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Malnourished puppy

34K views 182 replies 53 participants last post by  Gilly1331 
#1 ·
We just bought a 3 month old GSD 4 days ago and she only weighed 3.6 pounds when I took her to the vet. We have been feeding her puppy food for large breeds to try to get her at a healthier weight. I took her 3 days later to vet and she weighed 3.8 pounds. Her right leg is a little bent, had X-rays and nothing wrong there, vet says she has no muscle to hold her weight so that's why that is happening. We are just concerned that she is so tiny for her age. Has anyone had a problem like this or any suggestions?
 
#31 ·
The X-rays showed no fractures or dysplasia of any kind or no injury that had happened to her. I am not sure if she had parvo at the pet store, I think the stool will show that, but the vet said that if she had it she would have blood in her stool or vomiting blood, which she is not so that is very good! I have to take her back to the pet store on the 9th to get her 3rd parvo shot, but I am thinking I will just go to my vet, because I do not really trust them. I do want to report this pet shop, because I went in there the other day to get her AKC papers and they had so many puppies in one cage with no food or no water and no room to move, so I think they need to be inspected because I don't think the animals are getting the care they need or deserve. How would I report them?


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#33 ·
Maybe buy an online genetic testing kit, swap inside her mouth to see what breeds come back on that? Maybe shes a chi/GSD mix? Listen to your vet with her care, keep her on a good quailty feed kibble or otherwise. Don't over feed her bc she is small you want to make sure she can handle the amount of food she is being given even if it is several smaller meals a day. Good luck with your little pup! She will do much better with you now that you have her in your care.
 
#34 ·
She does look a lot like a chihuahua mix. Even if she was kept in a cage and malnourished she wouldn't be that small--she would be really, really skinny too, which she's not. She doesn't really look like a gsd to me.

I would throw out the food they gave you and never go back there. And I would definitely file a complaint against them and get the media involved. I would also get a lawyer involved and get your money back because it sounds like you'll need it to get her health again.

Some dogs do great on kibble but I always found that when I brought a foster or new dog home with health issues it was best to make food for them and add supplements until they got better.

Rafi didn't look too good when I brought him home but a good diet, exercise and supplements sure turned his life around for the better!
 
#35 ·
That is exactly what I was thinking - terrier or chihuahua mix - if you google a chihuahua gsd mix you will find some good pictures that do kind of look like your pup - not that she possibly couldn't be purebred. If she is a purebred then my guess is that you are looking at a genetic defect like pituitary dwarfism but she will be a very special puppy no matter what :)


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#63 ·
Anyone can and do forge papers and pedigree's. AKC does not inspect every litter. What you can do is get a DNA kit from AKC and find out if the sire is really the sire they claim. If not, AKC will do an inspection. I wouldn't expect much, but do as much as you can to get this petshop shut DOWN!
Would it be possible for her to be a mix, even if she is registered as a purebred GSD with AKC? That is why I have not considered that an option, I am about to get her 3 generations of pedigree after our application is processed, I don't think that is something that can be forged, but maybe it can?



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#38 ·
They can falsify papers easily....especially if they have no concern for well being of pups, would they be honest enough to actually have the proper papers?
Is the pup identified w/ a microchip to be sure you have the right pup w/ the right papers?

I'd get the media involved too. Play on the publics sympathy and get that place closed down.
 
#39 ·
She can't be a mix and be AKC - even lets say if she came from an AKC gsd and an AKC chihuahua. Per the AKC this is called cross breeding and those dogs cannot be registered. I suggest as soon as you get the papers you call the AKC to register your dog - this will confirm the legitimacy of them. You may also want to google the pet store you got her form and the breeder or even check www.bbb.org to see if any one else has had any issues with that store.


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#41 ·
She can't be a mix and be AKC - even lets say if she came from an AKC gsd and an AKC chihuahua. Per the AKC this is called cross breeding and those dogs cannot be registered. I suggest as soon as you get the papers you call the AKC to register your dog - this will confirm the legitimacy of them. You may also want to google the pet store you got her form and the breeder or even check www.bbb.org to see if any one else has had any issues with that store.


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Those rules are for honest people ... dishonest people can (and have) registered dogs with questionable heritage by using registration papers of legit puppies that have died or been sold without papers. Of course an owner like Jrhodebeck can have a DNA test done to see if the puppy is a GSD and if it's not, then file a complaint with AKC against the breeder of record and maybe sue the pet store to get her money back.
 
#40 ·
This is not a german shepherd puppy, or GSD mix. It is way too small for even a mix with a toy breed. At a few months old, the pup is very proportional and does not appear emaciated. The coloring is definitely GSD like but the body and conformation is toy breed, which is what the weight and size confirms. A half cup a day is the right amount for a puppy this size, it can not even physically eat 3 cups a day as people are suggesting.

The store that gave you papers for a GSD is either very dishonest or more likely had a very stupid employee. The pup will probably be 7 - 10 lbs max as an adult.


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#44 ·
It is possible for an AKC registered bitch in heat to be bred by more than one dog. If a smaller dog got to her, she could be a mix.

I don't know as a DNA test would solve the issue though...even purebred dogs often come up mixed on the DNA tests.
Only if you could match the mom and dad's DNA would you be able to tell.
 
#49 ·
You may just have to wait and see when you register her and see how that goes. The next conversation is one you need to have with your vet because if she is pure gsd then there is obviously something going on with her. And since the incidence of dwarfism is rather low, I'm still leaning more towards not being a GSD - but I would need to know more about the store where you bought her, the parents and the breeder to take any more guesses.


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#50 ·
If you have the name of the breeder, why don't you send them a picture of the puppy? They would certainly know!

I have seen some pituitary dwarfs on this board and they didn't look anything like your puppy.

I took a look at your pictures again and I wonder if she has rickets? That's what I'm seeing in her legs. Is that what your vet thought?
 
#51 ·
Merck Veterinary Manual

Recent studies show that many homemade diets for dogs are deficient in minerals and have altered calcium:phosphorus 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...
 
#55 ·
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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#57 · (Edited)
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.
 
#64 ·
The OP can contact AKC and request a DNA on the pup. All stud dogs have to have a DNA on file at AKC. If the sire is not the sire listed on file at AKC she has a lawsuit against the pet store.
 
#58 ·
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.
 
#60 ·
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
 
#61 ·
I just had a crazy thought...on another message board, a woman had a litter of GSDs and one was an extreme runt.
I mean, like 1/4 of the size of the other puppies.
It could be that this is an extreme runt, as well, that puppy acted normal, I believe.
I'd have to go back and re-read it. It seems that the puppy was proportionate too.

If I can remember where it's at, I will message you, OP.
 
#68 ·
I think this is a wrong age. This does not look like a 3 month old GSD. Maybe a very small 8 week old.

Many pet stores lie about age. They say a dog is 8 weeks when in reality it could be 5 weeks old.
There is absolutely no way that a german shepherd, even a very small one, is going to weigh less than four lbs at 8 wks. Breeders can chime in here, but at 3.something lbs, a german shepherd would only be a couple of weeks old I believe.

People are hooked on this german shepherd/chihuahua cross thing, but even IF that were to happen, you are still talking about a normal sized small to medium sized dog. This dog looks at a good weight for it's size, and at that weight it qualifies as a TOY breed. No german shepherd crossed with anything would ever produce a toy sized dog.

And again, the vet would have been able to tell if this was a younger puppy by the teeth.
 
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