posted 12-11-2003 09:23 AM         

My daughter (9yrs old)and I lost our dear Pedita after having her for only 6 days. She was a 10wk, 2lb Jack Russell. She was diagnosed with Coccidia and a the vet said she had a slight heart murmur. It is believed that Pedita was possibly the runt of the litter and the vet said possibly she had a cogenital heart defect and just could not fight the illness. I now know that where I bought her was from what is know as a backyard breeder. I also now know that her litter brother had the same illness but pulled through. My daughter and I were completely devestated. I would like to get another puppy but I am now gunshy. I don't want my daughter to lose another companion.

I would like to make a wise decision, so I have some questions:

1) I have gone through this message board and have noticed the number of new puppies dieing only after days of getting he/she. Why is this? At what age should you get a puppy? At what age should the puppy have all it's shots?

2) Pure breed vs. Mixed (Mutt) - Which tend to be healthier? I have read different opinions and have got conflicting information depending on which side of the debate they are on. I would like to just read some unbiased information.

3) SPCA (Shelter) vs Rescuer vs Newspaper
Again confliciting information depending on which side of the debate you are on.
I have heard Shelter and Rescued animals are unpredictable because you don't know their past. I have read they are better. I have heard that puppies listed in the newspaper are most likely BYB. So where should I get a puppy?

posted 12-11-2003 09:53 AM         

If you want a young pup, Do NOt get one younger than 8 weeks.

I think some shelter locations are breeding grounds for sickness and you have to do your homework. Our county animal shelter here is kind of like that but our SPCA is very clean.

as for mixed vs pure breed it is what you want. My own personal experience. I have a pure bred yellow lab who has had all sorts of helath issues and I have a mixed who has never been sick. SHe was a stray we kept. We did not know her background, she take take extra care and loving and had to grow into liking us, Now she is the sweetest dog and I would not trade her for the world. I would not be afraid to go with a rescue group to get a dog, even if you want a pure breed.

I dont know anything about the coccidia

YOu mentiond you had a jack russell, just curious did you do your home work when you pick the breed. because from what I understand they are VERY HIGH ENERGY AND need constant attention/working because of this. I dont know if you were looking at getting another terrier. And their are lots of these terriers at shelter and resuce place because people get the dog and dont realize the work invloved in raising one and relinquish them.

posted 12-11-2003 11:12 AM         

Q. #1) I can't speculate as to why there seem to be a sudden flood of sick puppies. I think the best time to get a pup is between 8-10 weeks. Vaccination schedules can vary a little but here is an example (Witt's, who I got from a rescue)
3 weeks: dewormed
5 weeks: dewormed
6 weeks: shots included: Distemper
Adenovirus
Parainfluenza
Parvovirus
Coronavirus
**None of my dogs recieve the Leptospira vaccine, my vet opts to not give it, if you do a site search for the disease, there has been a thread with explanations as to why. Keep in mind different areas may or may not include different vaccines.

6, 9 and 12 weeks: recieved same combination of vaccines as above.

At 6 months he recieved his rabies vaccine,was neutered and microchipped.

*there are also different opinions on age for spay/neuter, talk to your vet for his recommendation and do your own research to come up with your own opinion.
**deworming: most dewormers I have read say to use it every 4 weeks, I personally do not do that. I give dewormer every 8 weeks. I also watch fecal matter (fun fun!)

Q. #2) Picking a purebred or mixed puppy is totally your own preference. I do not believe one is healthier than the other. My own experience with both leads me to joke about "every mutt I have ever had has been healthy as can be, and every purebred costs me money!", however, thats just running off at the mouth, there is no science behind that. When picking a purebred puppy you MAY control your chances a little bit by looking carefully at genetics and family history, but the facts are that very rarely does a person do that and if you are assuming the breeder did...well, chances are thats not true either. The best you can do is to do your homework in picking out a breeder, making sure that person is doing everything possible in researching his lines, doing the proper testing on breeding pairs, knowing the diseases or conditions that most often effect that particular breed of dog etc. Thats still not a gaurantee of anything. Finding a breeder who does ALL of that is not an easy task. You are more likely to find yourself a "BYB", there are just more of them. (IMO) When choosing a shelter dog, or rescue dog, you do run a risk of the pup getting sick, he has been thrown into a situation where he is likely surrounded with animals that have not had all their shots or been taken well care of. It is statistically proven that shelter pups are more likely to get a respiratory infection. I got Witt off Petfinder and he came with a short health insurance (free to me) just in case that happened. Witt did get a little respiratory thing the first week, however I think it was an allergy, the first thing I did was take him to the barn and played with him in the hay....not a great idea for a puppy who has never been outside, let alone in a barn! Anyhow, it was covered by the insurance, and wasn't spendy anyhow. He was better in two days. Purebred or mix...shelter or breeder..you have a risk for illness either way. You do the best you can to protect them and prevent exposure and hope for the best. Make sure you don't take your puppy out in public (PetsMart, parks, school etc.) for a good two to three weeks after they have recieved their last set of vaccinations, wash your hands frequently before and after handling the puppy, just like you would with a baby. Those two thinkgs will help tremendously in keeping your new pup healthy.

Q. #3) I think I answered some of this in the above, again, breeders picked by you will be as good as the homework you have done. A breeder can advertise Champion dogs...that doesn't mean a thing! A good breeder (IMO) will be involved in breed clubs, show his dogs, he/she will be knowlegeable in all aspects of that breed. They will have proof that they have done testing for hips, elbows, eyes, ears and any other tests that may be needed for that breed, and it does differ slightly between breeds. They will be more than happy to show that info to you, they have spent a great deal of time making sure BOTH parents are good quality, healthy dogs. They will stand behind thier pups and that will be evident in your contract. Read the contract. They will be open to helping you and answering questions even AFTER you have taken the pup home. My mother bred Poodles for many years, she still keeps in contact with one lady who bought a pup from her, she would take the dog back tomorrow if the woman didnt want her, and she has not bred dogs for a long while. This would go for any of her pups.
Rescuers pour their heart and soul into getting a pup ready for a forever home. They go to alot of trouble to make sure that YOU will provide a wonderful home for this pup, my experience has been that I could readily get advice and help long after the adoption. Pick your rescue as carefully as you do a breeder. Are the conditions clean and safe? Does this person ask good questions of you? What does the adoption contract look like? Has the puppy had all shots ,deworming etc up to the appropriate point. Ask for as much history as they can give.
If you want a purebred puppy I would go to AKC or UKC or whatever registering association is for that breed and look at the listing of breeders for your area. Contact them and ask questions. Ask what their involvements are and cover the things I mentioned above. Go to a dog show, ask questions of the exhibitors. It's a start to finding a good breeder. Maybe some one else can add more to this or give better advice.

Q.#4) I can't answer this one...I just don't know, but I have a link to a site where you may find a cleaner to help, someone posted it here a while back and they had very good stuff. You may also find the info you need there. http://lambriarvet.com/catalog/disinfectant.htm

posted 12-12-2003 07:45 AM         

I had looked up some information about Jack Russells and went to PetFinder and the JRs was somewhat a fit to what I wanted. My friend has a 6 month old Miniature Schnauzer she asked if I would like to have for my daughter. She is fully vacinated. I think I'm going to wait per the advice of a my vet. I am going to post a new thread as to why.