Puppy got stepped on....how bad is it????

[Freestep]

It bothers me that the breeder doesn't seem to care enough about the pup to take it to the vet.

[llombardo]

Originally Posted by GSDcalab

I went through every emotion possible but basically I was just so sad and heart broken. I still miss her deeply......and never thought I could have another dog because of the immense pain when they leave us. But, then I thought about how much I love having one and no matter how painful it is when the time comes and they leave us, I would rather share my life with such a special animal. Anyway, thanks.

This is so true. For different people it takes a different amount of time to realize.

[jang]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

no no no. The breeder needs to have the puppy seen.
If a growth plate was snapped, the puppy could suffer from a lifelong deformity. The only way to tell is an x-ray and exam.

I'm more concerned about the breeder not seeing why the puppy needs to go to the vet.
Many dogs will run and hide when they are hurting or injured, so to avoid being injured again or having the injured part stepped on again.

this^

[Verivus]

I don't even know why this question is being asked. A 10 week old puppy got stepped on by a large man in heavy shoes. If your 10 week old human baby got stepped on by the same man, would you be at the hospital? I HOPE SO. The fact that the breeder is so unconcerned would drive me away. This is a dog that YOU will have to live with for the next 12+ years. Anything that happens now will likely affect YOU in the long run. Do yourself a favor and insist on a vet visit.

[Liesje]

Even if the puppy is fine from being stepped on, why is it acting funny? I would not want a pup that is acting how the breeder describes, regardless of the reason.

[lhczth]

My first gut feeling when reading this is the "breeder" is using a supposed accident as a reason to excuse fearful behaviors in the puppy. I personally would not take a chance that the pup will "snap" out of this in time. Let the breeder deal with the temperament issues. Find another puppy.

[carmspack]

by your accounts the breeder says her husband did step on the pup , then only on a foot, and even that is not certain as she only "thinks" this may have happened. -- but maybe neither thing happened and this is an attempt to explain a behavioural-temperament problem .
She wasn't there at the time " just that she can tell from the personality change". This brings in the discussion on management. Were the pups running around her home free and loose while she was out, along comes husband still with his work boots (no sensitivity) into the home , of course pups running around underfoot to greet , potential accident which could have been a full bodied stomp (by accident of course) . Could have caused profound internal injuries if not death. -- Then if the foot was stepped on and the pup squealed out of pain , then the husband may have been frustrated, angered , by what he is coming home to - chaos . His emotional response could have cowed the pup because you are pairing pain and angered (aggressive sounding) man , conditioning the dog at one of the critical periods of socialization , which may include a heightened sensitive period , including a fear response , a self survival mechanism.
Meanwhile what have the pups been getting in to? I would want to go with someone who has a better organized more professional approach, which means dedicated time and space - a safe environment . This may be 100% not the case but from what you have provided it sounds like a bit of a hobby / back yard breeder , the kind that wants to get as much out of the dogs without putting in too much.

[Lilie]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

No no no. The breeder NEEDS to have the puppy seen.
If a growth plate was snapped, the puppy could suffer from a lifelong deformity. The only way to tell is an x-ray and exam.

Very, very true. My 3 year old GSD was missing two toes due to a whelping accident. I wanted him anyways. He showed no signs of limping or any problems. I had him vet checked as a 9 week old puppy and the vet warned me that it could go either way.

At 3 years old, my boy is lame. He twists his leg when he walks, this causes problems with his pads as well. I have to be careful as to how much exercise he gets, what surfaces he plays on, etc. My vet thinks he is going to prematurely wear out his sockets on his hip. Therefore, we'll gave to have surgery to have it replaced sometime in the future.

Thousands of dollars...a life time of care...because of simply missing toes.

[msvette2u]

I discussed this with our vet is how I know all that - and my son had the same thing happen.
My son, at age 14 or so, fell and injured himself pretty badly. For him to shed tears was significant!
So took him, x-rayed and was dx'ed ankle was broken - the ortho doctor placed him in a cast for some 8 weeks. However, he did not know for sure it was a break, but he explained to me, that if there was a fx in the growth plate, his leg will fuse there (as a result of the fx) and that part of his leg will not grow while the rest of the leg grows normally.

This same thing also happened in a Chihuahua puppy, we had in our rescue. We had them only a week or so, and knew nothing happened here to create a fracture, but apparently in the puppy's home before it got to us, it had sustained a fracture in it's growth plate, because it's leg grew twisted just as Lillie describes.

It's critical that puppy get to the vet before you purchase it. You could very well wind up with a malformed adult dog with lifelong issues. The breeder, if not aware of this, needs to be made aware, and get that puppy seen.

[TrickyShepherd]

I agree with the posts below. Accidents happen, I've stepped on a puppy accidentally before too. But, the lack of concern bothers me. If a man that large steps on a little 10-15lb puppy (with growing, weak bones), it should be at the vet.

Now, even if they DID go to the vet and all was cleared as healthy.... I would still be concerned with the pups behavior. For the pup to be running and hiding from that.... may be a sign of weak nerves. Puppies get hurt, either from their own clumsy self, littermates, older dogs, or just from getting under peoples feet. It happens. Most of the time though, the pup will cry and run... but after a few minutes they should be back up and being their normal crazy self.

I would be concerned for the pups health and temperament at this point. If it was me personally... I'd pass on the pup. Not sure I like how this breeder is acting towards this either. These are some red flags for me.