PUPS AT THE VETERINARIAN'S

by Robert Jay Russell, Ph.D.,

Pups of any breed should always be taken to a veterinarian prior to your purchase and in fact, they should see several vets several times before they are finally a part of your household. My own breeding program has a policy of taking pups to the vets at intervals starting at 6 weeks of age, then again at 9-10 weeks of age. On both these occasions the pups undergo an intensive, extensive health examination and the results are recorded and presented to their future owners. At both visits, the veterinarian gives the pups vaccinations.

Within a few days after the new, forever families take delivery of a puppy, they should (we require it in their ownership contract) take their new pup to their own veterinarian who, armed with the previous health reports, will conduct his/her own examination.

Thus, by the time your pup is about 14 weeks old, he will have been seen by at least two different veterinarians on three separate occasions, and three written reports on his examinations covering a multitude of inspection areas will be a permanent part of his life's health records.

I find it reprehensible that some breeders (many, actually) give all their own puppy vaccinations and do NOT take their pups to a veterinarian prior to delivery. The fact that your pup will not have a comprehensive veterinary examination prior to delivery should be a gigantic red flag telling you "DO NOT BUY" from that breeder. Pet shops, acquiring dogs from puppy mills, often write the name of a veterinarian on the pup's cage, but this is usually bogus. That is the vet who, if the pup is near death, may see the puppy or it is the vet who "signs off" as having "inspected" the hundreds and hundreds of dogs and pups on the farm where the pup originated. In some cases that name on the sign might as well be "Doctor Strangelove." Even if the name is that of an actual DVM, a puppy mill vet does little more than sign shipping papers and act as a purchasing agent for agricultural drugs/vaccinations given by the breeders themselves.

How can you protect yourself from fraud? Of course there are many, many ways to get scammed by the pet industry, but you need not accept potential lies about your pup's health examination and vaccination status. Before you take delivery, call the veterinarian yourself and check that your pup was seen by him or her. Ask what examination was performed. If the breeder or pet store clerk will not give you the information you'll need to call the pup's vet, WALK AWAY FROM THE PURCHASE with all haste. Do not be beguiled by the pup's plight in its cage. If you buy him, you will only be encouraging the seller to stock more like him after you leave.

There is so much fraud, deception and scamming that occurs in the pet industry it's a wonder that so many dogs actually survive more than a few years (many don't). In this game, you are NOT buying a fabled unicorn (no matter how cute the puppy), and you are more apt than not to be gypped.
Many dogs sold by supposedly high-born breeders as pure bred Cotons are not. So take reasonable steps to protect yourself and your family from heartache. By doing so you will be helping us all STOP ANIMAL ABUSE and helping to preserve and protect individual dogs and entire dog breeds.
Vigilance benefits everyone!