Expert: Jill Connor, Ph.D. - 10/10/2008

Question
QUESTION: i'm planning to buy a poodle tomorrow.
i went to the dog market today to check around. and then i found this poodle.it is 2-3months,i'm not sure. when i saw it, he doesn't look healthy, his butt was wet and dirty,i touch his belly and chest i found a little buldge over the chest.
do you know what kind of problem this dog is facing right now? i really am going to buy this dog. although maybe you'll probably tell me not to.
is there anything i could do for it.
i'm going to a veterian tomorrow. i thought gathering a lot information about this dog before leaving it to another person even a doctor will be wiser.
thanks for your time.

ANSWER: NEVER BUY ANY DOG AT A DOG MARKET OR PET STORE.  You are looking at (minimally) a HUGE veterinary bill, the possible long term illness or death of your dog, and heartache.  This dog has not been socialized; he has not been carefully bred; he is most likely loaded with intestinal parasites, a candidate for inherited mange, may have roundworm (contagious to humans) and inherited problems such as subluxating patella, cervical insufficiency (which will cause paralysis), liver shunt, and a whole host of other things.  Although you may feel very sorry for this puppy, EVERY TIME the human miscreant who bred it sells a dog, s/he plans TEN MORE LITTERS who will all suffer inhumane, negligent  lives.  Find a legitimate breeder by going to the AKC Toy Poodle site.  Get your name on a waiting list or ask if anyone has any older puppies they have been "running on" for show purposes and now want to sell, or any older retired show dogs.  BUY THIS PUPPY AT YOUR OWN PERIL and don't say no one warned you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi..thanks for the reply.
fyi. i live in Guang Zhou and have to admit that i buy my dog with my small pocket money. and it's almost imposible for me to have AKC toy Poodle with the sum of money i had.

anyway, the dog i bought yesterday is about 2-3months old and i don't know what to feed it. as you said, he got mage and probably parasites on him and i paid 50yen for a drug's called "revolution" generic name: selamectin.
have you heard of it before? is it the correct drug?
it was the veterian idea's to use it.
do you know why my dog eat it's shit? the color of the shit was kind of dark green.
another question is, do you think puting on clothes and collar is a good idea for toy poodle? what is the best place for my dog to sleep? is it a small sofa or a tiny house made of wooden..or a cage with blanket? or is there anything else that's better for it?
once again thanks for your time. i find that you are very helpful and experienced after i read your reply. thank you.

Answer
DO NOT USE REVOLUTION OR ANY OTHER CHEMICAL ON THIS DOG!!! FOR ANY REASON!!! Your puppy is in NO CONDITION to have harsh and carcinogenic chemicals used on its body, this may kill the dog.  If you see parasites (visible fleas and/or ticks) use a COMMON ordinary soap with warm water to bathe the dog.  Soap and water kills fleas (although not their eggs) and such a bath can be given weekly, along with a comb through with a flea comb; if there are ticks present, use a cue tip dipped in rubbing alcohol to apply to the tick's rump and force the tick out, then submerge the tick in the alcohol.  If you bathe your puppy, you must DRY IT thorough by wrapping it in a towel and rubbing the body until the pup is totally dry.  If your veterinarian VACCINATED this puppy in its poor condition, you may expect the puppy to become ill.  Small breeds need to be vaccinated ONE vaccine at a time spaced over several weeks. If your dog has demodectic mange, within a short time you will see the beginning of hair loss.  The dog's skin must be scraped and the skin examined under a microscope. Demodectic mange requires repeated treatments at the vet clinic or an experienced groomer over the course of weeks and even months.

Regarding where your puppy sleeps, this is totally up to you.  A safe wire crate with a blanket or other easily washable contents is fine if that's what you prefer.  You can keep the crate in your room or you can simply let the puppy sleep in your bed with you.  This is a personal choice.  Just DO NOT crate this puppy for many hours at a time.  Your puppy requires a high quality kibble (not some cheap brand) for proper nutrition and needs to be fed three times daily.  At approximately four months (providing your pup is at appropriate weight) you can switch to a high quality adult kibble.  Water should be offered freely.  As for the "clothing"...if your puppy has fleas and demodectic mange, the clothing will worsen the condition and reinfect the dog.  I'd wait until the pup is an adult to introduce such things.  A small collar for identification purposes is fine; purchase a harness to take the pup out on leash.  BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU TAKE THIS PUPPY until it is FULLY vaccinated, as the Parvo virus is deadly and WILL kill the puppy; distemper is also something you need to avoid.  Exercise your puppy in areas where you know there have been no other dogs until your pup has obtained its full array of vaccinations.  Meanwhile, take your puppy OUT and introduce it (while you are carrying it) to many people and places in order to insure s/he will not become fearful of new people and new places.

Regarding coprophagia (eating its own shit), in a puppy this young this is most likely a response to POOR DIET.  Be certain you supply this dog with the best possible dog food you can afford.