alpha bet Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Ive talked to the breeder (who is registered) and I do have the registration/pedigree papers for the parents who are both purebred golden retrievers so am sure he is not a cross. She lived much too far out for us to visit but I got regular updates on all the puppies and on pickup day we both drove half the distance for me to pick him up! I have also seen photos of both parents and they both look strong and healthy although unfortunately the mother passed most probably of a snake bite when the puppies were only a few weeks old so they've had to hand raise them ad on the litter's 6week vet checkup the breeder told me they were on the small side but still within the average weight range. She is also very worried as it is first unhealthy puppy but has guaranteed me first pick of her next litter in the coming year if something was to happen..which I hope is nothing Oscar has definitely grown since the photos I've posted but is still very small but fingers crossed he is a very very late bloomer. No news as of yet about the bloodwork but most probably tomorrow morning and the vet herself couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in his X-rays so is getting them looked at by a radiologist Sorry to sound harsh but things I would question...... some red flags are flying..... *Registration papers for parents ! what about your puppy does he have papers, was he vaccinated and microchipped? *Pick up day they drove half the distance.... This is a common occurance with puppy farmers! *Mother died.... probably of snake bite.... ? *6 week checkup they were still within the average weight range..... if pup is soooo small now then no way was this a healthy weight range - I would expect goldies at 6 weeks to be 3-4kg.....??????? *Mum passed away when pups a few weeks old should not affect the pups development if a proper feeding program. Sorry but these are too many red flags for my liking - wouldnt touch this breeder again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldielover Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 (edited) greyseas, i hope everything goes well for you and your puppy. I think the smallest puppy i've had at 8 weeks in a litter has been around 6kg (probably average, but mine usually are around 8kg at the 8 week mark). There is absolutely no way i would send a 2kg puppy to a new home i'm afraid. Can i ask if you saw pics of the whole litter as they were growing? What did the other puppies look like? Edited January 18, 2012 by goldielover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sankari Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I hear some red bells. Even the one and only puppy I have had GR from Puppy farm years ago, she was 2.5kgs at 16 weeks.. yes extremely underweight and malnourished, but even she looked bigger. I like others would expect a goldie pup to be at least 6kg plus by 8 wks. Very cute puppy BTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavstar Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Sounds dodgy to me too.. Was there any contract in place that you can return the dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedazzled Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I would also be feeding this puppy a super premium kibble. There are many better quality dry foods than Supercoat, you can do a search and see what others are feeding. I feed BH and my dogs have never looked better! I hope everything is ok with your pup.... He is a cutie : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyseas Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Oscar came to me microchipped, wormed, vaccinated and insured and he does have papers haha but I always seem to think straight to his parents papers! Not too sure about the 6week checkup but she lives on a farm where her dogs are allowed to run free (not the puppies of course!) and found mum dead one day. She has been very helpful and has also offered to take Oscar back to raise herself while giving us a replacement puppy from her next litter if we were unhappy etc.. But it just wouldn't be the same! I've seen photos of the other puppies in the litter as they were growing and they all looked happy and healthy! I asked about a premium kibble at the vet on Monday but he suggested I stick with supercoat for now as changes of diet will upset his stomach but I will definitely ask the vet from yesterday again when she calls with results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecutter Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Just change the kibble over slowly - I fed 75%/25% for a few days before going to 50/50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 My Kelpie pups were 6kg at 8 weeks of age and there were 8 in the litter!! There is no way that pup would have been at a normal weight range at 6 weeks. Just asking- does his head look a little out of proportion to his body? If you do find anything (or nothing) in the blood tests I would probably be talking to your vet about seeing a specialist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Do you have a recent photo ..of him standing side on, maybe? Agree with changing food ..slowly does it .... 2/3 old food, 1/3 new food for a few days , then gradually increase new food, and decrease old food... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paganman Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Does the pup have printed registration papers from Dogs NSW? Im surprised they sold you the pup they must have known it was way undersized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Oscar came to me microchipped, wormed, vaccinated and insured and he does have papers haha but I always seem to think straight to his parents papers! Not too sure about the 6week checkup but she lives on a farm where her dogs are allowed to run free (not the puppies of course!) and found mum dead one day. She has been very helpful and has also offered to take Oscar back to raise herself while giving us a replacement puppy from her next litter if we were unhappy etc.. But it just wouldn't be the same! I've seen photos of the other puppies in the litter as they were growing and they all looked happy and healthy! I asked about a premium kibble at the vet on Monday but he suggested I stick with supercoat for now as changes of diet will upset his stomach but I will definitely ask the vet from yesterday again when she calls with results Were the other puppies the same size or was Oscar much smaller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Are You Serious Jo Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I agree, something isn't right with these breeders. They would have known your pup was not quite right and shouldn't have sold him to you unless you had full knowledge that there was something wrong. They would have known about the issue but didn't disclose this to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) If you want a healthy, full size golden, I'd recommend taking the breeder up on the offer of a replacement . . . unless the blood tests reveal something that points otherwise. With Labs, I figure a weight gain of a little under a kilo a week. The breeder may be perfectly honest . . . and still some other dog managed to get in there while the bitch was in season without anyone knowing. It's possible and not uncommon to have more than one sire in a litter. btw. to my knowledge, 10 weeks is too early for closing of plates and X rays are not likely to be useful. A paternity test would be more relevant. Edited January 19, 2012 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florise Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I think send this pup back and get a full refund. You may be in for a lot of heartache and big vet bills otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) The breeder may be perfectly honest . . . and still some other dog managed to get in there while the bitch was in season without anyone knowing. maybe if but she lives on a farm where her dogs are allowed to run free is true. Edited January 19, 2012 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Very unusual for a pup to be that small, litter size is not really going to make a pup that tiny, there were 10 in my boys litter he still weighed a good 7 kgs at 8 weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin-Genie Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 He was in a litter of 10 pups so that may have been a contributory factor to his size? I did get him from a breeder and I am in the process of contacting her now, to see if she has any insights into this! I knew he was a small puppy and have been doing further research - the vet agrees with me when I say he is pretty much half the size he's supposed to be! Really hoping everything is ok My female golden retriever was in a litter of nine and she was easily double that size/weight. To me Oscar looks much younger than 8 weeks. I am also surprised that the breeder did not mention that the puppy is seriously underweight and small when they handed over the pup. The breeder of my GR puppy spent about two hours talking through the puppy's requirements, health needs, grooming requirements, showing me all health tests etc when I went to pick up my puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosaline Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'd be very concerned. Something here just isn't adding up. Is the breeder feigning innocence over this? It's been a long time since I had a GR, but I do recall when I picked her up at around 8 weeks she looked more like a roly poly baby seal than a puppy! I'd be highly suspicious that it wasn't a purebred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdie Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 To me the pup looks like some G R x Toy Poodles that i've seen.I hope you get some answers soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 To me the pup looks like some G R x Toy Poodles that i've seen.I hope you get some answers soon. That is what I thought to. If all comes back fine with the blood test you may want to consider a DNA test to check he is a pure GR. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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