Should I be concerned?

[FxE]

Hello! So i've wanted a Yorkshire Terrier all of my life and am finally getting one!!! Now i just have a few concerns. A co-worker of mine told me to be very careful with the puppy that i purchase and to make sure he is not from a puppy mill. I've actually met the puppy in person. He has one sister and both the sire and dam are on site. They are in the care of a retired woman. It seemed fine when i went to go see the puppy although it was a little freaky because she lives in a secluded area with no other houses around.
Anyways, the puppy was originally listed for $600 and after i talked to her, she was willing to bring the price down to $400. (Just to clarify, i am able to easily afford the puppy at full price but i am also a student and every little bit helps. Also, yes, i am fully aware of all the costs a puppy brings along - vet costs, shots, food, puppy accessories such as toys, crate, etc. and am fully able to comfortably afford the costs). So my co-worker said to me that if the woman brought the price down, she must own a puppy mill and that breeders or any responsible pet owners never bring the price of a puppy down. :S
The puppy recieved his first vaccination and got de-wormed. He will be coming with one bag of the food he is currently on which is Nutrience Junior puppy food (good/bad?). When i was viewing ad's before i came across the one for my puppy, i noticed that most people were offering written health guarantees of either one or two years for their puppies. The guarantees were for either genetic or congenital (sp?) diseases. Is it bad if the woman i am purchasing my puppy from isn't offering a guarantee? In the last e-mail she sent me, she informed me that smaller breeds of dogs can become hypoglycemic if they don't eat enough and if it happens and the puppy goes into a coma (!!!!!!!!!!) that i should put corn syrup and water in a eye dropper and feed if to him. She said that they usually ourgrow this problem at about 3 months of age. When i first read this, i just thought she was trying to keep me as informed as possible about everything. Although i thought this, when my friend read it, she told me to be careful and said that she may just be throwing it out there because she's had this problem with previous litters or with the parents and that she was just safeguarding herself. (Opinions)
Also, there is just one more thing i was concerned about. Should it matter if the parents of the puppy are not registered and therefore she does not have a pedigree?
Sorry for all of the questions! I know this is super long but i just wanted to make an informed decision and not do something i will regret later on. I really, REALLY want this puppy but i don't want that to bias my views on anything and i don't want to overlook problems that can occur in the future just because i've always wanted this breed of dog.
Please help me out! Thank you!

[heatherm0890]

they dont have to be registred but i would demand a health guarantee! i got my baby and the very first day she was diagnosed with kennel cough but i had my health guarantee,maybe shes just nice for lowering the price considering your a student,but did she use terms such as he is in sale or she was running a special?thats a red flag,also watch for terms such as teacup becasue there is no such thing.i would make sure i had a health guarantee esp since the price is lower...something could be wrong...

[FxE]

Well she didn't use any terms such as he's on sale or anything. After we talked for a bit, she told me that she could relate to wanting something so badly but not having the funds to afford it. She said if she could ensure that he would go to a good home, she would be willing to give him to me for $400. After a few more e-mails, she said that she could tell that i would provide a caring and safe environment for the puppy and that he was mine if i wanted. She told me that he would probably mature to be around 6lbs so he is definitely not a "teacup" (i know they don't exist, but just using the term people use!)
Thanks for your input though! Do you know how i would go about getting a health guarantee? Like, is it just something i write out on my own and we both sign or is there a specific form...? Sorry! I'm not too familiar with all of this as he would be my first puppy!

[PrincessDiana]

It kind of just depends on what you're looking for in a breeder. A good breeder breeds only registered, to standard dogs. The most reputable (and in my eyes, the only important one) registry is AKC. Also, any breeder worth buying from would offer a health guarantee. 3 weeks after I got Franklin (from a bad breeder), he get sick with parvo and had to spend a week in the hospital. We didn't have a health guarantee and so we were stuck with the $1600 bill.

The breeder warning you about hypoglycemia is completely normal and lowering the price is also not necessarily a bad sign.

