Re: Finlay's home I always feel for little puppies, we take them away from a carefree life with their siblings to a strange place. I know they quickly adjust but it must be a major change for them. They are just dear little souls
Re: Finlay's home He's gorgeous. Makes me remember when meg was that age. I love puppies. They grow so quickly but then they really come into their own. I love dogs especially labs. Welcome from me and megs yellow lab 14.
Re: Finlay's home Update and not good news After only six days at home, we were very concerned that he just wasn't eating properly. No option but to go against received wisdom and tried different foods to no avail. Finlay was losing weight rather than gaining any. A trip to the vet confirmed our worst fears, he had a dietary imbalance that correcting now, while probably successful, left a chance that it may not. Even if he got back to normal he would always remain a small dog. Phone calls to the breeder who, very responsibly, agreed to take him back. (Finlay was destined to be a working trials / gun dog) That was a tough and emotional decision but head won over heart and we returned him. So much emotional investment goes into a new puppy doesn't it; the excitement of pre-puppy, the reading everything you can get your hands on, the choosing of names, the excitement of buying of all that 'stuff' that goes with nw puppies, then it all goes horribly wrong. Not an experience I'd ever want to go through again. But s** happens as they say so we're going to wait a week or so and start all over again in the search for our 'perfect' little man.
Re: Finlay's home What tests did the vet do? Just wondering as my neighbour had the same thing and it took a few weeks for him to settle on a food that agreed with him.
Re: Finlay's home I'm confused about this, couldn't the imbalance be controlled with a good diet and does it really matter if Finlay would be on the small side and does that make a difference if you were going to use him as a working trials/gundog?
Re: Finlay's home So sorry to hear this. I guess you didn't make this decision lightly, and imagine you were advised by the vet regarding this decision too. It does sound a bit strange, but you must have done what was right for you.. I wish you luck in your search.
Re: Finlay's home [quote author=charlie link=topic=5555.msg71969#msg71969 date=1398802438] I'm confused about this, couldn't the imbalance be controlled with a good diet and does it really matter if Finlay would be on the small side and does that make a difference if you were going to use him as a working trials/gundog? [/quote] The short answer is 'perhaps' - it could be masking something more serious and only time would reveal that when the pup would be around six months old. 'On the small side' was being diplomatic, skeletal deformity would be a more accurate description. So no confusion in either my mind, the vets mind or the breeder. Doesn't make the decision any easier though.
Re: Finlay's home I'm really sorry to hear this - must have been very painful decision for you. Heartbreaking, I'm sure. Warm wishes to you and your family. I think the questions are because it sounds so unusual - not something we've heard before. What was behind this in order to be concerned that a skeletal deformity was a possibility because a pup wasn't eating in its first few days at home? Were there other signs? It might help others to know of your experience.
Re: Finlay's home Oh poor little Finlay, I am sorry you have had to make this decision :'( I wonder if the entire litter will be affected and what will happen to the puppies Thank you for explaining it sounds very serious. Again I am so sorry you are having to deal with this but all you can do is take the advise of your vet :'(
Re: Finlay's home I'm not entirely sure as to how rare this is, the puppy was noticeably smaller / thinner than its litter mates but we all put this down to nature rather than an underlying cause. The next six days exacerbated the real problem, over developed knuckles on the front legs relative to his overall size, nodules on the rib cage and an elongated upper thigh were the main signs. I stress this could all be taken care of (possibly and in fact probably) by fiddling with his diet and getting additional calcium in him. This could either be short term or long term, a this stage one couldn't tell. The real worry was that some irreparable bone development had already taken place and the long term prognosis was indeterminate - however unlikely that may be. I've never come across it either. It caused us a lot of distress. To answer the last post, this condition isn't hereditary, all the other pups in the litter are absolutely fine and developing just as you'd expect. It was just Finlay's bad luck. The pup came from a highly regarded breeder and the blood line is absolutely sound.
