about five days, feeding them with this gadget on, so when they eat, it’s easier for them to breathe. The gadget will keep them from rolling onto their tummies, especially when they sleep. When the puppy realizes that it’s easier to breathe while on its side, whether it’s sleeping or eating, it will eventually do this on its own, and when this happens, the rib cage will start to grow round. It happens so fast, it’s incredible that we can’t see it’s growth, but it’s all internal. If you look at all my photos, some will show what I used and how I used the gadget.
Pups usually start walking around 3 1/2 weeks. If you're feeding at night, it’s like having a baby!! You could go like every four hours at night unless the pups are sleeping, but they will start to make noise if they are hungry. I fed mine every three hours, sleeping in between their feedings, I started at 9pm. When pups eat, they go into a milk coma, almost like when we eat a nice turkey dinner, we feel blah and just want to sleep lol that’s how they get. I almost forgot, when feeding, make sure that their tummies are on something soft if you don’t have the gadget on to keep them on their sides. You want something between the pup's tummy and the bottom of the whelping bed. This way, you’re not restricting the expansion of the chest. You’ll see in some of the pictures, I have mine prompted up using soft yellow towels. You can use this method to lay them on their sides to eat too. Check out the pictures.
So follow these directions, and your pup will live!! ❤️
