puppy without shots

[mtgoat911]

i am buying my son a Chihuahua this coming friday, the dog is 7wks old, $200 without shots, is there any danger bringing the dog around my 11 yr old jack russel, i am worried about my jack getting something from the puppy

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

Hi...sorry I am late to this discussion.  As usual, Ghilly has given some great advice.

I would avoid taking your Chihuahua to the shelter you work at until the puppy gets 2-3 rounds of vaccines completed.  If your shelter is like most, many of the dogs that show up there have unknown vaccine histories and you could be exposing your puppy to some pretty serious diseases.  Likewise, when you get done doing the dog walking at the shelter, I would consider changing clothes and shoes before interacting with your puppy.

With respect to the PetSmart veterinarian, please make sure that the $34 does include a physical examination and not just the vaccines!  At this young age, it is important to make sure the puppy is examined well to find any abnormalities.   I agree that $360 sounds excessive for a first visit at your veterinarian, but you might ask what all that includes (exam, vaccines (which kind), deworming, fecal testing, etc).  Then you could more accurately compare the PetSmart price to your veterinarian's price.

Deworming is also another important aspect of your new puppy's life.  Almost all puppies are born with roundworms and/or hookworms.   These parasites can be spread to you and your family, so please be sure to ask your veterinarian about strategic deworming and how to keep your family safe.

Congratulations!!

[mtgoat911]

yeah thats what i was worried about, i will ask someone up at the shelter about this
i am a dog walker for our local shelter, but all the chi's that they get in cannot goto families with children

[have 2 kids]

I'm very surprised the breeder did not include the 1st round of shots.  It is pretty standard practice for puppies to get vaccinations at 6 wks and also to have had a vet examine the puppies before selling them.    

[mtgoat911]

petco has a vet that will check our new puppy and give shots for $34, but we have to go 3xs so it will be around $125,  our vet was going to charge $360 for the first visit and $80 for the other 2,
hope this info will help dog owners find afforable vet care

[mtgoat911]

thank you, the puppy will be 8wks when i pick him up, i did state that i was going to pick him up next friday
i am a dog walker for our local animal shelter i will talk to them about the puppy
maybe they can take a look at him

[Ghilly]

If your Jack Russell has had his shots, there is a much better chance that the puppy will pick something up along the way.  His immune system has nothing to help it right now since he's no longer getting protection from the antibodies in his mother's milk and he hasn't had shots to help him set up his own immunities to diseases.

Seven weeks is FAR too young for a chihuahua to be leaving its litter, too.  I would be very suspicious of a breeder that would let a puppy go to its new home so young.  Toy breeds should stay with their litters longer than other breeds.  Eight to ten weeks is fine for most breeds, but toy breeds should stay with their litters until their 10th or 12th week.  NO breed should be taken away from its litter before its eighth week since very important socialization skills are learned in the litter during the seventh and eighth week.  The most important one of these is bite inhitibition.  Puppies that leave their litters before this time often have problems with biting and mouthing because they have not learned how to control their jaw strength.  This is something that is best learned from their mother and their littermates.

Ghilly

[ginger899]

Until the pup gets his shots it might be a good idea if you kind of kept him from other dogs. He may be ok, but it's just a safety measure.