Do some research on breeders here at YT.. read the stickies at the top of every forum and they should point you in the right direction. I must warn you though, most reputable breeders do extensive testing on the parents to ensure a healthy pup. They also put lots of money into the care of the mother/puppies. This means that the puppies you find may cost a little more than $600. The average, I would say, is around $1000. Just because a breeder charges a lot, however, does not mean they are a good breeder. It's tough! Just ask us any questions you have and we will help you out as best we can. Good luck!

[FxE]

Hm..i don't know if my other post came up or not because i posted it about two hours ago and it's still not here.


Anyways, i was basically just wondering how i'd go about getting the health guarantee? Like is it just a paper that is signed by the both of us or is there a specific form i have to print out...? Sorry, this is my first puppy so i haven't encountered anything like this! Thanks again

[FxE]

Just one more thing. The woman said that she's got the puppy eating Nutrience Junior puppy food. Is this supposed to be a healthy brand for puppy food? She said she would also give me a bag when i take him home. If you guys could let me know your experiences with it and whether it is a high quality food, i'd really appreciate it. I want to make an informed decision and i need all of your help for that! Thanks a lot!

[LilMissy]

Here is a review of Nutrience Junior Puppy...

Dog Food Reviews - Nutrience Junior Puppy small breed - Powered by ReviewPost

That site has alot of useful information on dogfood.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by PrincessDiana

It kind of just depends on what you're looking for in a breeder. A good breeder breeds only registered, to standard dogs. The most reputable (and in my eyes, the only important one) registry is AKC. Also, any breeder worth buying from would offer a health guarantee. 3 weeks after I got Franklin (from a bad breeder), he get sick with parvo and had to spend a week in the hospital. We didn't have a health guarantee and so we were stuck with the $1600 bill.

The breeder warning you about hypoglycemia is completely normal and lowering the price is also not necessarily a bad sign.

Do some research on breeders here at YT.. read the stickies at the top of every forum and they should point you in the right direction. I must warn you though, most reputable breeders do extensive testing on the parents to ensure a healthy pup. They also put lots of money into the care of the mother/puppies. This means that the puppies you find may cost a little more than $600. The average, I would say, is around $1000. Just because a breeder charges a lot, however, does not mean they are a good breeder. It's tough! Just ask us any questions you have and we will help you out as best we can. Good luck!

I agree.

That wouldn't be my first food choice.

I think the breeder probably cares for her dogs very much since she is more concerned about a good home than money, but she probably isn't doing health testing and if the pups aren't registered, she may not be breeding to the standard. I suppose it depends on if you want to take the risk of something going wrong and all the bills being on you.

A health guarantee isn't something the buyer does.
The breeder writes it up.

"All" breeders of toy breeds should warn new owners of the possibility of hypoglycemia. This along with socialization with litter mates and mother issues is why Yorkies should stay with their mom til 12 weeks.

Personally, unless I was rescueing a Yorkie, I would most likely not get one if the parents haven't had blood panels, bile acids testing for liver function and at least a physical exam for luxating patella.

If the parents haven't been cleared of liver shunt and MVD (through a bile acids test) and the lines aren't clear for the last ten generations, the pup is more likely to have an issue with it. Diagnosis could be anywhere from about $150 to over $1000 and if surgery is required, that is over $1000 at the cheapest place. Then supplements for life if that is necessary will be anywhere from $50 to over $400 a year.

[heatherm0890]

your other post did come up,she seems like a nice lady that cares about her dogs and she seems very honest about important things like hypoglycemia, but i would be concerned about the health aspect,ask her if she would be willing to work some kind of health contract out for you and see what she says

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I agree.

That wouldn't be my first food choice.

I think the breeder probably cares for her dogs very much since she is more concerned about a good home than money, but she probably isn't doing health testing and if the pups aren't registered, she may not be breeding to the standard. I suppose it depends on if you want to take the risk of something going wrong and all the bills being on you.

A health guarantee isn't something the buyer does.
The breeder writes it up.

"All" breeders of toy breeds should warn new owners of the possibility of hypoglycemia. This along with socialization with litter mates and mother issues is why Yorkies should stay with their mom til 12 weeks.

