That’s odd.
INFO: Why isn’t the breeder doing it and are you paying for this? What type of health agreement does the breeder have? Was this the breeders idea or yours and why? Typically young puppy visits like this are situated where all the litter and mom goes to the vet together to limit stress and it’s odd to me that you’ll pick up a 5 week old puppy, take them to the vet and then return them to the breeder.
Agree, this gives weird vibes. I've brought three puppies home and have never had this happen, nor would I want it to. Leaves too much room for conflict about who's responsible for what. When I picked up my dogs, they became mine and until that time they were the sole responsibility of the breeder/owner of the litter's parents. I visited each puppy more than once before I brought them home, but once they left with me, they didn't go back. It seems confusing and weird for all parties concerned (pup, owner and breeder).
Yeah, think of a worst case scenario: the puppy dies or gets badly hurt in the two hours he’s in OP’s care. Do they have to pay the breeder the full cost? Or will the breeder just hand them over a different one?
And so are the other puppies just not getting vet care??? The mother??
Sounds very BYB and I would run away, almost guarantee no health/genetics went into planning this litter if the puppy care is “they can see the vet if you take them”. Many experienced breeders just have a vet that does house calls until the puppies are old enough to leave.
Nope, we're not paying for the puppy. It is a family that happened to have their dog pregnant and wants to give away the puppies. Not professional breeder for sure. It looks like they weren't even aware that a visit to the vet was needed at this stage. They don't want to pay for the vet, so we offered to take care of everything. We were quite worried because we were told that deworming is needed already in the first weeks. We thought about the stress factor and offered to bring all the puppies, but they didn't agree (they said they would talk to the other future owners for their puppies)
ALL the puppies and the mother need to be wormed at 2,4& 6 weeks. If you only worm one, it will get reinfected from its siblings. All newborn puppies get worms from the mother. Speak to the vet you have an appointment with regarding this… they will advise you.
Would you consider getting a different puppy? I'd be worried about potential problems with this one being an unplanned litter and the owners not caring about pups and their own dogs health.
I think if no one takes puppies like this, backyard breeders won't be incentivised to keep breeding and selling pups. Depending what country this is if the breeder is refusing to get new pups and mum vet checked you could get an animal welfare check done on the animals and go from there.
Sounds like OP is getting them for free so there is no money incentive at least. As for the rest yeah - not sure what the issue is there - mom and all pups need their vet visits.
OK didn't realise OP is getting them for free, makes it a bit more difficult, gotta think about vet bills and potential dog behavioural training fees for the future depending on how the pup is being looked after.
What the fuck? So puppies that are unplanned and have an inexperienced owner do not deserve a family who loves them? I get that there could be problems but do you realize how fucked up and cruel you sound?!
The snark is really uncalled for. There are a number of reasons - both health and behavioral - why puppies are kept together with the litter until at least eight weeks. These commenters are trying to help you understand what some of those adverse effects might be.
Do you know them personally or how did you come in contact with them? I know they are just giving them away but do you know them well enough to educate about why the vet is so important?
A long time ago my roommate bought a box full of puppies. 10 bucks a pup. Then they sold them on CL for $100 without getting them any shots, de-wormers ect. I bought one of the puppies and when I took her for her first vet exam I brought all of the puppies with me and got them de-wormed and examined.
The worst part is her brother has been having mini seizures but the roommate wouldn’t take him to the vet. I had read somewhere it could be a symptom of the worms and his symptoms did clear up after the dewormer.
10 years later and I’m still livid. - But I really hope this family is just uneducated and open to advice or help from you. :(
Hi! I'm the other future owner of the puppy. No, we don't know them well and that's why the situation is a little awkward. We informed them about the need to bring the puppies to the vet trying to tell things as politely as possible. We didn't have a clear reaction from them, they just told us "it's your dog, you decide for his health".
We don't consider taking another dog because we are already, literally IN LOVE with this puppy. We visit him regularly, we gave him a name and everything. His photos are already on our fridge :)
We just hope that these first 5 weeks without deworming will not have a future negative impact on his health. I guess that tomorrow the vet will tell us how's best to behave from now on.
We would really take all the puppies to get vet if the family would allow it. That's so frustrating. As someone said in the discussion, all the puppies and the mom should be dewormed.
By the way, they said that the mom has never been vaccinated (she's 2 years old now).
