Note to New Puppy Buyers

When a puppy leaves their first home, it is a traumatic experience for them. You can’t explain to a puppy that they are leaving their mom and littermates, so changing homes comes is a complete surprise. Life as they know it is NOT the same and it will take some time for them to adjust.  

Your puppy may get diarrhea over the next few days from the trauma and environmental changes from changing homes. They may not act like themselves and can behave out of character. That means that a puppy appearing healthy at pick up might not seem like itself for a few days.  That does not mean that you were sold a sick puppy, but anytime you feel concerned, you should always take your new puppy to the vet. Puppies can get sick can and do get sick and puppies under stress can also be more susceptible to parasites, because the stress caused by changing homes can weaken their immune system.

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Other Things to Know

Be sure to have a veterinarian appointment set for your puppy the day of or the day after he/she arrives in your home, and be prepared to take a fresh stool sample with you to your puppy’s first appointment. Oftentimes puppies change homes and adjust just fine, but it’s always good to be prepared just in case!

The first few days of having a new puppy are very exciting and fun - see here (link) for tips on preparing your home for your new furry friend. 

Remember that every stop you make to potty your puppy on the way home is an opportunity for him/her to pick up something and become sick over the next 2 -21 days, from exposure while stressed. Under normal circumstances your puppy would not have gotten sick, but your puppy is stressed, so he/she is more susceptible to infections and parasites. When this happens some people will assume they were sold a sick puppy and blame the breeder. When in reality, it is a weakened immune system from stress & something they picked up on the way home or in your yard. A puppy can pick up Parvo and show symptoms in as little as three days after exposure.

Be sure to have a veterinarian appointment set for your puppy the day he/she arrives in your home (or the next day)  be sure to take a fresh stool sample with you to your puppies appointment.

Some puppies change homes and do just fine and never get sick. Celebrate that when it happens to you. 


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