Personally, unless I was rescueing a Yorkie, I would most likely not get one if the parents haven't had blood panels, bile acids testing for liver function and at least a physical exam for luxating patella.

If the parents haven't been cleared of liver shunt and MVD (through a bile acids test) and the lines aren't clear for the last ten generations, the pup is more likely to have an issue with it. Diagnosis could be anywhere from about $150 to over $1000 and if surgery is required, that is over $1000 at the cheapest place. Then supplements for life if that is necessary will be anywhere from $50 to over $400 a year.

"Bargain" puppies can cost much, much more over their lifetime than a puppy from a reputable breeder who breeds to the standard and health tests. I would definitely advise you to wait and save up a little more money instead of getting a puppy from this breeder.

Did you know that Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined? And that the Orthopedic Foundation of America ranks Yorkie's #4 in cases of luxating patellas? Surgery for both these conditions runs into the thousands of dollars. If your breeder doesn't screen for these and other genetic conditions, you are playing Russian Roulette with your puppy's future health.

Also, if a breeder isn't carefully breeding to the standard, you may end up with an adult dog that doesn't look much like a Yorkie is supposed to.

[BamaFan121s]

She was being very honest when advising you regarding hypoglaucemia. Being smaller dogs, Yorkies are very prone to it, particularly when they are younger and adjusting to a new environment.

However, a health guarantee is a MUST. I would not even consider a dog that didn't come with one that was iron clad.

[iSylar]

If you are getting a pup from a breeder I think that should require a health guarantee. The only exception I see is if you're adopting.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

She was being very honest when advising you regarding hypoglaucemia. Being smaller dogs, Yorkies are very prone to it, particularly when they are younger and adjusting to a new environment.

However, a health guarantee is a MUST. I would not even consider a dog that didn't come with one that was iron clad.

Health guarantees usually just promise you a replacement if your puppy gets sick or has a genetic condition. It would be heartbreaking to have to return one puppy for another. Besides, if the problem were hereditary like a liver shunt, you wouldn't want to take a chance on a puppy from the same breeder.

It's much wiser to get a puppy from a breeder who health tests and does genetic screening so you have an excellent chance of getting a healthy puppy to begin with.

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Health guarantees usually just promise you a replacement if your puppy gets sick or has a genetic condition. It would be heartbreaking to have to return one puppy for another. Besides, if the problem were hereditary like a liver shunt, you wouldn't want to take a chance on a puppy from the same breeder.

It's much wiser to get a puppy from a breeder who health tests and does genetic screening so you have an excellent chance of getting a healthy puppy to begin with.

Agreed...I guess I should have specified more regarding what a guarantee should include.

[Alexi]

I am not very educated on Yorkies, I have only had mine since the 1st of November, mine has a pedigree, and now that I have one with a pedigree I really dont see why I would need one, I am not going to show her or breed her or anything, I just want to love her!!!! She is healthy as can be too. She does have LP a little bit, which I told my breeder and she checked her sister and thinks she may have it as well and is going to take her in to get her checked out. She was very upset to learn this from me.

So I guess my point is that it depends on your plans with your puppy!

I got my other two animals from the pound when they were a few months old (6 year old Border Collie/Lab and 7 Year old cat) they both came from bad homes with way to many animals not being taken care of and we have had no health problems etc.... so this lady might just love the puppies and want to let others be able to afford them, who knows. I actually thought that might have been a possibility for me and my little girl but as I thought about it more I couldn't handle my puppy possibly not making it through birth and loosing a little new born puppy, NO WAY! I would cry for days! So I leave it up to the others who can handle that kind of stuff.

So if you love the dog and he is being cared for in a good home and she is concerned about him going to a good place I would say it should be ok. Maybe ask her to put some kind of health cert. in writing so that you can have her help if something major comes up. Personally, I think you can't guarantee on any animal if its going to be ok, its like getting a husband or having your kids and saying wait this one has asthma can I put her back!

This is just my 2 cents, may not mean much and thats ok, but you asked for opinions!

Best luck with your new pup wherever he/she may come from!