What to Expect from Your New Fila Puppy
Diarrhea is commonly caused by stress. The flight is noisy and vibrates. The puppy is used to being with mom, brothers and sisters and living in quiet seclusion on a farm. If your puppy has diarrhea upon arrival give it Imodium AD – ½ tsp. 4 times per day, 3 hours apart for 2 days.
Filas are bred for aversion to strangers known as "Ojeriza". You own the puppy now but the puppy does not know this so you are a stranger. Give the puppy about 3 days to 2 weeks to adjust to you, your family and your new environment. The puppy may seem "'skitterish" at first, this is normal. Filas learn to trust you. It is not automatic.
Be careful disease is everywhere. Parvo, for example, lives in dirt for up to 5 years so don't walk your puppy in public places and don't let people pat your puppy then put their hands in their mouths. Do not put the puppy down on the floor at the vet’s office. The vet is where sick dogs are taken. Don't take the puppy to parks, dog obedience classes or any of the above until all shots are complete.
Your puppy may go off its food. This is a response to stress and usually lasts for 3 or 4 days. Your puppy may seem dehydrated when it arrives looking gaunt. This too will disappear when your puppy is back on a "familiar" lifestyle - yours. Be patient. Please read the page on crate training it works great and is a wonderful tool. Later on this will prove useful when guests come and are afraid of your dog or you are wishing to keep your dog from socializing and want to keep friendly guests safe.
If you can stick to a similar feeding program it will help with the transition. Do not get your pup too fat, this can cause harm to joints and is also the cause of problems in adult dogs. Feed quality food and keep it interesting by supplementing with canned food, cooked race diet and/or table scraps etc. added to base diet, also vitamin C supplements are recommended. We use Peak Condition as an additive when extra care is desired.
 | Organic remedy for diarrhea - Boil until soft the following: equal amounts of white potato and sweet potato, a piece of leek and piece of turnip. Drain water and add to chicken or turkey meat (chopped or ground). |
| Household Medications for Pets Click on chart to see full size view. |