Hello all, I know its been a while. Life got away from me. I saw a 4 month old puppy in an ad, and he has no shots. Not one! This makes me a bit concerned. We are still looking for another dog to add to our home. My question is what kind of risks would this present if we got this dog, not only to him but our present dog? I also have a 5 year old little girl. Would the vet have to do a series of shots on the puppy to catch it up to where it should be or would they just do one set? (I hope this makes sense.) My gut instinct is to look elsewhere but thought I'd post this here for discussion. Thanks!
Welcome back Jessica. Your vet would start the vaccination course as if this was a young puppy. However, if the breeder has not shown enough interest to make sure the puppy has a sure start, they probably have neglected other things too. Only my opinion, but I would walk away.
Thanks so much. My inclination is that this was a backyard breeder originally, as the puppy is a Shar Pei/Pit bull cross. The person selling the dog is the 2nd or owner as she mentioned she is giving the dog up due to medical issues. It just saddens me this puppy has not had ANY vaccines at all. It makes me wonder if some people care at all. On a different note, I have heard Shar Peis can be aggressive toward children and not sure how true that is. I know the stigma also attached to Pit Bulls and the like, but I would be more watchful of the Shar Pei, believe it or not. I have also heard dogs with a tail that curves over their back tend to be more aggressive too. I am not sure of this though. Thank you for the reply and not making me sound stupid for asking.
Whoever told you that Shar-Pei are aggressive doesn't know what they're talking about! A well socialised Shar-Pei puppy should grow up to be a very calm and loyal dog to its owner and family whatever age they may be. Neither of mine grew up with children but M'boi my first Pei was very gentle with little ones and Georgina my present one loves children of all ages. Georgina is also used as "stooge" dog by our trainer when he's working with DA dogs due to her having a high stress threshold and being none reactive towards other dogs. As for their tail, well that's a load of rot! Pei tails can be curly or like Georgina's which sticks straight up in the air like a flagpole! M'boi's curved over her back and she didn't have an aggressive bone in her body! Personally, I would never consider buying a Pei or a Pei cross with an unknown history, particularly having been told the puppy has an unspecified medical issue. Shar-Pei are prone to several serious (and costly) genetic health problems, mainly due to bad breeding which is why it's extremely important to buy from an ethical breeder (KC registered) who will have done all the necessary health tests and has the best interests of the breed at heart! Another thing that would worry me is that by four months old a Pei would normally have had all its vaccinations and would be house trained, socialised (by trips out in the car/meeting people) and would be learning their basic commands and to walk on the leash (if only round the garden). Most Pei go to their new home at 8/9 weeks old, they only take a couple of days to house train and must be one of the easiest breeds to socialise and train and this puppy has I suspect missed all that! Hope that helps!
