dancinbcs

Sounds like a normal coat drop. It will happen twice a year if she isn't desexed and once a year if she is.

I used to know someone that showed them and loved to admire her dogs but they are a deadly serious guard breed and not one I would recommend as a pet.

I would not give him the KC booster. It is usually the KC part of the vaccine they react to. I have only ever given C3 to all my dogs for the last 20 years since one of my dogs reacted very badly to a C5. He then got KC a couple of months later anyway. The only time I have used a KC vaccine since then I used the nasal spray on a couple of dogs that needed becaue we were travelling and thought we may have to kennel them.

Truly depressed dogs are pretty obvious just looking at them. A friend of mine had a bitch with post natal depression. I didn't quite believe it until I saw her. The change in her attitude and facial expression was startling. She looked like a different dog. She was treated with prozac and recovered completely. Once medical causes are ruled out depression is diagnosed and can be treated with medication. Respomse to the medication confirms the diagnosis.

The fact is many dogs, regardless of "temperament" do freak out at storms/fireworks. I do agree that measures need to be taken to minimise the chances. Depending on breed, some will find their way home in normal circumstances (if they don't get hit by cars etc) but if they do escape in panic, they may not be able to. Make sure your dog has collar and ID tag and is microchipped. If he is registered with council, he will also have his rego tag. Some can be trained not to go out the gate if left open, but you cannot rely on that as some temptations may prove too much. Dogs with sound temperaments take hardly any notice of storms and fireworks. Some dogs will bark at the noise or take shelter somewhere safe but they should never be panicked. It is not normal for them to freak out and try to escape. Breeders need to make sure they don't breed from dogs that do freak out in these circumstances as it is a very serious temperament fault and makes them very hard to live with. The best defence against dogs getting out is to have sound, jump proof fences and secure gates and doors.

It is possible to make 100% sure that your dog never escapes. Keep gates and doors locked and train the dog to never step outside the gate or door without being told to even if they are open. Dogs with sound temperaments do not jump fences or panic with storms or fireworks. Most dogs would find their way back if they got out but a lot don't get the chance because they get killed by cars if they escape so much safer to make sure they don't get loose in the first place.

If he is healthy and pure bred than he only looks about 4 weeks old, not 8 weeks.

There are many things that can make a puppy very small. Small at birth, faulty digestive system, heart or immune system. If they are just small to start with some will grow normally but most breeders wouldn't let a puppy go until it is close to normal size for the breed. To me this puppy looks like he could have a serious health issue. In my breed, BCs we have a hereditary fatal immune system problem, TNS that can now be avoided by DNA testing the parents. Before the test was available one of the most common signs in affected puppies before they became ill was a failure to thrive. Little weedy puppies with different shaped heads, very much like this puppy. Diagnosis was difficult and many cases not identified because a bone marrow biopsy was the only way to be sure if a puppy was affected. Most confirmed cases were not definitely diagnosed until post mortem. Immune system problems like TNS are common in many species so it is highly likely that they also occur in other dogs breeds and have not been identified yet. Looking again at this puppy and the normal ones, I would be returning him and demanding a refund, not a replacement.

Could someone with Goldens post a photo of a normal puppy of this age for the OP to compare?

Were the other puppies the same size or was Oscar much smaller?

He is a red and white, so from what i read still prone to less pigment color his nose was only black while a puppy, then went to to a shade of brown, attached is a pic of him from march last year, ideally i would like to see him return to this but if that cannt happen thats okay just want to make sure it doesnt get worse/irrates him Reds can have any of the basic pigment colours on their nose because the red gene only masks the the hair colour. So a red will also be genetically black, choc, blue or lilac and that is why the nose can be light. If the nose was black it should stay black because only a genetically black dog can have a black nose. If the nose fades then there is somehtng causing it to fade. The lips and eye rims should match the nose colour. Are they still black? It still could be the bowls but if changing them doesn't work, it needs further investigation. I have no idea why metal bowls cause a problem but sometimes they do. The plastic bowls are made in moulds that are lined with a chemical to stop the bowl sticking to mould. Some dogs have a severe reaction to the chemiacl that still lingers on the bowl despite repeatd washing.