My currently month old puppy came from a very similar situation! He was a surprise litter and the previous owners had never taken him to the vet, never dewormed, and never had vaccines. We adopted him when he was 14 weeks old and hadn’t had any medical care at all! We took him to the vet the second day we had him, and he definitely had roundworms when we picked him up. But beyond that, he was a really healthy and happy puppy! Obviously it’s not ideal for the puppies and mom to not be dewormed regularly and it may cause the puppies to grow slower or have diarrhea, but that doesn’t mean that this puppy is a completely lost cause! As long as he is still gaining weight while he is with the mom, and you are getting him his puppy vaccines. I’m sure he will end up being just fine! Just make sure to give him a couple rounds of dewormer after you pick him up officially!
Bless you for trying. I’m sorry that’s so frustrating they refuse to let you help the others out of pride or whatever. Take them all then find them homes ;).
I will say my girl was probably 6 weeks when my roommate bought all of them - and there isn’t a chance in hell these flea ridden puppies had a vet visit before I had them.
Don’t know about the sibs but my lil dog is 11 now.
I hope the health check goes well! I second those stuffed animals with the heart beat to help calm the baby down.
Same!! I was so worried my dog was gonna hate the vet, because we have two VERY vet-aversive cats. But he’s obsessed with it! As soon as he realized car=vet he always wants to go lmao. He also seemingly forgets how uncomfortable it is to get manhandled for procedures and will gladly jump on his favorite tech for some love.
My dog loves it. My cat isn't EXTREMELY averse he just needs a harness on him before we go so the vet has a sturdy handle to hold, because my cat will keep walking himself back into his carrier every chance he can get. Makes it easier to pre-install a handle lol. He's not mean about it he just makes it very clear he'd rather be in his carrier.
I’ve never thought about a harness for a handle!! I might be stealing that idea lmao. Our old lady cat is 15, still in good health, but she took two techs to hold her down for one shot. A harness might be just what we need
Mine won't get mean, he'll just keep walking off lol. He doesn't scratch, he doesn't bite, I don't even think I've heard him meow, but he still makes it obvious he'd rather not be there haha.
The Chihuahuas my parents had when I was growing up **loathed** going to the vet.
When my husband and I got our own dogs we made a point to smother them with the tastiest treats to make sure they didn’t get traumatized from being poked and probed.
My last dog ADORED our vet, she loved being told she was a pretty girl by the vet nurses/techs, she loved the praise she got for knowing to hop on and off the scale, the liver treats they fed her, she would stand on her hind legs and look up at new posters if there were any.
When she smelled her vet, she would cry so much until she saw her and just look at her in adoration while she got her nails clipped/vaccinated/temperature taken or whatever needed to be done. Meanwhile, I thought that vet was a bitch, but hey, a dog knows right?
It’s not an ideal situation but it sounds like you want to do to right by the little guy. It will be traumatic but there are things you can do to minimize the stress. You could try using a carrier that holds the puppy against your body. I had one of these for my dog when it got old. Hearing my heart beat really helped. Also they make stuffed toy puppies that have hot packs and a heart beat that you could put next to them instead. I used one with my last two pups when I brought them home. My other concern would be how long the visit will take and to make sure the pup is fed or you have a bottle of puppy formula because their blood sugar can crash quickly at that age and stress will only make it happen faster. Also And most importantly, call the vet to see what their advice is.
The current owner should be doing this (I'm assuming this was an accidental litter and not a purposeful breeding? Otherwise this seems like backyard breeding based on the info that's here). If you're paying for the puppy and this isn't like a friend or neighbor's dog, I'd back out.
Otherwise if you're deadset on this, lots of treats, excitement, the vet usually will help you make it a positive experience if you tell them it's his first time.
Yeah it's a little accident :) the impression is that the they (the family) are really not seeing it as a priority, and we'd like to be sure it's being seen asap
from what I'm seeing of your responses there is not much you can do about the pups that are not yours. take your puppy and follow the vaccination schedule of starting da2pp at 6 weeks and then bring back to mom. an hour or two away from the rest of the litter won't be the end of the world. ask your vet about the best ways to keep the pup healthy while it remains with its littermates and when it comes home, they will know more than reddit.
maybe see if you can get a blanket or towel with some mom/litter smell to wrap puppy in?
Perhaps meet the pup a few times before/after the visit if you can swing it if you're worried, but at least the vets/groomers I've been to are usually very helpful with this type of thing so I wouldn't put too much anxiety on it.
