# Question about first shots for a small pup with a rough start



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Cupcake will be seven weeks old on Thursday. She is six pounds today. 

Anyhow, the new owner who is a GSD breeder, wants her early and said she would take care of first shots. But I wanted her to have as much time with her dam as possible, as her dam is playing with her and possibly doing the job of the siblings she does not have. 

I wormed her at four weeks, and again today. 

What I am worried about is sending her off at eight weeks with no shots. Should I just take her to the vet and do the first shots and give the new owner the shot record. I will probably talk it over with her. 

But, I am also a little concerned about the shots themselves. Normally, my puppies are a bit bigger at this point. Is is dangerous to give her the vaccines and would you wait?

If I do shots, I want to do them a few days at least before turning the dog over. 

Thoughts?


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I would be a little concerned because of her size & weight...but yet...small breeds are that same size when given innoculations.
I use Vanguard...less problems and allergic reactions that Fort Dodge products.


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

robinhuerta said:


> I would be a little concerned because of her size & weight...but yet...small breeds are that same size when given innoculations.
> I use Vanguard...less problems and allergic reactions that Fort Dodge products.


I agree Robin. I would be very concerned with a 7 week old weighing 6 pounds. Do you know why the pup is so small?
You may want to consider vaccinating for Parvo only since the pup appears to be so small. I would probably let the vet do it due to the pups size.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I always do shots at the vet. 

The pup is small because she nearly died after the c-section and it took her a long time to catch up. 

The bitch is not gigantic -- she is a properly sized German showline bitch. 

When I brought Arwen home, she was six pounds at six weeks, when I took her to the vet that first time. So she is not that terribly small. She will not be seven weeks until tomorrow, and she will have gained a bit more by then -- did today already. (Arwen is not related, but she was between 68 and 75 pounds when full grown -- not a small bitch at all.)

My question is more would you wait until eight weeks and let the new owner do the shots -- as she suggested, or would it be better to go ahead with the shots so that she may have some protection prior to going to this person's home?


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

If I was going to do it I would probably have the first set done just so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

Really depends on your comfort level. i think I good case could be made for either side.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Selzer -
You trust this person enough to sell them the dog. Why do you worry about the shots? Are the shots the only redflag you have? How would you react if you were in the buyer's shoes? You had asked specifically that something be handled one way, the seller did it the way you didn't want it done. 
I suppose you could put it in the contract that she will have the shots done on YYYY/MM/DD and send you verification by YYYYMMDD or you will take the pup back. I think your "I'm going to talk to her." is the very best answer.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

middle, not selzer here, but I believe the person taking the puppy is the stud dog owner, so it's not a 'for sale' puppy.

Personally, and I'm not a breeder, because she is small and a singleton, I'd keep her until she was 10 weeks, do the first shot at 8-9 weeks of age. 

Is there a reason the person has to have her at 8 weeks? (I know most want them at 8 weeks but it's no big deal to wait a couple weeks) 

And as Robin said, they give small breeds the same dosage as a large breed. Maybe even think about doing 1/2 dosage for the first shot?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

middleofnowhere said:


> Selzer -
> You trust this person enough to sell them the dog. Why do you worry about the shots? Are the shots the only redflag you have? How would you react if you were in the buyer's shoes? You had asked specifically that something be handled one way, the seller did it the way you didn't want it done.
> I suppose you could put it in the contract that she will have the shots done on YYYY/MM/DD and send you verification by YYYYMMDD or you will take the pup back. I think your "I'm going to talk to her." is the very best answer.


Yeah, I am not going to do anything without her Knowledge/consent. 

This puppy is out of my bitch who I just imported from Germany who is out of a double world sieger. The dog is an up and coming young male. My friend is very interested in this puppy for the bloodlines, as well as having a youngster. 

Yes I trust her, she has been breeding and showing and importing dogs for more than half a century. But a lot rides on this puppy for both of us. 

I was going to keep a male out of this breeding. I just would hate for anything to happen to this little one now, for both of us. 

Two dangers I see, one is that she has a reaction to the shots and dies. That would be terrible.

The other is that she goes to this person's home, with no shots, and this person has dogs, and contracts something and dies. 

I can understand wanting to keep a singleton longer than eight weeks. She wants the dog earlier than eight weeks, and will go ahead and do the shots, since I have no puppy, and lost the puppies, and paid an arm and a leg for the c-section and to keep this little tyke going, I think she wants to give me a break on this vet bill. That is all.

I am just looking for opinions on which is the greater danger. 

In think my friend has enough experience to keep the pup out of harms way until the shots have enough time to take effect. And she would have to have distemper or parvo or one of the other things vaccinated against in the environment for there to be a problem. 

And I checked out Capt Max's book to check on weights. Of the litters that he followed, the smallest pup at the end of seven weeks was 6 pounds 11 ounces. She is 6 pounds 10 today, at seven weeks, which is still in the ball park really, best I could really expect after the rocky beginning.


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Selzer, can you two compromise. Keep the puppy a couple weeks longer and let her vaccinate the pup when she gets her. They do give the same vaccines no mater the size of the puppy (breed). Some vets will only give one or two vaccines and not a 5-way or 7-way to a smaller pup. I plan to only give the parvo/distemper vax at 7 wks.


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

Can you give the first shot at 8 weeks and then place it at 10 weeks with the new owner?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I talked to her this evening. She wants the puppy at eight weeks. We discussed the dam and the pup, and she feels that eight weeks is probably the best time to do the transfer. I kind of agree. She said her vet will get her in the day of her getting the puppy. 

We discussed my vet and what type of shots they give, her vet will work with her on what they want the puppy to have. Mine usually does a five way. 

I figure if the puppy is going to have a bad reaction, it could have it at eight weeks or at ten weeks. But her vet will do just parvo/distemper if she wants him to.

I told her I would keep the puppy for ten or eleven weeks, but she wants to get it used to her home, etc. 

I have just one more week. I get attached to ALL my puppies. I do not know if I have EVER been this attached. I am already getting depressed.


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## spiritsmom (Mar 1, 2003)

You are this attached because you basically have been this puppy's mom. You saved her life and kept her alive and put a lot of tears and work into that. Naturally you would bond much tighter to her than a "regular" litter where you wouldn't have to do so much. I have bottle/tube fed orphan puppies and kittens and they really do just touch you in a different way. The only nice thing about her going to another home is that you know her well and will be able to stay in touch and watch her grow up.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

Can I ask something? Why is she in such a rush to get this puppy? She wanted her before 8 weeks and now is pushing for 8 weeks even if that may not be the best thing for the puppy. I can understand being excited about and impatient for a puppy but I would want what is best for the pup first and foremost.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I think because she wants to start this one early on, learning etc, as she wants to train and title her. It actually probably IS what is best for the pup. She is not delayed physically, and eight weeks is definitely early enough to leave mom and siblings, so, she will bond well with her.


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