April_Mum

Thanks you so much everyone. As you recommended, we got blood work done and it showed high White blood Cell count indicating an infection. He was given an injection of antibiotic on Friday and we continued with morn/night AB medicine since Saturday night. The good news is he was back to his normal bouncy self on Saturday and he has been active, pooping and eating normally through the weekend. The lump is still there but I think it has gone down slightly (or just me imagining things). We will see how we go for another two days. If not we have an appointment with the vet for Wednesday.

Hi We got a Cavalier puppy from a reputed breeder a couple of weeks back. Our little boy is now 10 weeks old and normally is an energetic, full of life , confident pup. Since this morning he has been very low energy, didn't really want to move and wasn't interested in eating f as much. His poos today were firm but his lack of energy got me worried. So we took him to the emergency vet. They test him for Parvo and that was thankfully negative. The vet did find a lump on the left side under his chin. They have now done an ultrasound of the swelling and found that his lymph nodes are enlarged but there is no pus/ fluid there. They are now recommending that I get bloodwork done and also get a needle sample they have extracted sent to the lab for a culture to understand what is causing the lymph nodes to enlarge. Additionally they have suggested starting him on antibiotics now to see if that works. I love our little furbaby but the bills are starting to add up pretty significantly. Not sure if all the tests are excessive or needed?? Oh also the vet has suggested it could be strangles but as of now he is not showing any symptoms such as sores on his face or mouth. So it is a wait and watch on that front. Any advice on the blood work and sample lab tests? Losing my mind here worrying about him. Appreciate any help. TIA

Thanks so much everyone for your help. We checked with Dogs Vic (member) as well as the club and got great reviews for the breeder. I guess the restrictions are unique circumstances and ensuring everyone's health and safety is critical. To date our breeder has been really helpful and supportive so we are proceeding with them. Will share cute puppy pics once we pick the fluff ball in a three weeks.

I can imagine in current circumstances it would be hard to let strangers in the house. I guess in all me research when buying a puppy was to see the parents and the breeder and ensure that things looks ok. It was how we got our very first dog from a breeder almost a decade ago. The breeder has sent us a picture of the pup (it isn't very clear but don't know if I am reading too much into it) and has been frank about the health issues with Cavies. They have asked me all my details for microchipping and told me that the name will be registered with their kennel prefix. They also said that papers will be in the mail as that department often has backlogs. This breeder has their dogs winning multiple championships at state level and has had their pups go to other breeder as well. I guess all the previous research about seeing the dogs and where they are being raised as a due diligence is now messing with my head. Is this perhaps the way people are buying puppies during these circumstances?

Hi All, After a lot of deliberations we decided to bring a cavalier puppy into our family. Not great timing with COVID as there were no pups available. Finally found a breeder registered with Cavalier Club of Vic who had puppies available. So we put down deposit for our puppy. Problem is I haven’t really seen the puppy or the parents and the breeder in person. The breeder is quite reputable, with their dogs winning championships and they were recommended to us by in fact another registered breeder. But our breeder was reluctant for us to visit as they might be in high risk category for COVID and so they don’t want people on their property. I tried few times to see if I could visit perhaps just by myself but they were very reluctant . Also the breeder has offered for us to pick the puppy from a convinient location rather than us going to their place. Normally this would set off alarm bells but this Breeder seems very reputable. Would appreciate any advice on this. Is this common right now with isolation to not see the puppies before booking? What should I do?

Thankx everyone for the very helpful advice , have spoken to my DH aboyt visiting a rescue shelter, and he loves the idea. Plus it takes some of th stress of raising a puppy away.will definitely keep you guys posted. Hope we find our furry baby soon

I have been contemplating bring a puppy into purfamily for quite some years. But the timing was never right- rented apartment, first baby, etc My DS is now 2.5 years old andwe have a house with a big yard. DH and i have been considering getti g a cavalier puppy now. We alsohave a persisn cat , so we think the dog will also have some company. My question to you all is how manageable is getting a dog in this case. How do you guys, especially the ones with young kids and full time jobs manage. I guess i want to make sure i am doing the right thing and research thorughly before we make any decision PS: Both DH and i have had dogs growing up, but our parents have been their primary carers Thanks in advance for sharing any suggetions or thoughts on this. :-)