today i met a friend who said she had just bought a rhodesian ridge back puppy aged 8 DAYS.yes you did read right 8 days,the reason for this the owner got the mother put to sleep because her 3 year old daughter got too close to the pups and the bitch bit her,so the owner took her bitch to the vets straight away and got the bitch put down (for natural instinct only she was only protecting her babies)anyway friend is feeding puppy every 2 hours with lactol,yesterday puppies stool was rather watery,there were 10 in this litter 1 has already died,believe it or not she paid £200.00 for this puppy which she got very dirty.my question is is whelpi better than lactol..

This is awful, surely the vet should have thought about the puppies welfare, if he/she destroyed the mother. I don't know which is best. I used Litterlac which was fine, but it was only for occasional use. Those RR puppies are going to have to have formula milk for a few weeks yet. I hope someone with experience of 'fostering' puppies can help you a bit more.
Lorna :)

Sorry, but I think this whole thing is criminal.

I would be interested to know who this person is who had the bitch put down as a warning needs to be put out to RR breeders in case she tries to buy another one.

Is there anyone out there who has a bitch with pups who would take this puppy on, failing that there are one or two people who do foster orphans, think telephone numbers were in a previous thread.

I think owner and vet are both criminal in this and maybe it should be reported to the governing body RCVS.

I'm in Essex and I have a bitch with pups but would need a vet check to ensure that the puppy isnt carrying any infection. I prefer whelpi to Lactol.

i can't believe a vet would do such a thing !!!! if any vet i worked for even attempted to do this i would go mad as i am sure that anyone else who worked for him/her would do - they should defeinatly (s?) be reported to the rcvs and the rspca. surely the 'owner' would have warned her daughter the dog is protective of her NEW puppies ?? is she a well known breeder as she also should be reported
i am disgusted !
hope the little guys make it now they are in better hands ??? where are the rest of the puppies ?? and to think that stupid breeder even had the nerve to charge £200 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi signer- I think this takes the biscuit as the very worst breeding related post I have read on here. Has this puppy been seen by a vet yet? I can hardly believe this has happened, what was the "breeder" thinking of, letting a toddler near a newly whelped bitch, anyway. IMO she was lucky the child wasn't very badly hurt or even killed!! I know there are some bitches that are safe with children around when they have puppies - so please dont slate me anyone - but I dont let anyone near my bitches til the pups eyes are open, as I dont think the bitches should have to put up with the stress of unpredictable children around. I think the chances of this or other puppies surviving is very slim and there is no way they should have taken money for it. I do hope I am wrong. Has your friend who has the puppy reared an orphan before? Surely this is illegal - to sell such a young puppy? Does anyone know? I would be interested to hear what the RSPCA does about this - are you going to report them signer?

I even wonder if your friend had been told the truth about the circumstances of needing to find the pups new homes so soon. Folk come up with such 'cock and bull' stories to look better in the eyes of others, rather than just admit their own 'mistakes', i.e. the lovely puppy as grown too big! They have not bothered with training and now the dog is out of control! They did not realise the cute puppy would need SO much attention! etc etc...

Therefore, I wonder if this might be the actual scenario:- The litter was unplanned, owner did not consider neutering or proper control of bitch in season. Did not want the responsibility of looking after so many puppies for eight weeks. So came up with a story that they thought would sound a genuine reason for needing new homes for the pups. (I even wonder if they even have a small child)!

A Vet would obviously know there were very young pups from this bitch, and would/should be concerned of their welfare, and equally on hearing why the bitch bit the child, would explain that the bitch was protecting her young, and then hopefully suggest they contact the RSPCA with the full complement of bitch and puppies.

However, whatever the reason the outcome has been the same, thanks to ignorance or selfishness. My only hope is that if they should every consider a dog again, they visit Argos!

Denise

Denise,
What's Argos?

Just thinking though, if the situation did actually occur that the bitch bit the little girl....surely that wonderfully asnine & vague Dangerous Dogs Act could be applied to justify the death sentence. Horrible situation for the pup, regardless of what actually happened.
toodles

Hi Eoghania,

Argos: The big chain gift Store - a dog shaped soft cuddly toy!!!!

I think the 'Dangerous Dog Act' is a whole new thread! (A more appropriate title would be the 'Dangerous Owners Act')!!!

I'm equally suspicious when I hear: "The dog's very good with the children". I always then ask: "Are the children good with the dog"?

Denise

LOL at that one..... Don't get me wrong... I like kids, but I realize how cruel they can be. I never have forgotten being tormented as a child. Even as an adult, I see how mean they can be to one another.
I think that puppies & dogs sometimes need more protection from kids & definitely need a firm quiet place that he/she/they can retreat to without any worry of being bothered.
One of these days, we plan to have a rug rat, but I know that I'll have a safe haven arranged for my girls so that they can retreat when kid gets too intense. :D
toodles

I daren't even reply my opinions to this one- I'm not sure I can keep it 'clean' enough to post for public viewing- I'm furious

Stacey x x x

me too :(

the owner has the rest of the puppies and is hand rearing them herself along with a friend,she is not a breeder think it was a one off!! no i will not be reporting this only looking for info for my friend the little bitch is okay her local vet has checked it over and said he would ask around to see if any of his clients bitches have had a litter of pups recently..its eyes are just beginning to open..its the size of your hand..the child involved was aged 2 years old and was not badly hurt ..