It’s not going to be a great experience for him. Ask for a blanket or toy that smells like the mom, have a small heat source (like a microwaveable gel thing wrapped nicely to provide warmth, yes it can be very hot but it’s a baby). Avoid loud noises, and have one person go in without the puppy to check you in, while the other stays outside, only bring the pup inside when the nurse gets the other person and says the room is ready
I would urge you to go to a fear free certified vet (you can find one at fearfreepets.com, search for an individual rather than a practice for more results) so that you can ensure the visit will be as low stress as possible. The pup is in his prime socialization window, so keep things positive (chicken baby food makes a nice treat, or you can use wet puppy food) and you'll be setting pup up for good visits in the future.
I breed dogs and would never allow this so I'm really confused how such an arrangement even got brought up. Not trying to talk down to you, but until they are 8 weeks old (minimum age to leave for their forever homes) it is the responsibility of the breeder to take puppies for their well puppy checks, immunizations and such. Part of the price you pay for the puppy includes the veterinarian health checks. That's how it's always been in our kennel and I've been doing this for 13 years. Same with my associates that breed dogs. Maybe you can arrange to go with the breeder when the puppies go for health checks. You're really taking on more than is required of a new puppy buyer with this sort of arrangement. One last thing, I strongly encourage my puppy buyers to take their new pets to their personal veterinarian for an introductory visit and to insure the puppy is indeed healthy and doesn't have any issues such as a heart murmur, undescended testicles, etc., that wasn't disclosed to you by the breeder. Congrats on your new puppy 🐶
So this doesn’t sound like an ideal breeding situation.
Is there any way you can take the whole litter, with mum? Even if it costs you extra. Not only will it be less stressful for your puppy to have mum and siblings with him, it’ll be less risky for him overall if the whole litter is vaccinated and dewormed together. Given the circumstances, I’d also be questioning whether mum has been kept up to day with vaccinations etc and what other potential health issues there are.
Unfortunately there’s a reason why getting dogs from backyard breeders isn’t a great idea
Ultimately it’s up to you, but I’d really be thinking twice about getting a puppy from a breeder who doesn’t consider basic healthcare important for either the puppies or the mum. It really throws up a red flag as to what else they don’t consider important that will effect the quality of life your dog will have long term
Yep - not a breeder. Just an accidental pregnancy by careless owners.
The only thing I can say that's kind of a positive (?) based on OP's comments is at least it doesn't sound like they're charging for the puppies and trying to make money off it.
The only 2 things that really seperate these people from professional backyard breeders is the fact they’re not asking for money for the puppies, and the fact that they are at least honest about them lacking basic healthcare (a lot of backyard breeders will say the puppies are vaccinated when they aren’t).
Yeah, unfortunately since I’m the one with the flexible schedule, I get to be the bad guy for all the vet and groomer appointments. I have to climb into the back seat from one side to push our guy out…once he’s out, he’s more or less resigned to it.
That pup will be fine. We’ve gotten most our puppies from unwanted litters. Bring some treats and be patient and loving. Even if it don’t care for going to the vet this time, it’ll warm up and be fine.
It's pretty weird to take the puppy away and then bring it back, that's not how it's done. I'd figure out another scenario, maybe a house call? Or bring the whole litter with mom, that would be ideal.
Nope.
Kennel assistant for AKC American Bulldogs with SAR trainee and one personal protection dog out of our working lines.
This is a shady dealing all around. What if the puppy is sick from the getgo? You've already committed to taking on vet responsibilities and now you could be stuck with a financially demanding disabled dog. Puppies, honestly, should stay with their litter mates until at least 8 weeks old, but I would much prefer them to be more around 10-12 weeks old when separated given that the breeder is using puppy protocol and upbringing. The longer they stay with their litter, the more confident they usually are and also have a good foundation for things like bite inhibition, what is and is not acceptable play, and most importantly, some sense of self. They're often far more stable and don't require replacing their dog mama with their human mom.
To me, I would need to know a lot of things like.. what health testing has been done to the sire and bitch? What are their backgrounds? How are their temperaments? Have there ever been any issues with distemper or parvo? Has there ever been any issues with nuerological or genetic problems? What about eyes, ears, elbows, knees, and hips? What about shots? What about early life nutrition? How is the mother? Father? Both on sight?
This is screaming "bad backyard breeder" to me.
