Malnourished puppy

[msvette2u]

Merck Veterinary Manual

Recent studies show that many homemade diets for dogs are deficient in minerals and have altered calciumhosphorus ratios. Therefore a high-quality commercial food, or one designed by a credentialed veterinary nutritionist, is recommended.

Unless they fed her a home-made diet (would be rare in a pet store setting) she shouldn't have rickets - unless she has a metabolic imbalance, and considering they said she acts normal that wouldn't be it...?

It's confusing, for sure...

[Anitsisqua]

Originally Posted by Jrhodebeck

I just searched and her mom and dad both came back as GSD, so I don't know, just worried.


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What they were suggesting earlier is that perhaps the mother is an AKC registered German Shepherd that went into heat and was bred to another AKC registered German Shepherd, but unbeknownst to the
"breeder", another dog (Probably a chihuahua?) got to her during the time she was in heat, creating a litter of some purebred puppies and some mixed-breed puppies, but they were all registered as though the father was German Shepherd.

[BowWowMeow]

"Rickets and other bone pathologies have been reported in young pigs housed indoors and fed processed feed." That would be the same circumstances for this pup.

[Jrhodebeck]

Originally Posted by Anitsisqua

What they were suggesting earlier is that perhaps the mother is an AKC registered German Shepherd that went into heat and was bred to another AKC registered German Shepherd, but unbeknownst to the
"breeder", another dog (Probably a chihuahua?) got to her during the time she was in heat, creating a litter of some purebred puppies and some mixed-breed puppies, but they were all registered as though the father was German Shepherd.

Is there anything that we could do then? We thought we were buying a purebred but if it turns out she is not we paid a lot of money. We still love her and want to keep her but feel that someone should have known with her low growth weight. I will talk to the vet about this possibility on Monday when I take her.


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[Angelina03]

I think the only thing you should be worried about at this point is that she is healthy. It's disappointing, but like you said you love her and you will keep her no matter what. Right? The other stuff (reporting the store, retaining an attorney, getting your money back, etc.) you should not let go of course. Just don't make it something that you have to "worry" about. It's not worth it. What's done is done. She is your baby now regardless of her breed. Now you know better for next time. Good luck with her. She is cute. Keep us posted on her health. And I hope you do report that puppy store and it gets closed down.


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[Jax08]

Originally Posted by Jrhodebeck

Is there anything that we could do then? We thought we were buying a purebred but if it turns out she is not we paid a lot of money. We still love her and want to keep her but feel that someone should have known with her low growth weight. I will talk to the vet about this possibility on Monday when I take her.


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You can certainly report the store for fraud. You could sue but I imagine you'll have to give the dog back. And I would report the place to AC with the conditions you describe.

[Rerun]

At a few months old, this dog is way too proportional to be a dwarf. This isn't a GSD. Even if a chihuahua and a GSD crossed, you would not end up with a 3.something pound puppy at a few months old. The vet would have been able to tell by the teeth if the dog was more like 6 wks and I'm certain would have told the owner that the dog was not in fact 3 months, but 6 weeks. There is no way that ANYTHING crossed with a GSD will be a proportional 3 lb puppy at 3 months old. It's not malnurished or emaciated, they only think that because it's supposed to be a GSD. It's not. Everyone has these wild crazy theories as to what has happened, but there is nothing about that puppy that says GSD, other than the color, and there are a lot of breeds with GSD coloring.

This is a toy breed and with all the toy breeds that our local petstores sell, it could likely be a cross between toy breeds. They do have a lot of leg issues, they have very tiny little bones that can easily be broken or fractured and heal incorrectly. Regarding the AKC papers, clearly there has been a mix up at the store. They gave you old papers for some reason for another dog they had that didn't go home with it's papers, maybe it died, who knows? But the papers aren't going to prove anything and the only DNA testing that is accurate is to test the parents and the pup to see if those parents produced that pup. I highly doubt the puppy millers have their dogs DNA on file, so that likely won't be an option. The other DNA tests which test breed have been proven repeatedly to be inaccurate at best, and a guess at worst.

[JakodaCD OA]

I would do a DNA test on the puppy. Contacting the 'breeder' would most likely be a waste of time, unfortunately the majority of puppies in pet stores, are usually out of puppy mills

It's very possible the mother was bred by two different dogs.

I would start with a DNA, I would report the petstore to not only the local AC but to your states Head of Agriculture Dept.

I would also tell the pet store that you ARE going to DNA this puppy, and since you paid ALOT of money for her/him, if the DNA comes back he's 'mixed', your taking them to court.

I would not return the puppy, and I would pay "something" for him/her, but I would want the majority of my purchase price refunded.

The puppy is very lucky to have YOU in his/her corner and every puppy deserves a home, but unfortunately I don't think this puppy is a purebred gsd He/she may not have any health issues right now, but who knows what the future holds.

Good luck with him/her,,i would nail that petstore to the wall.

[Capone22]

It looks like a yorkie mix to me. Like chihuahua/yorkie or min pin and yorkie. The color is the only GSD thing about that puppy, but you can get those colors from yorkies and min pins also.

much younger puppies but still-

[msvette2u]

They do have a lot of leg issues, they have very tiny little bones that can easily be broken or fractured and heal incorrectly.

This is really what it seems like.
To the OP - did you ever say if all her legs were like this or just one?
We adopted out a dog some time ago that's leg went wonky like this. In the short time he was with us, he was well cared for and didn't get injured but he was some 3mos. when the family with a lot of small kids surrendered him.
His leg had apparently been fractured with that family, and had healed.

Then the leg continues to grow while the growth plate is frozen, and you get a bowed leg like that.
I think they do okay in the long run but it never looks right and is prone to arthritis. Surgery is advisable after that type fracture, but obviously the pet store never noticed (if this is the case, it may not be), so it was never addressed.
Remember this is just a guess and could explain one limb being twisted/bowed or otherwise messed up.
If ALL the limbs are that way, something else is wrong.

Growth plate fractures