Ive emailed you some info oops emal came back he goes then:
I would think that as the pups eyes are opening then she can get her
onto semi solid stuff soon,anyway being in rescue
I have to care for orphan puppies from time to time,get some pedigree
chum PUPPY meat in a tin,its very squashy and the smell is enticing even
if pups cant see,pour over some lactol or whatever milk you are using,you
will find baby pups lap semi solid quicker than thin runny milk.ALWAYS
remember you must rub their tummies with a rough bit of towel after
eating and drinking to stimulate bowel /bladder movement thats what the
mum does when she is licking them and turning them over.
If your friend is worried she can ring me my number is 01254 207660,if she has to leave a msg Ill call her back

Hi there, I expect its too late now but I have a lot of experience of hand rearing puppies and would willing take some to help out

Where is your friend I have a bitch with a small litter of pups of a similar age. I'm in Essex.

she lives in ayrshire scotland..

As with Phillipa, I've some experience in hand rearing, and have an old hospital incubator, as well as the world's most maternal bitch, so if I can help just give me a shout - 01835 823074 or 07779 303811. Ayrshire isn't too far from me either. I'd be more than happy to give what adcice I can, or to take some pups since we are well set up for that sort of thing.

Can I just say one thing about hand rearing a single puppy. You could end up with a monster on your hands. The puppy will be socially deprived because it will not have been brought up with its siblings to teach it right from wrong and you could end up with a dog totally unable to read another dogs language. Hand reared pups can also become totally obsessed with their owners and very demanding because they have always had what they wanted as they are not taught to cope with frustration which a bitch would do with her own pups particularly when weaning time comes.
It is in everyones best interest (pups and humans) to get this puppy on a bitch with other pups so it doesnt become a social outcast.

I agree with Bec- the pup is going to be a dog therefore needs a stable bitch and siblings- it can't do any good being brought up by humans like a baby. There is a reason why pups don't go to owners until they're 8 weekish and it's not just because they need feeding- it's socialising etc too.

I learn something new everyday on this site.

Thanks for todays lesson Bec. :D :D :D

Fiona
x x x

Bec, I completely agree unless you are luky enough to have a bitch that will mother any baby puppy. I've been asked to rear a litter by my vet and others on occassion. One lot were 2 weeks old and the mother had completely abandoneded them. To say that even at that age thet were monsters would be mild - they were managing to do real harm to each other. Within 48 hours with my Mama Supreme, they were model puppies. They are now 8, I'm still in contract with them, and nicer dogs you couldn't wish to meet.

I'm not so worried about hand rearing an entire litter as they will still have some sort of social interaction with their siblings. I just think that a single pup reared alone from 8 days old may end up with some problems.

the little one is doing fine lapping up the pedigree chum PUPPY food with lactol and its stools are thickening up now eyes open,friend up every 2-3 hours..but both are doing fine ...thanks again for all your help...

I dont doubt that the puppy will be well cared for but it will suffer as a singleton with no other dogs to relate too. I'm surprised its lapping at such a young age though could it actually be older than you said?

I dont think there is much choice really Bec. Who would put this pup on their bitch not really knowing the true history and it would be take several days to culture any swabs for infection to know for sure it was safe. I think if there are adult dogs about that the pup can be introduced to at an early age I dont see that it needs to be too severely handicapped in the socialisation dept.

Again Bec- I'll just copy you as I completely agree:D :D :D

Stacey x x

I cannot believe the vet put her down with out offering to get the bitch taken into care .She must have told the vet the bitch had eleven puppies What a cow to do that to a litter.

Pat

Just read this sad news, words fail me at the moment.
I do wonder why your friend decided to buy the 8 day old pup though.
I really cannot imagine any vet just putting a newly whelped bitch to
sleep so I also wonder if this isnt fictional.

Do you know the more I am reading this I just cannot understand the lady selling the pups she could not even register them at that age can she. Do you know when my bitch bulldog had her 7 puppies she had a caesarean and was very poorly after we nearly lost her and had to look after the puppies for 4 days before the vet would let her home and that was a nightmare we stayed up the whole time we even had to wind the little pups 6 survived.But for someone to deliberately do this is just unthinkable

Pat x

I can not believe what I am reading!!!
This is awful :(

Sweep :(

there was no k.c papers handed over sold as pet only,saw the little one 2 nights ago my how it has grown my friend has another dog who has took to cleaning and stimulating her for the toilet,so all is going alright so far ...

I'm glad everything's turning out fine for your friend and the pup- as for KC papers- they don't really matter since the pup's a pet only:) I bet it'll be a extra special pet though after all this is over:) Hope things continue as well as they are now;)

Stacey x x x

My god paying £300 for a puppy that might not live, and may not even be purebred. The friend has been most kind to the pup, and the Breeder must be laughing all the way to the bank!

It is a little dog after all, but the person didn't deserve to profit out of selling a pup . Does your friend have a receipt, as I beleive it is ilegal to sell a puppy or kitten under 5 weeks, and under 89 weeks if you are required to be registered under the breeding and sale of dogs welfare bill.

I would report them to Trading Standards and their local authority.

So glad to hear the little one is doing well. Rearing such small orphan pup is not an easy task, what a lucky puppy to have landed in such a caring home. Although luckily I have not had orphaned puppies, last year I had two singletons, who I reared more or less from 2 1/2 weeks as their mums both lost their milk and mothering instincts early - and both have grown up to be well adjusted even though they had little doggy company from 3-12 weeks, til they were old enough to be accepted by the others safely. Neither have odd temperaments, though Bella is more devoted than most - aaahhh. She still sleeps with her "fluffy bunny", which I gave her for company to snuggle up to at night when first seperated from mum.

Any update on this puppy??

Sweep :)