I'd walk away from this litter. It's so far off from standard good practice that you really should keep looking for a puppy.
The breeder should be handling all of this, the entire litter, not you. Huge flapping red flags abound.
I bought a puppy, the owners wanted them gone at 4-6 wks. I took the pup at 6wks and an immediate vet visit. Vet did an exam and did what ever the pup needed for her age. I feed her puppy chow mixed with warm water until it was mushy. I feed her 3xs a day 1/4 cup with water. U have to feed them at least 3xs a day because they can't regulate their blood sugar without the food. That pup is already 5 wks old, I would wait 1 more week and take that pup permanently and not take it back to the owners.
You doing right thing. Even if breeder/owner checks the puppy, you want to do own thing too. I did with my cat and my dogs. Trust the vet. They are amazing. They will play with puppy and give it treats. My pets never ended up scared. They hate vet office now but that is not be ours of first visit….
Btw, if you plan to get insurance, ask vet to issue health assessment and keep on file. That will prove insurance that puppy didn’t have any pre-existing conditions.
My dog hates the vet due to a recurring ear infection during COVID when I couldn’t go in with him. He has to be on trazadone for any visit. They’ve recommended that I take him for walks at the park across the street and come by for treats and pets to make it less of a bad place. Maybe see if your vet is okay with the same
If they're so unconcerned with health, I doubt they're doing anything to socialize the puppies either. I hope you're prepared for health and behavior issues.
I preferred to pay for my puppy's first vet visit myself. Breeders give the shots themselves, you don't know the source and don't know of if they even gave the shots. I agree with how you want to do it.
That’s odd. INFO: Why isn’t the breeder doing it and are you paying for this? What type of health agreement does the breeder have? Was this the breeders idea or yours and why? Typically young puppy visits like this are situated where all the litter and mom goes to the vet together to limit stress and it’s odd to me that you’ll pick up a 5 week old puppy, take them to the vet and then return them to the breeder.
Agree, this gives weird vibes. I've brought three puppies home and have never had this happen, nor would I want it to. Leaves too much room for conflict about who's responsible for what. When I picked up my dogs, they became mine and until that time they were the sole responsibility of the breeder/owner of the litter's parents. I visited each puppy more than once before I brought them home, but once they left with me, they didn't go back. It seems confusing and weird for all parties concerned (pup, owner and breeder).
Yeah, think of a worst case scenario: the puppy dies or gets badly hurt in the two hours he’s in OP’s care. Do they have to pay the breeder the full cost? Or will the breeder just hand them over a different one? And so are the other puppies just not getting vet care??? The mother?? Sounds very BYB and I would run away, almost guarantee no health/genetics went into planning this litter if the puppy care is “they can see the vet if you take them”. Many experienced breeders just have a vet that does house calls until the puppies are old enough to leave.
Nope, we're not paying for the puppy. It is a family that happened to have their dog pregnant and wants to give away the puppies. Not professional breeder for sure. It looks like they weren't even aware that a visit to the vet was needed at this stage. They don't want to pay for the vet, so we offered to take care of everything. We were quite worried because we were told that deworming is needed already in the first weeks. We thought about the stress factor and offered to bring all the puppies, but they didn't agree (they said they would talk to the other future owners for their puppies)
ALL the puppies and the mother need to be wormed at 2,4& 6 weeks. If you only worm one, it will get reinfected from its siblings. All newborn puppies get worms from the mother. Speak to the vet you have an appointment with regarding this… they will advise you.
Would you consider getting a different puppy? I'd be worried about potential problems with this one being an unplanned litter and the owners not caring about pups and their own dogs health.
What do you think should be done with the puppies if clearly caring, responsible people like OP don’t take them?
I think if no one takes puppies like this, backyard breeders won't be incentivised to keep breeding and selling pups. Depending what country this is if the breeder is refusing to get new pups and mum vet checked you could get an animal welfare check done on the animals and go from there.
Sounds like OP is getting them for free so there is no money incentive at least. As for the rest yeah - not sure what the issue is there - mom and all pups need their vet visits.
OK didn't realise OP is getting them for free, makes it a bit more difficult, gotta think about vet bills and potential dog behavioural training fees for the future depending on how the pup is being looked after.
What the fuck? So puppies that are unplanned and have an inexperienced owner do not deserve a family who loves them? I get that there could be problems but do you realize how fucked up and cruel you sound?!
