need advise help

[jaytrayh]

Hi I need some advise. I was suposed to pick up my new puppy this Friday. The breeder calls me over the weekend and tells me the puppy is a little sick with some kind of stomach bug or something. What happened was the breeder lost power over the week from giant ice storm storm, so she moved all the puppies into her house to keep them worm. She took puppy to Dr. and he said all was fine there was no parasite or virius, he blamed it on stress and said she would be ok and i would be able to get her in 2 weeks. I was getting the puppy for my kids for xmas so i did not want to wait and we chose another one from same litter. I get a phone call tonight and the first puppy we chose died and the second one is lossing a little weight. The vet said it would be ok for us to get the 2nd one Friday but he also said the first one would be fine. Should i look for a new breeder or should i trust this breeder and wait. Also one of the other puppies in same litter died two weeks ago they say it was the runt. Please help.
Thanks happy holidays!!!

 

[gmacleod]

I'd be cautious - and also pretty keen to know exactly what the first pup died of before taking another from the litter. If the puppy is losing weight, it doesn't sound as though removing it from its mother/litter at this stage would be a good idea - at least until it's clear she's not afflicted by whatever killed hte first. Christmas is one thing, but the pup's health is actually a more important one

 

[K8IE]

I'd be cautious - and also pretty keen to know exactly what the first pup died of before taking another from the litter. If the puppy is losing weight, it doesn't sound as though removing it from its mother/litter at this stage would be a good idea - at least until it's clear she's not afflicted by whatever killed hte first. Christmas is one thing, but the pup's health is actually a more important one

I totally agree. I would want to know exactly what the first pup died from, and would want to know without any doubts that the second puppy is completely healthy before taking it away from the mother. Imagine how heartbreaking it would be for you and your family if you brought home a sick puppy. How old are the pups now?

 

[jaytrayh]

the pups are 8 weeks old and there vet said it was stressed from being moved from its welping area when the power went out into a van until the house was worm enough for them to go inside. i just got off the phone wuth the breeder and she was on her way to the vet again to have the pupies cerified to travel. I dont know what to do my instinct says get the puppy but other people i speak to say not to. Im so confused.

 

[ELubas]

So two pups in this litter have died? Poor little things. I really think you need to put emotions aside and pass on this pup. The breeder could have done everything right, and things happen, but this sounds like a serious issue, not just a case of a pup that failed to survive. Easier to dissapoint the kids now than have to comfort them when thier baby pup, God forbid, dies. Best of luck to you

 

[JulieM]

Stress is not a cause of death in a healthy eight-week old puppy. Eight-week old puppies are usually hugely stressed as they are given shots, wormed, and go to their new homes at that age - if stress were a cause of death, we'd see a lot more eight-week old puppies dying. Even if the stress caused an immune problem and the puppy picked up a bug, it wouldn't have died in a few days unless it was extremely ill (to the point of needed fluids etc.).

I would definitely want to know a specific reason for the death of this puppy, and the other one ("runts" do often die, but they are sickly and fail to thrive from the start - the smallest puppy in a litter is not necessarily a "runt"). I'd also want clarification on the pup's living situation at this point - you said the breeder brought them into the house to keep them warm, but why weren't they in the house in the first place? (Maybe that was mistyped, though, because then you said they were in the van.) You mention, too, the "whelping area", but I hope that means an ex-pen where they sleep, or stay when no one is able to watch them, and they're out in the house the rest of the time. If not, and if they weren't in the house to begin with, I'd skip this puppy anyway - there will be serious deficits in socialization that could create long-term temperament problems.

 

[katie71003]

This is awfully late coming in for me,
But I agree...8week old pups dont just die.
usually if you are going to have a puppy in the litter die, its within the first week..anything after that...well really needs to be checked out.
Usually a parasite(hookworm or parvo) is bad for pups that age and can kill them.

What did you end up doing?