my qustion is how big is your pup ? we got our axel at 8 weeks he is now been 8 months and we had no trouble at all he was a good size and the vet said very health he weighed 2.2 ounces when we got him he is now 5 1/2 lbs so...it could work and be a better situation then he/she is in now...good luck, if it were me I would be getting him!

This is what I was thinking also.

I am curious as to why she is keeping them outside. feeding them poor food, giving shots at 6 weeks?. Even if she is sick, that does not sound reasonable.

also does she not have family or friend that would take the dogs for a few weeks.

Maybe she is just playing on your sympathy and nothing she is saying is true.


I don't mean to sound heartless, just dont understand all that is going on here. a lot of red flags.

I would offer to do this as well. It will get you out of wondering if this lady is pulling your leg, or if this is really happening. Sorry if my post sounds pessimistic, but it wouldn't be the first time a member gets scammed with a sad story like this one. If you can bring these pups in, know that the wonderful knowledgeable breeders will help you care for these babies until they are 12 weeks old. GOOD LUCK!

The risk runs both ways. You really have no idea what you will be bringing in to your home with this dog.

Vaccines work by tricking the immune system in to thinking it has been exposed to the particular disease (I'm sure you know that, but I'm repeating it anyway). The immune system takes time to develop the antibodies, it's not instantaneous. If you were to bring a puppy who was carrying the virus in to your home, your newly vaccinated dogs would still be vulnerable. Even if you were to take the puppy straight to the vet and get it vaccinated immediately, if it's carrying the virus it will still be shed in the feces for a couple of weeks until it's immunity kicks in.

Talk to your vet. See what he recommends. I'm sure there is a way to protect keep all of them safe.

I don't imagine she would be all that receptive to you offering to take the mom and pups for a couple of weeks (after all, she doesn't know you from Adam), but if she's a good breeder I would think she might welcome some help from a rescue while she's too ill to care for them. If not, and the conditions are bad, I would call the ASPCA.

I would hope that she has no plans to further breed any of her dogs while she is ill. It's not fair to the dogs.

My husband said the puppies were indoors but the mom was outdoors when he visited and that the breeder said she keeps the puppies indoors at all times, but the mom went in and out at will. He felt very comfortable with the situation when he was there. He liked the woman andd he liked the way she cared for her dogs. She was not wealthy, but she was thoughtful and obviously cared for her animals.

My husband just said that he is going to go get our puppy as early as possible on Saturday. He said he is willing to take in the mom and other puppies for a few weeks, but he feels that it is highly unlikely that she is going to allow it.

I will call our vet first thing tomorrow morning. He doesn't always return calls right away, but hopefully he will call back by the end of the day tomorrow and I can get his take on all of this.

Thank you so much for your help.

How much does this puppy weigh? I think it would make a difference if it is a healthy weight, and I'm not even sure what that would be at that age. I got Maddie, my oldest yorkie, at 7 1/2 weeks and she did great. She ended up at the 7 pound mark and is 5 years old now. I can't imagine a baby yorkie, or a mother yorkie, having to live outside! That is so sad. They need rescuing for sure!

Almost forgot....Welcome to YT!

I'm sorry, I didn't answer that before. I don't know how much it weighs. My husband said it looked teeny to him.

OK, what is the best food for this situation? I guess I will be mixing the new food with Beneful. Our older dogs get Wysong (and the occasional chicken nugget or macaroni and cheese). I want to be ready. I already picked up some puppy nutri-cal and a baby pool, but there were so many ideas on the food thread that I don't know what to do. What would you feed in this situation?

I called our local pet store and they have a range of the higher quality foods.

I would feed goats milk and baby rice cereal with some canned food or gerber chicken, mixed in 3times a day and leave kibble out at all times. I like royal Canin#30 baby dog kibble

I would do this until it is 10 weeks old. then start to cut back on the amount of the soft food mixture, thereby encouraging it to eat more dry food, and also switch to the #33 for small breed puppies.

That is how I wean my puppies.

Thank you, Jeanie. If you give me the exact recipe, I will follow it. I will check to see about finding that Canin locally. BTW, I think they have been to a vet, since my husband said their tails had been docked.

It's ROYAL CANIN #30. It isn't hard to find and I "think" even Petsmart carries it.

Good luck to you...:)

I think it would be great if you could take the Mom and all the pups, even if it is just for a few weeks, this lady may need the extra rest, and the pups should be with their Momma for a little while longer. You and Hubby sound like you would be excellent "Foster Parents" ;)

While I am absolutely a "newbie" with yorkies, I have read a TON of information on YT over the past few months and this is just screaming "fishy" to me...
1. You were told originally the mom and pups were outside, but then when your husband visited again, he was told they were inside, but the mom goes in and out at will?? Sounds like a corrected lie.
2. A breeder giving shots at 6 weeks, when even I know that at that age they are still protected by mom's antibodies?
3. How does having cancer change where the mom/pups are kept, what food they are feeding, and getting their shots? Financial difficulties - possibly. But is she charging the same for the pups without her typical standard of care?
4. The fact that the tails are docked does NOT guarantee that a vet did it - the breeder could have done it herself.

No matter what, these babies all need to be taken care of properly, including the mom. I think you are doing the right thing to get him as early as possible, but I just hope it's for the reasons you're being told, and not due to a BS'ing breeder looking to rid herself of pups with minimal care. I wish you all the best with your new baby, and I'm sure he'll be better off when he's with you regardless of age. Please keep us posted.

Sorry, I might have written the first one wrong. When my husband visited a few weeks ago, the pups were inside but the mom was allowed to go inside or out. When I talked with her today, she said the pups were outside during the day now.

That really is a cause for concern. I understand the breeder is going through a difficult time in her life. If I were you, I would offer to foster them, so she gets a much needed break. Fighting a strong illness such as cancer must be such a draining experience. If she will not allow you to foster them, suggest a friend or really close family member, as these pups are no where near ready to go home.
But, if she really cared for them, she would not be putting them outside yet, even when breeders follow proper protocol, puppies get their last shot at 16 or 18 weeks old, and they still stay inside for another 2 weeks for full immunity to kick in, meaning puppies are not to go outside until 18-20 weeks of age for fear of being exposed to something they cannot handle.

I am re-qouting something one of our knowledgeable breeders posted. I think this is good information, and maybe you can share this with your breeder.
I might be a bit off with my what I said in my post before this one (I can't edit it now) but I know one thing for sure, 6 week old puppies should not be outside.