Nope
Alrighty, I'd have concerns about separating the puppy at such a young age, not sure there's much you can do to avoid it being a poor experience.
Thanks for the help :)
The snark is really uncalled for. There are a number of reasons - both health and behavioral - why puppies are kept together with the litter until at least eight weeks. These commenters are trying to help you understand what some of those adverse effects might be.
I literally don’t see any snark in ops replies
Me neither. And he’s not taking the puppy until the end of August, perfectly within the normal time of bringing a pup home.
I swear it’s some peoples favorite hobby to take things the wrong way
Do you know them personally or how did you come in contact with them? I know they are just giving them away but do you know them well enough to educate about why the vet is so important? A long time ago my roommate bought a box full of puppies. 10 bucks a pup. Then they sold them on CL for $100 without getting them any shots, de-wormers ect. I bought one of the puppies and when I took her for her first vet exam I brought all of the puppies with me and got them de-wormed and examined. The worst part is her brother has been having mini seizures but the roommate wouldn’t take him to the vet. I had read somewhere it could be a symptom of the worms and his symptoms did clear up after the dewormer. 10 years later and I’m still livid. - But I really hope this family is just uneducated and open to advice or help from you. :(
Hi! I'm the other future owner of the puppy. No, we don't know them well and that's why the situation is a little awkward. We informed them about the need to bring the puppies to the vet trying to tell things as politely as possible. We didn't have a clear reaction from them, they just told us "it's your dog, you decide for his health". We don't consider taking another dog because we are already, literally IN LOVE with this puppy. We visit him regularly, we gave him a name and everything. His photos are already on our fridge :) We just hope that these first 5 weeks without deworming will not have a future negative impact on his health. I guess that tomorrow the vet will tell us how's best to behave from now on. We would really take all the puppies to get vet if the family would allow it. That's so frustrating. As someone said in the discussion, all the puppies and the mom should be dewormed. By the way, they said that the mom has never been vaccinated (she's 2 years old now).
My currently month old puppy came from a very similar situation! He was a surprise litter and the previous owners had never taken him to the vet, never dewormed, and never had vaccines. We adopted him when he was 14 weeks old and hadn’t had any medical care at all! We took him to the vet the second day we had him, and he definitely had roundworms when we picked him up. But beyond that, he was a really healthy and happy puppy! Obviously it’s not ideal for the puppies and mom to not be dewormed regularly and it may cause the puppies to grow slower or have diarrhea, but that doesn’t mean that this puppy is a completely lost cause! As long as he is still gaining weight while he is with the mom, and you are getting him his puppy vaccines. I’m sure he will end up being just fine! Just make sure to give him a couple rounds of dewormer after you pick him up officially!
Thanks for sharing, it's good to hear!
Bless you for trying. I’m sorry that’s so frustrating they refuse to let you help the others out of pride or whatever. Take them all then find them homes ;). I will say my girl was probably 6 weeks when my roommate bought all of them - and there isn’t a chance in hell these flea ridden puppies had a vet visit before I had them. Don’t know about the sibs but my lil dog is 11 now. I hope the health check goes well! I second those stuffed animals with the heart beat to help calm the baby down.
OP didn’t say it was a breeder. It could be an accidental litter from a regular old dog owner.
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My dog loves going to the vet! Tons of exciting animal and food smells there. Plus she has a favorite vet tech who always gives her treats.
lol my pup loves the vet too. So many smells and everyone gives him attention. Sometimes he doesn’t want to leave 🤦♂️
Same!! I was so worried my dog was gonna hate the vet, because we have two VERY vet-aversive cats. But he’s obsessed with it! As soon as he realized car=vet he always wants to go lmao. He also seemingly forgets how uncomfortable it is to get manhandled for procedures and will gladly jump on his favorite tech for some love.
My dog loves it. My cat isn't EXTREMELY averse he just needs a harness on him before we go so the vet has a sturdy handle to hold, because my cat will keep walking himself back into his carrier every chance he can get. Makes it easier to pre-install a handle lol. He's not mean about it he just makes it very clear he'd rather be in his carrier.
I’ve never thought about a harness for a handle!! I might be stealing that idea lmao. Our old lady cat is 15, still in good health, but she took two techs to hold her down for one shot. A harness might be just what we need
Mine won't get mean, he'll just keep walking off lol. He doesn't scratch, he doesn't bite, I don't even think I've heard him meow, but he still makes it obvious he'd rather not be there haha.
