~JessyBee~ Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I would be very concerned that puppy does not look like a healthy, normal, well bred Golden Retriever. I agree with others that he loom suspiciously like a x breed. Surely no breeder worth their salt would rehome such a puppy unless it was via prior arrangement and all health concerns had been diagnosed and addressed. That pup does not even look normal and healthy for a 3 week old, let alone 9 weeks! Take the pup back, and get your money back and contact some of the great breeders we have on here about getting another pup sometime in the future. I feel if you keep this puppy, you are in for a lot of heartache and LOTS of vet bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WExtremeG Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) I'd give him back to his breeder- before I got too attached- but that's me. I'd also drive him there myself and NOT meet her halfway... Edited January 19, 2012 by F11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I've seen photos of the other puppies in the litter as they were growing and they all looked happy and healthy! Sometimes I hate being a cynic - however- you aren't an experienced dog - world person ..and haven't much experience dealing with different breeders, etc. Unfortunately, you did not ever see the parents/littermates, or your pup in real life ..and IMO, a photo can be anything ... a litter of puppies is a litter of puppies in a photo when you don't know what you're looking for/at So ..the happy healthy puppies you saw photos of may, or may not have been ,the litter from which your puppy came. Lots of folks buy a pup sight unseen , I know .. and some get burned .. it would be very hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I met Daisy's breeder half way as she lived miles away and she was definitely not a puppy farmer, nothing dodgy about it at all. I wouldn't do it again as I would like to temp test the litter before picking a puppy but that alone wouldn't alarm me. Pup does look very small though, surely the breeder would have known he was drastically undersized when she gave him to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Could someone with Goldens post a photo of a normal puppy of this age for the OP to compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavstar 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 How long have you had her for greyseas? When will you get the results? Did the vet think she was a purebred GR? Have you sighted his papers? I've had my pup for 5 weeks now & yet to receive the papers. I know that there are others out there waiting for theirs as well as the office apparently shut down for 3 weeks over xmas/new years. I hope you take heed of everyone's advise & return the pup. Yes its hard but you really shouldn't be forking out for all these tests. He shouldn't really have been sold to you in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 He doesn't look like a GR, apart from the coat colour. If I were in your shoes, I'd be taking him back. It may hurt for awhile but you'll soon get over it when you add a healthy GR puppy to your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoshelley Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) Heres a video I found on you tube of a 9 week old golden retriever Edited January 19, 2012 by mumtoshelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadbury Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Heres a video I found on you tube of a 9 week old golden retriever Gosh this video made me cry to think how tiny this poor little fellow is in comparison......I am sure this will not have a happy ending for the OP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimiss Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Heres a video I found on you tube of a 9 week old golden retriever Gosh this video made me cry to think how tiny this poor little fellow is in comparison......I am sure this will not have a happy ending for the OP Oh wow That is such a huge difference. My 13 week Pomeranian Puppy was weighed in today at 1.4kg .. The little GR darling isn't really that much bigger! It puts things into perspective when you compare him to a toy breed of similar age I think the breeder hasn't been telling the truth somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) My Tildy at 8 weeks old,the day I brought her home. She is on the smaller size of a golden retreiver height wise, about 22 inches tall now at nearly 6 years old http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/onslowanddaisy/victory.jpg and with her bigger brother (who is huge) she probably was about 10 weeks in this photo Edited January 19, 2012 by Ons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'm looking at those photos (and ignoring the mess of the backyard) and thinking she doesn't look very golden retreiver like! But certainly is, very dark colour, too much white on her though which is a fault in the show ring hence the reason she ended up being pet homed to me :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlowerProwler Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Wow thats a pretty big difference between Tildy and little Oscar! I'm sure its going to be hard GS, but I would seriously consider sending him back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenWei Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) My male golden puppy was about 7kg when we got him at 8 weeks. I was also thinking a cross, but with a spitz.... poodle would probably fit though. I wouldn't go by the colour, some goldens look very white as a puppy, even the light gold ones. My mid gold puppy bitch has two whitish stripes down each side of her, just means they will be a lighter colour. Henry had a big white patch on the top of his bead, very noticeable.... it's now blended completely and you can't see it anymore. Henry at 8 Weeks.... and 7kg... Please ignore my dirty jumper lol As others have said, I would also take the puppy back and get a refund. The breeder is atleast doing the right thing by giving you the option of a puppy from another litter. I personally would go with a different breeder though, there are about 200+ GR breeders listed on DOL... Ons... Tildy is gorgeous... love the stride she has going there. Edited January 19, 2012 by GoldenWei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roishana Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I think Oscar is a lucky puppy to have you as his owner. It is quite obvious you care a lot for him and love him very much. Regardless of his parentage or upbringing, you need to deal with the situation as it is now. Looking at the photos, I think