# Unsure on puppy



## Tabby2275 (Aug 13, 2019)

We lost our beautiful black and tan GSD 7 months ago, and our 6 year old black GSD needs a new companion. 



I started looking for a new puppy about 5 months ago and found a breeder about 2 hours south of us. I contacted her thru facebook and she called me to go thru some general questions, making sure I had enough room for a puppy and knew what I was getting into. I ended up putting a deposit down and decided to spend our waiting time spoiling our now only dog as much as I could until he had a sibling again.


She got in touch with me a few months ago to let me know she had a puppy for me that had just been born. She sent me pictures of him and his litter every week and I've fallen in love. We have his crate ready, toys bought, vet scheduled, and we even have his food bowl with his name engraved. 



Two days before our scheduled pick up she told me he had a slight limp that she thought he'd gotten rough housing with his siblings, but should be fine. However when we went to pick him up this last last weekend she told us there was a problem when we got there. She had just given him a bath to get ready for us and now his leg was worse. Every time he tried to stand he whimpered and laid back down. She said she had a call in to her vet and would keep us posted on what happened, so we went home without our puppy.:crying:


Monday morning I called our vet to get her opinion and she thought panoetetis, but couldn't be sure without seeing him. So I contacted the breeder to see if her vet had said the same. She said because he was improving with her homeopathic treatment she didn't want to risk taking him into the vet office because of the risk of parvo.


Now I'm at a loss. I'm already completely in love with this boy, but what if he has a bacteria or virus that could infect my other animals. I can handle pano, it'll be a lot of work, but we put up with a lot for a dog we love. Should I bring him home when he's better?


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Hi. Is this an 8 week old puppy? If so, that is very young for Pano.


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

If your other dog is fully vaccinated, you should be fine.
We have a rampant Parvo epidemic in my town, have for as long as I can remember. None of mine have ever fell ill with the virus.

We took in a 10 month old foster from our local shelter, and within days he was displaying symptoms of distemper, also rampant here. I wasn’t worried about my other three that much because they’ve all been fully vaccinated. Took the foster to the vet, had a distemper test done, and it came back negative. He has a viral infection. Which all 4 of the dogs now have. It basically equates to a humans common cold. No biggie.

As for the breeder, when she said he was getting better on his own, did she say you could pick him up now? I’d be concerned that she was holding onto the pup knowing you would be taking him straight to your vet. 

How much of a deposit did you put down? Are the littermates already gone, or does she still have the whole litter?


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## LRP (May 8, 2019)

I honestly wouldn't take a risk on a dog that is already showing signs of an issue, especially a leg issue. If I were you I would ask for my deposit back and start the search for another dog. If this is a reputable breeder they should understand this... also if this was a reputable breeder she would have safe access to an established vet to take her puppies to, without the risk of parvo (or any issue). Breeders need to have a established vet to get care whenever the dog needs it. A leg injury that was getting worse does not seem like something I would wait on and I am surprised she didn't take him in.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I would wait for another dog from another breeder,


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Run.


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## atomic (Mar 28, 2016)

How heart breaking! All the way around for you and pup. My vet told me never once has he seen a vaccinated dog become sick. Pano is common in this breed and it sucks, but they do grow out of it. However if he is 8 weeks or in that ball park that is awful early for it to flare up.


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your black and tan GSD.  

How sad and disappointing about your new puppy. Are there any developments? If I were a breeder, I'd be worried about parvo also since the pup isn't fully-vaccinatted yet, but I find it a little odd that she didn't take the puppy to the vet to get it checked out. I would think one could take the pup in a carrier with a towel draped over it, or in some other way keep it from contacting bad stuff at the vet's office. I'm sure your vet knows more than me, but I would kind of suspect something other than pano in an 8 week old pup. Could be a fracture or a sprain, or who knows...? What does the breeder's contract say? Do you have time to take him to your own vet for a health exam/clearance after arrival?


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## Shane'sDad (Jul 22, 2010)

Sounds like you've done every thing in preparation for your new pup and I understand all about the anticipation of bringing the little guy home....I know you've left a deposit and that you called your vet and she said mentioned pano......already been mentioned here but i like others think it's very young for pano....frankly I've never heard of it that young before....I guess I'm suspicious by nature...but it sounds "sketchy" to me that the breeder didn't see her vet...in your shoes I'd be seeing a red flag....


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

@sebrench When I had a small puppy the vet said if they had recent cases of active Parvo they would examine my puppy in my car rather than expose him to anything in the office. There is no reason for the breeder to avoid the vet. I would worry whether the mother had even seen a vet and how healthy she might be. There are other breeders.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I would ask the deposit back or take it as a loss and let this pup go as you are starting out with health issues. The GSD as a breed has enough of those risks already. .This is the reason I don't do deposits.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

If you get a dog with problems now, they may not be covered if you get insurance. Your puppy may need expensive treatment or a lot of early medications which can affect his health later on. He may become more allergy prone. He may be more skittish or fearful due to being examined a lot when he doesn’t feel well. There are so many reasons to at least try to get a healthy puppy from the start.


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## elf5 (Mar 31, 2019)

I would ask for your deposit back and look at other breeders. There is something wrong with your situation and I would back out asap.


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