If they get an adult make sure it has been raised with children. Otherwise a puppy is better. They are active puppies and some mellow a little as adults but the basic temperament and activity level are evident by 6 weeks to an experienced breeder. A hyper puppy will never be a placid adult. A calmer puppy will still be very active but will mature into a calm adult.

Give your other puppy a hug and and all your love, it will make you feel a little better. At least this way the breeder will learn the dire consequences of letting a puppy with a detectable heart murmur leave their care. I'm sure they too will be devestated having raised the puppy for 8 weeks but it is the down side of breeding that sometimes things go very wrong. As a breeder you need to ensure that any problems are not passed on to puppy buyers if you possibly can because that makes it all much worse.

If the puppies where a few weeks old when they lost the mother it shouldn't make any difference to the size because you can wean them from 2 weeks in needed. We once had a bitch run dry when the litter were 2 weeks and had to be weaned early. They were Border Collies that were very small born 170g-220g and they still made about 3-4kg at 8 weeks. I would be interested to know how small these puppies were born. As they gain a percentage of their birth weight each day, it takes a lot longer for small born puppies to get to normal weight for their age. I have seen Border Collies that weigh anything from 3kg to 8 kg at 8 weeks, all end up normal size dogs so size now does not tell you much about how big they will end up. Fingers crossed that this little one is just off to a slow start.

Ok, from the photo it looked like an unpigmented nose on a merle. If it was black originally then there is a real problem.

That could just be simple sunburn. Any dog of any breed with an unpigmented nose needs to be kept out of the sun. Any pink skin on any animal, not covered by plenty of hair is very prone to sun burn and skin cancer. This applies noses, ears, eye rims, etc on dogs, cats and horses.

I had the same problem but the vet missed it and so did my vet so she was sold and thought to have been healthy. Have you contacted the breeder's vet to ask if they found it on his 6 week visit? I would. After the ultrasound you could find it won't affect him at all; some dogs have heart murmurs and live long healthy lives unaffected by it or he could just need medication. I have another dog and am currently fostering a dog (who hopefully will stay :)) and it has taken no attention off of them at all. The only care Coco needed was strict bed rest for 2 weeks and then slowly increase her exercising from there plus give her medication morning and night. We were a bit like you went and picked the pups up, and we were told that the breeders vet thought he might have had a murmur but couldnt be sure, that he would grow out of it and that they thought they could hear it only on the right side of his chest. It is now audible on the left but far more pronounced on the right. I have spoken to the breeder since and at the moment has only offered to take him back. That breeder should not have sold you that pup knowing it had a heart murmur I think that is cruel not only on the dog but to you! Now you could be faced with some tough decisions and had they not sold you the pup you wouldn't have to go through it! Just a thought I don't want to cause an uproar. Would anyone on her know; as the breeder sold the dog knowing it had a heart murmur do you think they should pay for the ultra sound or no as they are willing to take the dog back? I hope all goes well with the ultra sound and no decisions need to be made Let us know how he goes :) If they had known about the heart murmur and not told the buyer then they would be more liable but they did disclose the information and the buyer opted to go ahead with buying the puppy. This is the point where the OP should have come looking for info. As they knew about the murmur I think they are only entitled to a refund. The breeder should have run the puppy on to see if the murmur corrected before offering it for sale but if it is the first heart murmur they have come across they may not have known that either. Heart murmurs can occur in any breed and are common in some but in most breeds they are pretty rare and breeders can breed for many years before coming across a puppy that is affected.

Straight betadine is fine, just don't put it in water.