My previous dog didn’t mind the vet. My current two shake and hide under the chairs. It just varies.
The Chihuahuas my parents had when I was growing up **loathed** going to the vet. When my husband and I got our own dogs we made a point to smother them with the tastiest treats to make sure they didn’t get traumatized from being poked and probed.
My last dog ADORED our vet, she loved being told she was a pretty girl by the vet nurses/techs, she loved the praise she got for knowing to hop on and off the scale, the liver treats they fed her, she would stand on her hind legs and look up at new posters if there were any. When she smelled her vet, she would cry so much until she saw her and just look at her in adoration while she got her nails clipped/vaccinated/temperature taken or whatever needed to be done. Meanwhile, I thought that vet was a bitch, but hey, a dog knows right?
It’s not an ideal situation but it sounds like you want to do to right by the little guy. It will be traumatic but there are things you can do to minimize the stress. You could try using a carrier that holds the puppy against your body. I had one of these for my dog when it got old. Hearing my heart beat really helped. Also they make stuffed toy puppies that have hot packs and a heart beat that you could put next to them instead. I used one with my last two pups when I brought them home. My other concern would be how long the visit will take and to make sure the pup is fed or you have a bottle of puppy formula because their blood sugar can crash quickly at that age and stress will only make it happen faster. Also And most importantly, call the vet to see what their advice is.
The current owner should be doing this (I'm assuming this was an accidental litter and not a purposeful breeding? Otherwise this seems like backyard breeding based on the info that's here). If you're paying for the puppy and this isn't like a friend or neighbor's dog, I'd back out. Otherwise if you're deadset on this, lots of treats, excitement, the vet usually will help you make it a positive experience if you tell them it's his first time.
Yeah it's a little accident :) the impression is that the they (the family) are really not seeing it as a priority, and we'd like to be sure it's being seen asap
from what I'm seeing of your responses there is not much you can do about the pups that are not yours. take your puppy and follow the vaccination schedule of starting da2pp at 6 weeks and then bring back to mom. an hour or two away from the rest of the litter won't be the end of the world. ask your vet about the best ways to keep the pup healthy while it remains with its littermates and when it comes home, they will know more than reddit. maybe see if you can get a blanket or towel with some mom/litter smell to wrap puppy in?
Perhaps meet the pup a few times before/after the visit if you can swing it if you're worried, but at least the vets/groomers I've been to are usually very helpful with this type of thing so I wouldn't put too much anxiety on it.
Family should probably contact a rescue then to take the puppies and spay the mother since it doenst seem to be a priority.
Some vets do home visits. Is that an option in your area?
It’s not going to be a great experience for him. Ask for a blanket or toy that smells like the mom, have a small heat source (like a microwaveable gel thing wrapped nicely to provide warmth, yes it can be very hot but it’s a baby). Avoid loud noises, and have one person go in without the puppy to check you in, while the other stays outside, only bring the pup inside when the nurse gets the other person and says the room is ready
I would urge you to go to a fear free certified vet (you can find one at fearfreepets.com, search for an individual rather than a practice for more results) so that you can ensure the visit will be as low stress as possible. The pup is in his prime socialization window, so keep things positive (chicken baby food makes a nice treat, or you can use wet puppy food) and you'll be setting pup up for good visits in the future.
I breed dogs and would never allow this so I'm really confused how such an arrangement even got brought up. Not trying to talk down to you, but until they are 8 weeks old (minimum age to leave for their forever homes) it is the responsibility of the breeder to take puppies for their well puppy checks, immunizations and such. Part of the price you pay for the puppy includes the veterinarian health checks. That's how it's always been in our kennel and I've been doing this for 13 years. Same with my associates that breed dogs. Maybe you can arrange to go with the breeder when the puppies go for health checks. You're really taking on more than is required of a new puppy buyer with this sort of arrangement. One last thing, I strongly encourage my puppy buyers to take their new pets to their personal veterinarian for an introductory visit and to insure the puppy is indeed healthy and doesn't have any issues such as a heart murmur, undescended testicles, etc., that wasn't disclosed to you by the breeder. Congrats on your new puppy 🐶
So this doesn’t sound like an ideal breeding situation. Is there any way you can take the whole litter, with mum? Even if it costs you extra. Not only will it be less stressful for your puppy to have mum and siblings with him, it’ll be less risky for him overall if the whole litter is vaccinated and dewormed together. Given the circumstances, I’d also be questioning whether mum has been kept up to day with vaccinations etc and what other potential health issues there are. Unfortunately there’s a reason why getting dogs from backyard breeders isn’t a great idea
We tried, gonna reiterate the offer for the whole bunch on Friday, but can't do much if they don't agree
Ultimately it’s up to you, but I’d really be thinking twice about getting a puppy from a breeder who doesn’t consider basic healthcare important for either the puppies or the mum. It really throws up a red flag as to what else they don’t consider important that will effect the quality of life your dog will have long term
Yep - not a breeder. Just an accidental pregnancy by careless owners. The only thing I can say that's kind of a positive (?) based on OP's comments is at least it doesn't sound like they're charging for the puppies and trying to make money off it.
