About A Puppy? - Page 1

I recently purchased a puppy from a breeder (I did do research ahead of time and felt very confortable at the time).

My puppy seems to be quite ill.  She has been to the vet twice in the short time I have had her.  I am waiting on results back as I type this.

I'm wondering if there is an issue with the breeder or I just happened by chance to get an ill puppy and has no reflection at all on the breeder (which is fine with me, I will just feel better knowing).

Thanks in advance!

*Edit
I removed the breeder's name so as not to cause issues as I am more interested in how to proceed than causing problems.

Have you spoken to the breeder about the pup's problems before bringing the problems and the kennel's name to a public list?????

I did send them an email informing them that the puppy is ill and being seen by a vet, but nothing was said in return as of yet.

I'm not looking to cause issues for the breeder, just wanted to know previous experience.  As I said it is possible I just happened to get a sick puppy.  Children are often born ill as well no matter what precautions are taken.

The right thing to do first, especially given that you did NOT ask for opinions before hand or privately, is to wait until you and the vet know what is wrong with the pup. Then that should be discussed with the breeder. Did you have a written contract? If so, what does it say about taking the pup to a vet for a check up right after you bring it home? How long has the pup been with you? How do you know, for example, that the pup has not become ill because of the environment it is now in? 

The thing is, yes, there are some unscrupulous breeders, but in this case, it sounds like you have not given the opportunity to the breeder to address the problem and, at the moment, don't even know what the problem is. Believe me, if the breeder is one who is unethical, there are plenty of people here who will say so. But you too have an obligation to handle this the correct way. 

First find out what is wrong with the pup. Secondly, immediately CALL the breeder to let them know there is a problem. Then, depending on the situation, try to resolve it first with the breeder privately. If you get no relief, then is the time to come here perhaps. But not until......

Thank you hodie.  I am sorry if I upset anyone as that was not my intention.  My puppy went the vet within days of coming home.  I have had her less than 2 weeks.  I do have a contract, but am already quite attached to her, so I don't really want to replace her.

So when the vet calls to let me know, if it is something genetic I contact the breeder?  If it's not genetic than I take care of it myself?  I just want to know exactly how to move forward.  Thank you all for your advice so far.

What does your contract say? What you do next will depend on what is the trouble with the pup. It could be something very simple, like a parasitic infection that needs to be treated, or it could be something more serious or something that is, indeed, a genetic defect. You do not give enough information for anyone to even think about what is going on with the pup and that is perhaps just as well.

What happens is if there is something seriously wrong with the pup, you let your breeder know and look carefully at the contract to see how it is to be resolved. In my contract, if something really serious was wrong, I would NOT require the owner to return the pup AND I would do something about trying to make the situation right, depending on the situation. But not every breeder does this. Let us hope that your breeder is a fair and ethical person and that nothing is wrong with the pup that cannot be soon remedied.

There are plenty of breeders who get brought to the attention of this forum for unethical and/or poor breeding practices and business. There are also some who get slammed unjustly. We are dealing with living creatures here. Sometimes, forgive the phrase, "shit happens" and we cannot know why or assign blame. Other times, it is something for which a clear cause and assignation of responsibility is possible. In your situation, I certainly don't know, but you OWE it to the breeder to first deal with him or her. If you do not have your contract honored, or something is really not fair, THEN you make a stink.

I hope your pup will be fine.

Thanks again hodie, you obviously have vast knowledge in this field.

I edited my main post to remove the breeder's name in the interim.

As for what is wrong with my little girl, she has already been redewormed at the vets request, just in case.  She was tested for all the parasites and came back clean (coccidia, giardia, etc).  They are now testing for parvo and pancreatic issues.  They had her on a rice and chicken diet to help with her diarrhea issues, but it seemed to get worse, so we took her off the rice and are now using a high protein kibble with a little chicken.  Poor little thing has pretty bad bouts of diarrhea and doesn't seem to be gaining any weight, but she eats a lot, is still playful and hasn't had a fever.  So I am crossing my fingers.

Thanks again.

Look before you leap.

Rice and chicken would give me the runs too.

People !!

The vet suggested that the rice whould help firm up the stool because of the starch and the chicken would give the added protein.  Was that wrong?

I would use cooked brown rice and natural 90% fat free or better cooked or raw ground beef.  I prefer the raw meat.
Every time my dog has had runny stools this has worked real well and fast.
The other thing is what are you feeding the pup for regular food? What did the breder feed ther pup?

Also look at giving the pup some canned pumpkin.  Look at a bland quality puppy kibble. Mix it in slowly with the rice and ground beef.  I use Orijen large breed puppy food.
Unless the pup has serious health issues this should help with runny stools.