Pocket sized puppy Mini - A little puppy born so small that her owner feared she wouldn’t survive is believed to be Britain’s smallest dog.
Mini, a Yorkshire terrier Chihuahua-cross, weighed no more than an egg and just 1.3ounces at birth – overshadowed by her brothers and sisters who are at least three times her size.
Her owner, Emma Williams, was so worried the cute puppy wouldn’t live for more than a few days that she began a dedicated feeding regime in a desperate bid to raise her weight.
As well as Mini feeding from her mother, Emma gives her a milk formula every two hours through a tube to boost her chances of survival.
Now one week-old, the tiny dog has reached 1.9 ounces, allowing her to rejoin her siblings.
The average weight for a puppy of this type is 4.5 ounces and they can weigh up to 15 pounds when fully grown.
Emma, 29, a senior accounts manager from Sandbanks in Dorset, is planning to sell the litter of seven when she is satisfied that they are all healthy.
She said: ‘Mini was the second puppy to be born so at first I thought she was a normal size and the other was big and chunky.
‘But as the others came out it became apparent she was so dinky, I couldn’t believe it when I saw just how small she was, the others were at least three times her size.
‘It was a surprise because her parents Bella and Bodie aren’t small for their breed, but then it’s all new to me as I’ve not had a dog that has had puppies before.
‘I took her to the vets and they hadn’t come across a puppy so small, and when I researched online I couldn’t find one either.
'At first I wasn’t sure if she would make it because she is so small and she kept being pushed out of the way by the others, but she’s a strong little thing.
‘Mini is feeding from her mother but I also give her formula milk every two hours via a little tube, it’s like having a baby.
‘The others now weigh eight ounces and put on about an ounce a day, but Mini is putting on just 0.1 ounces.
‘I’ve got her up to 1.9 ounces now and she’s doing really well, but I would love to know if she is the smallest dog in Britain.
‘The vet thinks she will only be about 1.5 pounds when she is fully grown.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195184/Britains-smallest-dog-Mini-tiny-sit-iPhone.html#ixzz254A8c5Ju
Posts
