Special Care for an Undersized Pomeranian
We had a Member with questions about her "teacup" Pom. Please note, our reader did not know the truth about the terms of Teacup Pomeranians and we place no blame on this unaware owner.
Question:
" I recently adopted a tiny Teddy Bear miniature Pomeranian. [** Editor's note: A Teddy Bear faced Pom is not the same as a miniature Pom]
She just turned 8 weeks old and is less than a pound. I was told that these tiny Pomeranians cannot be left alone all day because they do not know they have to eat, which in turn can make them die of dehydration and lack of food.
I am a student in college, so I am gone for 8-9 hours a day. Is it true that a tiny Pomeranian puppy can not be left in a crate or pen while I'm at school? "
Answer:
We do realize that you adopted this Pomeranian, so we are proud of you for taking the responsibility of caring for this dog and we realize that you did not purchase this puppy. We suggest a visit with an experienced, reputable vet to make sure that your Pomeranian is healthy.
As far as leaving your Pomeranian home alone: If your miniature Pomeranian is indeed healthy, you can certainly leave her alone while you are gone if you take some safety steps. With Poms that are smaller than the breed standard, we do suggest leaving food out for the day. It's not true that a tiny Pom won't know to eat; it may be more a matter of a pup that size having to eat small amounts throughout the day, perhaps needing food to be softer as hard kibble might be too difficult for her to handle and making sure that her bowl is very shallow so that she can easily reach her food.
And of course, it will be very important to make sure she has a constant water source. A water fountain is a good choice or a water dispenser as long as you test her first to make sure she knows where it is and can easily reach it.
Try to wake up early enough to spend some time with her in the mornings. Take her out at a regular time each morning, for her to relieve herself and get some exercise. It would be good to tire her out a bit! Make sure to leave out plenty of food and fresh water. To help ensure that your little Pomeranian does eat throughout the day, leave some food in a non-skid bowl
and also place some into treat-release toys; having two methods of obtaining food will ensure that she'll be eating.
Here are some more tips:
1) When she's alone, be sure to set up a safe and secure environment. Keep her in a quality canine indoor playpen or a gated off area. This should have a proper bed, blanket, plenty of toys, food and water. Also be very aware of keeping the house at the right temperature, leaving on the heat or the AC to try and maintain room temperature of about 70 degrees F (21.1).
2) In the winter, if the heat were ever to shut off and in the summer if the AC were ever to shut off, this would be considered an emergency and a reason for you to go home immediately.
3) Be sure to puppy-proof her area each day, even if you don't think that there could be any dangers. A piece of a toy could always break off or a coin or other item could drop into her area.
4) If possible, check in on her during a lunch break. If that is not an option, perhaps you have someone that can look in on her and could take her for a walk a couple times a week. Another option is to hire a dog walker, just to give a little break and for someone to do a 'safety check'.
5) As we recommend with all Poms, your miniature Pomeranian should wear a harness while on leash and be placed in a safe booster canine car seat when driven.
6) A super tiny dog should not be expected to do some of the things that larger dogs do. Walking time for exercise should be split up; for example 2 shorter walks of 10 minutes as opposed to one 20 minute walk. She may need to wear clothes more often than other Poms due to trouble regulating body temperature. There should be no rough play and she should always be picked up very gently. Be very careful in regard to letting children or other dogs play with her.
7) Make sure that you find a veterinarian that is familiar with the issue of being undersized. Some common health issues seen with miniature Pomeranians to keep an eye out for will include hypoglycemia, organs that do not develop properly, higher risk of infection (both internal and external), tooth disease and diabetes.
With that all said, try not to worry too much or think of her as a fragile dog that faces health risks each day. As long as you provide a safe home proper care and keep regular vet visits, she should be just fine.