My poor baby :(
 

I got a little yorkie puppy off of craigslist. The woman said it was her grandmother's yorkie that had the pup and they couldn't keep her. She told me she was 7 weeks (I know still too young to leave the mother, but she said was going to rehome her to someone else if I didn't take her, and I fell in love and wanted to be sure she saw a vet and was taken care of). I have a little "saving complex" when it comes to animals, which is why I don't generally go on craigslist or go into rescues. Of course, there was a rehome fee, which I'm fine with, because I know people want to make sure their pets go to good homes.
So I bring her home last night, and plan to take her to the vet ASAP for a well check, which I do for any new animals.
She was a bit wobbly, so the vet said I could bring her in immediately to check for hypoglycemia and make sure she's healthy.
Vet comes in and tells me this pup is only 3-4 weeks old!!!!! :mad:
I was so mad I started crying. I can't believe someone would take such a little pup away from her mother. Of course, the girl I got her from isn't answering her phone or texts. :mad:

The good news, is that the vet says she IS healthy. She checked her out and said she's not hypoglycemic and looks good overall. She gave me some tips on how to take care of such a young baby.
I was so mad I was shaking. The vet said this is still probably best for little Cherry, since she surely would have gotten sick or died if she'd been left with her owners. They probably wouldn't have taken care of her at all. This must be some scam they pull for money :thumbdown

Anyway, here is a picture of her. Vet says she doesn't think she's a full yorkie either, so I'm curious as to how she will turn out as she grows. She's currently 1 lb 10 oz.

What a sweetie. Good luck with her. I'm sure she will be fine now that you know how young she is and will care for her accordingly. Poor little angel. People who do what that "owner" did should be put in jail. Horrible person. Well now your little girl has a good home with someone who cares for her. She rather looks Yorkie but it's hard to tell. As she gets older you will know better what breed she is. :)

So much of this makes my skin crawl...Firstly, you already knew the pup was too young and you admit that, why did you buy it? Unknowing and knowingly are two very different things.

Second off 3-4 weeks old? That pup is not healthy YET....it is too soon to tell many things about this pup so far and for your vet to tell you she is healthy and not hypoglycemic is ridiculous, I strongly suggest you find another vet.

This pup can NOT be left alone at all for the next 6-8 weeks, you need to monitor her for hypoglycemia and other abnormalities that may occur.

What are you feeding her? Surely this pup needs to be on a very special diet?

I wish you much luck with this pup, please prepare yourself for every event that can happen, have money ready for emergencies, should one arise and make sure you keep your eyes on her at all times.

I took her because I knew that she was going to go to someone else at the that age. Someone who may not have the money for vet visits and/or the time to care for her.



I agree. Makes me so sad. I adopted a puppy from our local animal control that had distemper and it was rough. We took so many emergency trips to the vet in her first couple months with us. I am so worried that little Cherry will be a repeat of emergency care. I hope that's not the case!
Thanks <3

+1,000,000,000

cherry - Since I've seen no stated reason (so far) as to why someone would have enough information about you to believe you are not telling the truth, I wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know someone IS accepting what you say - that the pup would have probably come to harm had you not intervened and taken him. Do you mind sharing what the seller said was the reason as to why she was intending to separate the pup from it's mother at the age you originally thought it was?

Also didn't want you to think that someone might be picking on your use of the word "healthy". Did you mean that the vet thought the pup appeared to be on schedule developmentally and presented as being without frank (easily observable) disease? Or do you mean something else? Also, did the vet explain to you that while the pup may not have been hypoglycemic at that very moment, it IS at risk for becoming so very quickly - a potentially very scary situation?

Thank you.
No idea why she was separating her early, though I did know she was going somewhere else if I didn't take her.
The vet said she was healthy and looked good for her age (checked her blood sugar, and everything else), and did tell me that she could become hypoglycemic, which I did already know (it was the reason I rushed her in to the vet's in the first place). She didn't imply that nothing would go wrong. In fact, just the opposite, and I'm watching her like a hawk.
She's actually doing pretty well right now. She's pooping and peeing, and when she's awake she's alert. There is also an emergency vet very close to my house if needed.

Sigh. I'm not going to address any other post but yours so I'm not accused of anything. So here goes...

Knowing she was 7 weeks (which IS all you knew) and knowing YOU, as you can't know strangers...you did what you thought best...ensured the pup went to someone who cared AND would ensure vet care. GOOD FOR YOU!