he looks too thin, and his coat looks illthrifty - no bloom. He was possibly not getting the nutrition that he needed as a baby. He comes from a large litter, and may have just missed out, and perhaps was small as a baby. I know we are not suppose to have too much weight on our puppies, but it is important not to have them too thin either. Puppies which are small, are often premature. Sperm is viable for up to 4 days, and sometimes you get embryos that are fertilised several days after the other embryos, - mutiple matings also can cause this. But once the bitch whelps, they all come out!! Whether they are ready or not. Oscar looks like very much like a puppy of another breed, I have seen recently who we suspect this is what happened to him. They are "undercooked". If you look at premmie human babies once they are out of hospital, they still have that thin, fragile look about them As Oscar is active and lively, apart from listening to what your vet suggests, I would look to increase the feeds, to try and get as much TOP QUALITY food and supplements into him. Nutrical ? (it has been a long time since I had to do this so Im not sure what the latest is). Perhaps some calcium supplements. I would weigh him every week and record this, as well as weigh the amount of food you are giving him, so you know what you are doing. Just one word about his breeder - if Oscar was like this when he left her place, he should never have been sold to you, until she was able to get him to the point that he looked like a healthy, well nourished Golden puppy. Things do happen, puppies are born small and/or sick, but you keep them until they are ready to go their new home, and dont offload them on to new puppy owners as soon as you can. Good luck, my gut feeling is that provided the vet tests come back negative, I think he is just a bit small and premature. As to his final size, I have known several Goldens who were perfectly healthy, but small - up to 2 inches below the minimum standard for the breed. Cheers Roishana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roishana Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 And I nearly forgot . . . worms !! We once got a Golden puppy from a very well respected breeder. She had a pot belly and looked small for her age too. She was completley full of worms, despite the breeder saying she had been wormed. I had another Golden person tell me they had had the same thing, and in both cases, it can lead to dread diarhoea (scours) when they are older puppies - I think the huge worm burden damages the linings. Sometimes even if the puppies have been wormed, they are still there. Sometime you need repeated worming to get rid of them. So regardless of what the breeder says, or if you have wormed Oscar before, get the Vet to check. we also put our puppy onto calcium supplements as she had mishapen front legs, almost like rickets. She was the opposite, the only puppy in the litter, and sometimes there is not enough stimulation for the bitch to produce enough milk, or they dont let the puppy suckle enough. (The legs straightened!!) So, even if you buy a well bred puppy from a top breeder, you can run into trouble !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyseas Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 The vet called me earlier today and good news! :) Both blood tests and x-rays came back normal and showing no signs whatsoever of abnormalities although she did say that x-rays seem to show (in conjunction with his size and weight) that he is actually younger than he really is...which I am a little wary of (especially as many of you guys are a bit unsure about the breeder and have much more experience than me!) But I have to say this would make a lot more sense as currently, he looks a lot like your Henry in size, GoldenWei! (Just skinnier) Thank you for all the photos guys, your Goldens are all beautiful! The breeder has been more than helpful though and regarding his papers, she should be getting them in the post next week and will be sending them to me asap and I will have a good look at them. I have only had him about two and half weeks..although he looks to be the size of an 8 week old. Funnily enough, as soon as he got back from the vet after getting his x-rays done and blood taken, he was vibrant as ever and both his feet look perfectly fine right now! The vet has also suggested I change his food to Eukanuba puppy for large breeds - and I've begin to change him over from supercoat starting from dinner tonight. I was previously feeding him 1/2 cup, 3 times a day but she has also suggested I give him as much food as he will eat - just to pump some nutrients in him! Now that the results have come in negative, the vet feels better about him and says that after feeding him lots , she will see how he's going in about 3 weeks time for his next vaccination and we will go from there. I am really hoping that he will take to the Eukanuba really well and will somehow grow surely and quickly..i have my fingers crossed he is just a really late bloomer as our family has already gotten very attached! He is quite the personality and he is adorable :) Hopefully you're right Roishana! He was the 'runt' of the litter so maybe that played a part in all this? The breeder too, has advised that I weigh him once a week and keep records and I will definitely be doing that. As for worms, I've been thinking that too! Although we have continuously wormed him since we picked him up - he had very liquidy diarrhoea when he first arrived and the vet thought maybe worms so he has been given Drontal tablets and he is now onto monthly Interceptor. As for returning him..I'm hoping it won't have to come to that but if it does.. my family agrees that it will be the very very last option...especially if things don't improve by his next checkup in 3 weeks. I will keep you all updated and I really appreciate all of your help and advice!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenWei Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Good news Greyseas.... just try not to put weight on him too quickly after about 3 months of age - unfortunately that can cause issues in the breed itself..... There is an article written by Karen Hedberg on the national golden retriever council website in relation to diet and growth, have a good read of that. http://ausngrc.org/index.asp?ID=39 Good luck with your little guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 just remember - his tummy is VERY small ..and whatever food goes in there needs to absolutely digestible ... I hope he starts to pick up very soon :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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