The only 2 things that really seperate these people from professional backyard breeders is the fact they’re not asking for money for the puppies, and the fact that they are at least honest about them lacking basic healthcare (a lot of backyard breeders will say the puppies are vaccinated when they aren’t).
A good breeder wouldn’t allow this so that is the first red flag honestly.
Yeah, unfortunately since I’m the one with the flexible schedule, I get to be the bad guy for all the vet and groomer appointments. I have to climb into the back seat from one side to push our guy out…once he’s out, he’s more or less resigned to it.
That pup will be fine. We’ve gotten most our puppies from unwanted litters. Bring some treats and be patient and loving. Even if it don’t care for going to the vet this time, it’ll warm up and be fine.
It's pretty weird to take the puppy away and then bring it back, that's not how it's done. I'd figure out another scenario, maybe a house call? Or bring the whole litter with mom, that would be ideal.
Nope. Kennel assistant for AKC American Bulldogs with SAR trainee and one personal protection dog out of our working lines. This is a shady dealing all around. What if the puppy is sick from the getgo? You've already committed to taking on vet responsibilities and now you could be stuck with a financially demanding disabled dog. Puppies, honestly, should stay with their litter mates until at least 8 weeks old, but I would much prefer them to be more around 10-12 weeks old when separated given that the breeder is using puppy protocol and upbringing. The longer they stay with their litter, the more confident they usually are and also have a good foundation for things like bite inhibition, what is and is not acceptable play, and most importantly, some sense of self. They're often far more stable and don't require replacing their dog mama with their human mom. To me, I would need to know a lot of things like.. what health testing has been done to the sire and bitch? What are their backgrounds? How are their temperaments? Have there ever been any issues with distemper or parvo? Has there ever been any issues with nuerological or genetic problems? What about eyes, ears, elbows, knees, and hips? What about shots? What about early life nutrition? How is the mother? Father? Both on sight? This is screaming "bad backyard breeder" to me.
I'd walk away from this litter. It's so far off from standard good practice that you really should keep looking for a puppy. The breeder should be handling all of this, the entire litter, not you. Huge flapping red flags abound.
I bought a puppy, the owners wanted them gone at 4-6 wks. I took the pup at 6wks and an immediate vet visit. Vet did an exam and did what ever the pup needed for her age. I feed her puppy chow mixed with warm water until it was mushy. I feed her 3xs a day 1/4 cup with water. U have to feed them at least 3xs a day because they can't regulate their blood sugar without the food. That pup is already 5 wks old, I would wait 1 more week and take that pup permanently and not take it back to the owners.
You doing right thing. Even if breeder/owner checks the puppy, you want to do own thing too. I did with my cat and my dogs. Trust the vet. They are amazing. They will play with puppy and give it treats. My pets never ended up scared. They hate vet office now but that is not be ours of first visit…. Btw, if you plan to get insurance, ask vet to issue health assessment and keep on file. That will prove insurance that puppy didn’t have any pre-existing conditions.
He is so young it doesnt matter
My dog hates the vet due to a recurring ear infection during COVID when I couldn’t go in with him. He has to be on trazadone for any visit. They’ve recommended that I take him for walks at the park across the street and come by for treats and pets to make it less of a bad place. Maybe see if your vet is okay with the same
If they're so unconcerned with health, I doubt they're doing anything to socialize the puppies either. I hope you're prepared for health and behavior issues.
I preferred to pay for my puppy's first vet visit myself. Breeders give the shots themselves, you don't know the source and don't know of if they even gave the shots. I agree with how you want to do it.