The "free" GSD puppy...

[^gsds4+]

An acquaintance at work offered to give me a GSD puppy. The male is registered; the female (a parchment color) is not. I haven't seen the parents yet, but may go take a look at them before the pups are born.
I'm told by her that both she and her mother have given puppies away in the past, and usually have a waiting list for them. I find that a bit curious.
If I choose one, I will immediately take it to the vet for a complete checkup...hips, elbows, etc. I don't want to run the risk of having to tearfully euthanize it later. Any idea on cost for a health check?
What should I look for when viewing the parents?

[gagsd]

You will not be able to get appropriate radiographs on a young puppy. A vet checkup should run $25-$75 dollars.

Also, things like auto-immune diseases and major skin/GI problems cannot be tested for as a puppy. These can be much worse and more heartbreaking than orthopedic problems.

Just an FYI

Good luck in your search.

[wildo]

Welcome to the forum, ^gsds4+. I saw your other post about a DDR pup. Big difference (most likely) between that and some random free (assumedly) BYB pup. You might want to consider heading to the Welcome area of the forum and doing a quick intro of yourself, including putting a general location on your profile so people can more easily help you with facilities in your area. Additionally, you might want to take a read of this thread:
Things to look for in a 'Responsible' Breeder

Good luck with your search!

[kiya]

I have a "free" puppy, well she's 18 months old now. The people I got her from didn't make a habit of having litters of puppies, they loved thier dogs and wanted to have 1 litter of course that is NOT an acceptable reason to breed your dogs. They screened me and came to my house and finally decided I was ok after 2 people they also knew gave me good references. Vets charge different prices and you really can't check hips/elbows until much later about 1 year old. The vet can tell you if the puppy seems healthy but health issues may not surface until years later. It's a crap shot. I chance I took and hope I have a healthy dog.
When you go to thier home, see how they live, that speaks a lot about a person. Are they carelessly letting these dogs breed, was it an accident is the female going to be spayed to prevent more accidents?

[Emoore]

To clarify what Gagsd said, hips/ elbows are checked on the parents, not the pup. Really at that age all the vet can tell you is if the puppy is sick, not if it has genetic or temperament issues.

[^gsds4+]

Originally Posted by gagsd

You will not be able to get appropriate radiographs on a young puppy. A vet checkup should run $25-$75 dollars.

Also, things like auto-immune diseases and major skin/GI problems cannot be tested for as a puppy. These can be much worse and more heartbreaking than orthopedic problems.

Just an FYI

Good luck in your search.

Yeah, you bring to mind my stint as a vet assistant. A white GSD came in on a regular basis we called, "Carrot-tail" in order to cope with the depressing site of him. His tail looked like a bright orange carrot. So very, very sad. I guess the only thing I might do is to consult others who have obtained pups from this woman. However, this still does not insure that such maladies will not occur at random. Thanks for the advice.