Hi all, I would appreciate your thoughts.

We have been to see two different litters now and have come away both times without buying a pup.

The first litter was in a nice house but one of the pups looked quite pot bellied, was hiccuping a lot and kept going for a lie down in the basket. Could have been worms? When I asked about the vets papers showing details of vaccinations and worming, I was only allowed to see them from a distance, wasn't handed them or able to get a proper look at them.

We saw another litter this morning. It was a nice house again, nice lady. I think these people are obviously into breeding pups as the set up in the back garden (cages with indoor area) looked permanent and there for a purpose. The parents weren't on the premises (working on the farm), when I asked if the pups had been vet checked, I was told no although they had supposedly had their first vaccinations and been wormed regularly. Although the puppies looked healthy enough, one of them looked to be separated from the others and had diarrhoea while we were there.

Am I being over cautious or were we right to walk away both times?

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"In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog."

Well done you! you can never be too cautious when buying a puppy! and it that means going back to see a litter again then sobeit! our of curiosity what breed are you looking at and where are you located APPROX?
regards
Dt

I think it depends on the age of the first litter if they are only little then i think the breeder was right not letting you handle them but if they were 6weeks+ then you shouldve been hold to have a closer look and handle them. Pot bellies are pretty normal i think, our pup had worms it wouldnt put me off as its very normal havin them with puppies

second i wouldve walked away if i couldnt see the parents, or atleast the mum she should be with them till 8weeks ish, also a little worried if one has a dodgy belly. They wouldve been health checked if they had thier first jabs did they have proof of the jabs?

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Cats= Tia and Foxy
Snakes= Bruce banana cali king, Levi and Cookie commen boas and murphy commen boa
and four african land snails

Congratulations!

Yes always always go with your gut instinct! Never buy a puppy just because its cute, or you feel sorry for it! If your instinct says something is wrong then vote with your feet.

I would bet that a good breeder would allow you to see any and all paperwork with regards to the litter and its parents. You should always see the mum and be given details of the stud (including health test results) if he's not on the premisis!

Well done.... i wish all new owners were as perceptive as you.

i think she meant the paperwork not the puppies? i could be wrong though, wouldnt be the first time

I agree not every breeder will let you handle pups if they are tiny, but she should have been given the paperwork to see.

lol im prob wrong knowing me If it was paperwork then i wouldve been the same

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Cats= Tia and Foxy
Snakes= Bruce banana cali king, Levi and Cookie commen boas and murphy commen boa
and four african land snails

It's definitely not easy - well done you for waling away.
I would of been surprised if mum was out working, with young pups to care for.

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A dog Possesses Beauty, Without Vanity,Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, And all the Virtues of Man, Without his Vices.

It not easy is it and well done to OP poster walking away if you have any feeling that something is wrong then that breeder is not for you

You should have most defentily been able to have a close look and read of any paper work that refers to the pups so if you wasnt them im afraid there is some thing wrong there and thr breeder has something to hide or is lying

I also agree that i dont think the mum would have been working that soon after pups and if she was then its quiet upsetting as mum would need a little rest after pups..!
What breed are you looking for ?
and how have you gona about finding the breeders you have visited

Wow well done for following your head not your heart!!! I wish everyone was like you and it would be the end of puppy farms!!! Absolutely go with your instinct and if something tells you it's not right then it's not right! Good luck with your search.

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Well thank you for your very quick replies!

Ha ha, sorry to confuse. Yes I did mean that we weren't able to see the papers close up. With both litters, we got to see the pups and were able to handle them if we wanted to. They were all at nine weeks old. Forgot to mention that when I spoke to the lady yesterday about going to see the pups today, she mentioned that there was just one left but later in the converstation, after I'd asked about markings of the pup, she said that there were several puppies to choose from??? There were seven there today. I think that is what started the alarm bells ringing. That and the fact we weren't offered any proof that they had been vaccinated, parents weren't viewable, they hadn't been vet checked and one of them clearly wasn't in good health. When I read all that, I'm surprised I've even asked what you all think!!!

The reason I am concerned about worms is because we have our little Yorkie (nearly 16) to consider and don't want to put him at risk.

Double Trouble, we are in North Wales and looking for either a Border Collie or Border Terrier. Have to say though that finding the right one, is very very hard!

So far, we've been looking at certain websites for details of puppies for sale, which is where we got these two from.

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"In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog."