Quote:
Originally Posted by Ares55  Hi everyone, thank you for all your replies.
After a couple months of searching and having no luck with breeders we finally found a breeder that had dogs in Las Vegas and I inquired about them. I fell in love with a cute little girl that I thought was perfect and she was only $3,700, but the breeder let it slip to my boyfriend that she would be 3.5-4 lbs and he didn't want to buy a dog that size.
The breeder mentioned his family in Korea (this is where my bf's last pup was from) would have smaller pups and he managed to find a teeny tiny girl for us. We Skyped with the Korean breeder twice and looked at the conditions there, and they were surprisingly immaculate. We Skyped with the puppy as well and got to see her run around to make sure she was healthy. We ended up buying her (she was $5,800) and she is set to be shipped out in three weeks around April 15th.
Here is my concern, please help if you have any experience with this. I am afraid of shipping a pup this small alone from Korea and would prefer to fly out and bring her back myself but my boyfriend feels it would be dangerous for me to go. The breeder told us this puppy was "around two months old," but to me she looks younger. This worries me because the flight is around 10-11 hours and if she doesn't eat she will have blood sugar problems. I am not an expert at aging pups but something tells me she looks more like 5-6 weeks, and if thats the case I don't want her shipped until she's about 12 weeks old.
Can anyone give an educated guess to how old she is?
Also, we have decided to get her a friend to grow up with but this time it's my choice on which dog we get. I'm looking for another yorkie, boy or girl, but one located in the United States and still small but around 3-5 pounds. |
If you're totally set on getting this Korean puppy and feel you have covered *every* single, solitary base you can to somehow get an idea as to the nature of this breeder, and then still feel it's the right decision in all aspects.....
....then, what I'd advise is that you hire a pet courier to pick up this tiny little, living, precious, vulnerable being; it's the right thing to do here. Shipping this pup via cargo is *NOT* a good decision for this little puppy in any way, shape, or form. Please, animal lover-to-animal lover, don't do that
. I feel like if you are willing to pay that much for an animal, then you should be willing to pay more to make that animal safe.
I would ask that breeder, via Skype, and without warning - to see the parents, or more of the facility, or whatever else you think would be valuable in any way.
As far as age - she could very well be about 8 wks if she is truly a tiny one.
Just please be careful, cognizant/aware, mindful of what you could be supporting, in the big picture of things. I really cannot say whether or not there are "ethical" breeders doing this kind of thing...? Most would say no, bc of what's being marketed here, as a...commodity. Every action has consequences we can't even see....but would maybe break you if you did. Ya know what I mean? Tread carefully.
I do think, though, that it's very possible to have a dog this size who is perfectly healthy, just smaller. Size does not define health. I do wish you and this puppy the best of luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lovetodream88 Im pretty sure that puppy has hydrocephalus. I wouldn't get that pup let alone ship it by itself. |
I don't think that's necessarily true, but I could see where part of you might think that initially due to wider-spaced eyes like this. But the tiny ones (my Marcel included, who is 4.5lbs, but seems almost tinier for some reason...?) can look *exactly* like this as healthy puppies.
The clinical gal in you will like this stuff too - remember Jrsygal's (Elaine) "Jersey" - who had hydro, but looked just like any other yorkie,
here.
Also, a Dx of hydro can't be done without the clinical signs (Clinical signs are similar to those of congenital hydrocephalus and include changes in behavior or training, circling, head pressing (a term used for pressing of the head up against a wall or other structure), listlessness, loss of vision, pacing, restlessness, and seizures. - from VCA Hospitals) -- and U/S, CT, MRI, and EEGs also can be done.