Just a small vent and what I'm seeing in the breeding community..

[frederic12]

I have been a breeder for a long time. We are currently whelping this evening. In the FB communities I belong to I keep seeing a lot of "the puppy went home and they called me and said they got Parvo." "The puppies are 6 weeks old and not walking. I was told at the vet today they all have swimmers feet/water babies and to put them to sleep" "I saw blood in their stool. All the puppies tested positive for Distemper". And on and on the posts go. Now I don't know if it's a coincidence... But I also see a lot of people recommending to give shots themselves. If you're not a breeder please understand there's more to first shots for puppies than just the injections. Gives the vet a chance to go over the puppies check them for deformities. To discuss the issues you're having at home, for ex diarrhea. It also gives them a chance to fecal test for worms and parasites to make sure that the warming that took place actually worked. Of course they check their eyes and nose and little tiny toes. Am I able to give a vaccine to my dogs? My best friend who I live with is a 30-year PICU & ECMO Respatory Therapist and my husband is a former firefighter paramedic. Not only can I give shots, I can run central lines if needed. But I don't. Most of these feed stores that do carry vaccinations do not store them correctly. I have seen multiple times where the product is expired. Also this is in the US, vets do not accept home vaccinations most times. Which means you end up having to give all the shots over again. But I feel like the big push for new breeders to do home shots and taking other short cuts that are unreliable, are leading to the stories like I listed. This person tonight posted "The vet told me $1300 for 13 puppies and I can't afford that". Now 1) The shots should be calculated into the cost of the puppy. 2) An ethical & responsible breeder will have money set aside for emergencies & to pay for these in advance. (I'm not referring to oops breedings, I referring to deliberate breedings). Because I look at it like this, if you didn't have the money for 13 puppies to get shots, what would you have done if your dog needed an emergency C-section that would have cost between $3500-4000? I am very pro-vet. I could absolutely not do what I do without them. I show them the love every litter when I bring them 3 doz doughnuts and a box of coffee. I bring them swag such as great pens, martingale leashes, hats, etc. My vet is a breeder of Yorkies and an AKC Judge. He helps me in so many ways. I just get so angry when I see these posts. To me, not taking your dogs/puppies to the vet in order to put more money in your pocket is BYB stuff. It is a red flag for me and should be for most buyers.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@frederic12 I wholeheartedly agree with everything you’ve said. People don’t seem to understand that ethical breeding is an expensive hobby and that expecting to make money is how serious issues arise.

 

[frederic12]

@imagebeastmarkbeast One person said "I can take them to my vet, but I choose to vaccinate at home. I don't do it to save the money...". There is no logical other reason to do it. It saddens me to see these babies die, needlessly. People say 'My puppies got Parvo from the vet". To which I say if your vets office is dirty and unsanitary, find a new vet. I think it's BS and they are only looking for an excuse. My dogs have never caught or gotten anything from my vet and I've keep them there for treatment for days. I think buying your own vaccinations should require a USDA License number, honestly.

 

[gideondavid40]

@frederic12 I do agree with what your saying. But I just wanted to comment the other side of it. Most people are dodgy and do that to save money. However some breeders do it because the vets office isn't always the safest place for puppies. I've known other breeders who took their pups into the vet for vaccinations only to get parvo or distemper among other things from being at the office. Sometimes it's safer to get the vet to come out and if they can't then home vaccination. Especially when there's local outbreaks. Seen pups that were healthy die after being in a vets office, awful. Just another side to it, but being dodgy for the sake of money is wrong, for sure.