I had the same problem but the vet missed it and so did my vet so she was sold and thought to have been healthy. Have you contacted the breeder's vet to ask if they found it on his 6 week visit? I would. After the ultrasound you could find it won't affect him at all; some dogs have heart murmurs and live long healthy lives unaffected by it or he could just need medication. I have another dog and am currently fostering a dog (who hopefully will stay :)) and it has taken no attention off of them at all. The only care Coco needed was strict bed rest for 2 weeks and then slowly increase her exercising from there plus give her medication morning and night. We were a bit like you went and picked the pups up, and we were told that the breeders vet thought he might have had a murmur but couldnt be sure, that he would grow out of it and that they thought they could hear it only on the right side of his chest. It is now audible on the left but far more pronounced on the right. I have spoken to the breeder since and at the moment has only offered to take him back. The breeder should never have sold him with a possible heart murmur but even so they are only obliged to take him back. I know you think you are attached to him but you have only had him for a few weeks. Take him back, get your money back and concentrate on the other puppy. Taking him back would be sad but living with an ill dog can be very sad and when he does die you will be a lot more attached. Most breeders wouldn't have sold you two litter mates anyway. It is a lot of work to separate them so they have a chance to develop as individuals without one dominating the other. If one is likely to have a greatly shortened lifespan it is even more vital to separate them so they are not too attached to each other. If you really feel you cannot return him get the ultrasound and once the diagnosis is confirmed ask for a refund on the purchase price and sign an agreement not to seek any further money from them. Then either let him live out his life for as long as he has or spend a fortune on treatment if that is an option. Keep in mind heart medications are very expensive so if surgery isn't an option to fix the problem he may need to be on very expensive meds for several years. Puppies with heart defects can live a few months or a few years. Only those with very minor murmurs live longer than about 4-5 years.

I had the same problem but the vet missed it and so did my vet so she was sold and thought to have been healthy. Have you contacted the breeder's vet to ask if they found it on his 6 week visit? I would. After the ultrasound you could find it won't affect him at all; some dogs have heart murmurs and live long healthy lives unaffected by it or he could just need medication. I have another dog and am currently fostering a dog (who hopefully will stay :)) and it has taken no attention off of them at all. The only care Coco needed was strict bed rest for 2 weeks and then slowly increase her exercising from there plus give her medication morning and night. We were a bit like you went and picked the pups up, and we were told that the breeders vet thought he might have had a murmur but couldnt be sure, that he would grow out of it and that they thought they could hear it only on the right side of his chest. It is now audible on the left but far more pronounced on the right. I have spoken to the breeder since and at the moment has only offered to take him back. The breeder should never have sold him with a possible heart murmur but even so they are only obliged to take him back. I know you think you are attached to him but you have only had him for a few weeks. Take him back, get your money back and concentrate on the other puppy. Taking him back would be sad but living with an ill dog can be very sad and when he does die you will be a lot more attached. Most breeders wouldn't have sold you two litter mates anyway. It is a lot of work to separate them so they have a chance to develop as individuals without one dominating the other. If one is likely to have a greatly shortened lifespan it is even more vital to separate them so they are not too attached to each other. If you really feel you cannot return him get the ultrasound and once the diagnosis is confirmed ask for a refund on the purchase price and sign an agreement not to seek any further money from them. Then either let him live out his life for as long as he has or spend a fortune on treatment if that is an option. Keep in mind heart medications are very expensive so if surgery isn't an option to fix the problem he may need to be on very expensive meds for several years. Puppies with heart defects can live a few months or a few years. Only those with very minor murmurs live longer than about 4-5 years.

In NSW the breeder MUST supply you with the papers. They do not have an option to hold on to them. If they will not give you the papers then report them to Dogs NSW. To compete in any dog sport you need to join Dogs NSW and have the papers for your puppy in your name.

Sounds like a perfect home for a well matched show line Border Collie. These are the sorts of families that we are happy to sell to, especially when one of the parents has some experience with the breed. A middle of the road, bomb proof but not hyper puppy would probably suit but a lot depends on what the children are like. Quiet, placid kids need a quieter dog than kids that are a lot more rough and tumble. I have successfully sold two siblings from the same litter to two families with very different natured kids. The quieter puppy fitted in well to his placid family but would run and hide when the other family visited with 3 boisterous boys. The girl I sold them was tougher but very easy going and she was perfect for them.

Always keep nails dry, don't soak them. If it is very sore a vet visit would be a good idea because she could have broken the toe or have a broken nail that will allow infection into the bone.

A breeder friend had someone last week ask if she had any puppies in stock and if not when would she be getting some in.

Definitely give her somewhere to escape to and hopefully one day she will get sick of his bad manners and tell him off. Mine usually pin the puppy to the ground by the throat with lots of noise as if they are going to kill them. It usually only takes one telling off for puppy to get the message and I have never had a puppy injured by an adult telling them off like this. I an still waiting for my 8 year old BC to put the 5 month old JS baby in his place but I think the BC is just too placid to do it. Unfortunately I don't have any of my old girls anymore who would have taught the baby some manners by now so we have to provide plenty of places for the BC to get away from being harassed.