Lost my little Gonzo tonight
 

He was almost four months old and we only had him for a month and a half. He was the puppy I always wanted. I thought I was doing the right thing by waiting until I was an established self-sufficient adult. I did a lot of research, found what I thought was a reputable breeder, got pet insurance and bought him the most nutritious food. I suspected a liver shunt within the first two weeks, but at every vet vaccine visit I was told he was fine.

For the last few days he began acting extremely lethargic on and off, so we made him another appointment and took him in right away. He was at the vets for three hours this afternoon gobbling up tasty food and getting some blood work done. Within an hour of taking him home from the vet he went into a coma and died in my arms. My heart is broken and I just want him back. I feel so sad.

Now that he's gone, I've found numerous others who have suffered the same fate. Unfortunately, I went for the "Tiny" or "Teacup" variety of dog thinking it was perfectly normal to just have a small healthy dog. I was so wrong. They are genetically inferior, and it's unfair to the dog to be breeding such small creatures. Yes, they are adorable and make your heart melt, but it's incredibly cruel for so-called "breeders" to be producing these tiny dogs fully knowing they are so incredibly fragile and vulnerable in a natural environment.

I work for a large and widely read newspaper and I feel it is my responsibility to dispell this misconception about teacup pups. My editor will know about this growing trend of tiny designer dogs, because awareness and appropriate publicity is the best way to get the word out fast and possibly prevent people from purchasing these pups.

I hope that the motivation I feel to tell people the truth will make our puppy's death bring some good.

Rest in Peace my sweet little boy.:animal-pa

Im sooo sorry for your loss.... R.I.P. litttle Gonzo..

I think that is sooo great that u will be able to get word out on "designer dogs" non-reputable breeders and puppy mills. Hopefully, your story will inspire others to think twice about purchasing "designer dogs" or "teacups"...

Again, Im soo sorry for your loss...

I am so very sorry about your loss of little Gonzo. Sending deep sympathy....

Please tell this story--too many people are having their hearts broken and losing their dogs. Sorry about Gonzo.

Im so sorry for your loss, but am happy you are telling your story to others.

I am so very sorry for your loss.

i'm so sorry for ur loss

Wow! I'm so sorry to here about your baby

I am so sorry for your loss. R.I.P. baby Gonzo.

Sorry for your loss...are we talking designer dogs as in messing with the natural breeding of two of the same kind of dogs, or mixing breeds as in yorkie and maltease? or just small furbabies that come from two yorkies that are healthy and well bred but have small babies? because their is a difference!!!!

I too am sorry for your loss. Sending prayers to help you through this.

I second this as well. My Yorkies are very healthy and have small babies.

I am so sorry..

I am so sorry for your loss, how heartbreaking for you.
I so want to add that many yorkies, standard to size can and do produce some tiny yorkies. They are not bred to produce but it does happen...

So sorry for your loss!

Sorry for your loss!
Thank you for sharing your story with the public. True some healthy dogs have small puppy's, but also true that some "breeders" selectively breed to create, as you said "teacups". I wish everyone knew the possible hazards of tiny dogs.

I am so sorry for your loss.

I, too, work for a newspaper and if you want to send me what you write I might be able to get it into our paper as well to help spread the word further.

Again I am so sorry for your loss. RIP Gonzo sweet baby :(

so sorry to hear your sad news..what a terrible shock for you. Take care of yourself,. sending hugs your way.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I truely believe Yorkies should be over 4 lbs full grown to make sure they are healthy. Too many little ones have problems. There are some that are OK but why take a chance on a broken heart. Everyone need to be aware of the down side to the tiny ones. I hope you can make a difference.

Sending prayers and hugs for you for your loss of Gonzo. Nothing can compare with the loss of a little love. I hope you are able to get your message out through your newspaper, so others will be aware of how fragile the tiny designer dogs are. Every time I read a post about the sadness of losing a tiny baby here, I am so grateful that my Baxter turned out to be a 9 lb teapot.
Again prayers and big Hugs to you

So sorry
 

I am so sorry for your loss I lost my little Theo the same way about 6 months ago. Theo was a year and 3 months. My heart still aches for him and I will never forget this pain. BUt Liver shunts are also prevelant in regular sized yorkies, but it is still the fault of the breeder. I wish you well.

First of all I want to say I'm sorry your heart is breaking.:unlove: Your little man is now waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for you.

Second, I really think the story is about the breeder that let this tiny puppy go home at 9-10 weeks old! I have had dams that still let their puppies nurse until over 12 weeks and if they want to I let them. Weaning is the hardest time for a breeder and the one you bought from handed that responsibility off to you and your Gonzo suffered the consequences. It would be during the weaning transition a reputable breeder would see symptoms of problems or at the very least allow them to get big enough for their little systems to be able to eat puppy food. If you focus on the size issue, you do a disservice to those healthy little yorkies that have no physical illnesses due to their size and the breeders that keep them until they are really ready to go. I have a 5 1/2 month old that is 2.9 lbs and very healthy. Her sire is 3.5 lbs, 10 1/2 yrs old and still excited and energetic to sire puppies. You wouldn't know he was older by how he acts and someone picked him up the other day and said wow, how much does this one weigh? 5 lbs? He's a solid little dog (the one in my avatar) and I describe his build like a tonka truck. The little girl I was just talking about has not had one problem but I've kept her longer to make sure of that.
I am sure your heart is hurting and you want to lash out and bring justice and meaning to your loss but please take a moment to step back and see the whole picture.
Sorry this is so long.

here is a lil tribute I made to my lil boy

In Memory of Theodore by Cheryl

I'm so sorry.... my Oliver is only 3.2 lbs , he was the "runt" and I knew the consequences...I didn't believe he'd only be 3 lbs...I was fortunate that he is a healthy guy.

I'm so sorry you are going through this.....:cry:

Very sorry for your loss. May your precious Gonzo rest in peace.

sorry for your loss

I'm so sorry for your Lost .. R.I.P Gonzo

Oh I am so heartbroken. I am truly sorry for your loss of little Gonzo. Even having him the short time you did, I know you were already in love with him. They seem to touch our hearts like that. May God watch over you in this difficult time. Darlene

I am so terribly sorry for your loss. RIP little guy...

I am so so very very sorry for your loss, what a beautiful little boy, I was crying when I saw your tribute to him, I can see how much you love him. You will forever, I know it hurts right now, and it seems it will never ever get easier, but it does, little by little bit by bit.

I am so sorry, we are all here to support you.