Now, remember, no matter if this pup is 3 weeks or 7 weeks, she is now your puppy to nurse, protect, wean eventually, and teach socialization issues such as how to play and not bite too hard, etc.

Monitor this baby 24/7. If you can't...if for any reason this baby can't have a "mom" watching her constantly...see if the vet can or better yet...see if your vet knows a breeder in your area. That could be a Godsend. But never leave your baby alone at this age ok?

You can do this...you obviously care enough TO do it. You'll lose sleep and have virtually no time for "life" so accept that and do it.

My best advice? Reach out to some breeders here in the breeders section and ask for feeding and care advice.

Not all situations are the same and not everything is black and white. Personally, I would have tried to save this baby, too. And that's all I've got to say about that.

Prayers & good luck! :)

ETA...yak - :thumbup:

Definitely. Thanks :)
She absolutely won't be left alone.

That's a great idea. It would be awesome if the breeder had a litter and let your little one join in for a few weeks so that it could get what it needs from a mom and litter-mates.

If it were me, I would be contacting animal control in the area and letting them know what happened. I highly doubt this was a one time/one pup thing. The chances are this person is scamming other people in the area with the same story. Those dogs might not be as lucky and might not end up with someone who has either the ability or knowledge to care for such a small and fragile dog. It's a potential tragedy waiting to happen.

And its illegal to sell pups that young in most states/counties. You certainly have some recourse and could call Animal Control and/or the SPCA...for the sake of any pups she has left and any she may have in the future, I implore you to please report the seller from Craigslist.

I was thinking about this post last night. I agree with contacting animal control, SPCA or the police. This should not happen. I put myself in your position and I THINK I would have walked away but would have cried for the next three days.

I stand by every word I said. OP said she KNEW the pup was too young and yet she decided to buy it.....the rest of my response Is in response to her words, she has clarified her words and they are accepted.

I strongly advocate AGAINST THE PURCHASE OF ANIMALS FROM BYB'S, CRAIGSLIST, PETSTORES, PUPPYMILLS AND BROKERS....Purchasing these pups from these people perpetuates the problem across the board and as long as people knowingly purchase from them THEY WILL KEEP PRODUCING AND SELLING PUPS LIKE THIS ONE....

With that said, I am glad that at least the pup is in good hands but again I strongly urge the OP to contact the authorities this Craigslist seller is promoting and dealing in an illegal business.

OP if you want I would be happy to handle the situation for you and you could pm me the name and address of said breeder and I assure you I could contact the proper authorities.

Also OP, I am glad you found YT and I hope that you stick around, there is a ton of information, help and support here for you and your pup.

Also, I see Yorkie but definitely something else not quite sure what but those black and tan Chis with round heads came to my mind, it will be interesting to see how she looks when a little older!

Good Luck!

I have a friend who works at SPCA and I'm discussing the situation with her.

And an update on her today. She has a lot more energy than she did yesterday. She's eating very well, peeing, and pooping. She's still sleeping a lot but when she's awake she's very alert and is even playing. If she continues to do well, I'll be taking her back to the vet later this week so she can get another check up.

You have the puppy and thank God you can handle the vetting. I would definitely be concerned about hypoglycemia .. please do start a thread in the breeders forum about feeding a puppy this young. Your vet did not give you any ideas of what to feed and how often?

As for reporting this woman, this is Texas, and I have little faith that anything will be done; but yes, you should try. What I believe would be a great idea is to flag this woman's CL posts from here on out. YTers would love to help with that. :)

Good luck with this puppy...she is very cute. Look forward to seeing her as she grows up. :)

I have reported worse than this situation to the SPCA and gotten NO WHERE. I stopped donating to them because of it. All I ever hear is how they need first hand evidence...same stuff. And one I reported in Dallas....I had a LOT of evidence for...they actually called the person and made an appointment!!! :(

Maybe since you know someone you will get something done, but I would be mighty surprised..pleasantly if they could shut this woman down from doing this.

Best of luck to you this little darling is in loving hands and I am sure she will be just fine but you are going to be one busy mommy for a while please keep us updated

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Best of luck to you! Knowing my heart I would have done the same thing. I truly wish there were a way to shut these kind of people down before pups are born. Once they are here it's too late..they are precious little living creatures that need love and care.