# Very small puppy



## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

Hello,
I am looking to compare notes with others who may have started out with extremely small puppies. I found an old thread on this forum from several years ago (pup named Shiloh) that has helped relieve some of my worry.

We picked Izzie up at 8 weeks old only to find that she weighed just over 2 lbs. The breeder’s vet declared her healthy and okay to go home, just very small. My own vet also agreed she was healthy but extra tiny, and said it was likely she would thrive and catch up eventually.

We did discover coccydia and giardia. She just finished metronidazole and continues on Albon.

Izzie is now 11 weeks and is 4.5 lbs. Her personality is bright, sassy, and playful, and she is learning. While she has some loose stools, her diarrhea has pretty much resolved. She is a picky eater, gets hungry, but doesn’t seem to eat a lot.

The vet does plan bloodwork if she doesn’t gain more weight by the next visit. (Maybe to rule out liver shunt?)

Mostly I am seeking support and wisdom from other small pup parents. Should I be seeing quicker growth by now? As you can imagine this girlie has already stolen our hearts, but the worry gets the better of me sometimes. 

Thank you for your feedback.

Beth


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

That really is very small for a golden retriever puppy. Did you see the parents and/or the rest of the litter, and did you get registration papers for her?


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

That is incredibly tiny! I would wonder if she wasn't actually younger than you were led to believe or perhaps mixed with something much smaller than a Golden. Especially since the vet says she's healthy.


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

Hi, Yes to all. We picked her and watched her be microchipped at 4 weeks. She was somewhat smaller than the others at that time, (but didn’t seem alarminky so), but it is as if she missed the 4 to 8 week growth spurt.

(I am new to the forums ... may not have replied in the right spot. :/)


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

ArchersMom said:


> That is incredibly tiny! I would wonder if she wasn't actually younger than you were led to believe or perhaps mixed with something much smaller than a Golden. Especially since the vet says she's healthy.


It is super small. We were shocked when we picked her up. The other pups in the litter were defiinitely larger and unless there is some serious fraud (or a toy breed snuck up on the mom when no one was looking) I’m as confident as I can be she’s full golden.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

Izziebeth said:


> It is super small. We were shocked when we picked her up. The other pups in the litter were defiinitely larger and unless there is some serious fraud (or a toy breed snuck up on the mom when no one was looking) I’m as confident as I can be she’s full golden.


It is possible for a litter to have multiple sires(father's). If she looks different than her litter mates too, it's very possible. I've known 2 week old puppies who were over 2 lbs! Hopefully she hits a growth spurt soon and continues to be a healthy pup.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

Has the vet ruled out liver shunts?


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

jennretz said:


> Has the vet ruled out liver shunts?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


He plans bloodwork on our next visit, and I am thinking it would be to rule that out. Do you know if size alone would indicate shunts? She doesn’t have any of the neurological symptoms I’ve read about.


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## Vika the Golden ! (Jun 18, 2017)

Izziebeth said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am looking to compare notes with others who may have started out with extremely small puppies. I found an old thread on this forum from several years ago (pup named Shiloh) that has helped relieve some of my worry.
> 
> ...











This was my puppy at 11 weeks old ! She was 22 lbs ! My female now at 1 and a half years old weighs 75 pounds . My friend’s female Golden (bought the same day from the same liter) weighs only 55 pounds.She is super cute! 



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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Coccidia can make very small puppies. On top of that, it can be difficult to “get rid of.” I would be looking for weight gains of roughly 2 pounds a week while she catches up.

That said, 2 pounds is incredibly small. I would not have sold a puppy that small, regardless of what the vet said. In 45+ years in Goldens, and having seen at least 2 litters with stubborn coccidia, I have never seen a puppy this small. Even my liver shunt puppy was bigger than this.

My liver shunt puppy also presented as a picky eater but liver shunt should have shown up on bloodwork while she was at the breeder’s. It did on my girl.

If she is still having diarrhea, she may still have coccidia and/or giardia.

If all bloodwork is normal and 2 fecals done while she has diarrhea are normal, I might suspect sheis not purebred.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

That pic makes it look like she is a mix breed. Her legs look like a Maltese or Bichon Frise. Did you see the mom and dad? She still is cute as can be.


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

Nate83 said:


> That pic makes it look like she is a mix breed. Her legs look like a Maltese or Bichon Frise. Did you see the mom and dad? She still is cute as can be.


Hello,

We visited the pups right after birth along with her parents and picked her and watched the microchipping at 4 weeks. I checked the registrations on the parents before picking her. I suppose anything is possible, but I am as sure as I can be without a DNA test she is full golden.

I’ve learned a lot about puppy size in the last few weeks. Looking back at our 4 week pictures, she was smaller than the others, though not alarmingly so at the time. There was one pup who seemed like a giant in comparison, but in retrospect she was probably normal. I’ve been in touch with the breeder since we brought her home, and they have since concluded the mom had coccydia all along, so Izzie may have had the double whammy of being the runt and the parasites.

She certainly is cute as can be; her gorgeous eyes stole my heart at 4 weeks. Her behavior is totally age appropriate ... but her size sure makes me worry.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Worst come to worst you do a DNA test but besides that she is very cute and sweet looking.


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## Zoeys mom (Apr 26, 2008)

This is my 11 week old puppy. He weighs 23lbs. Your boy is a little cutie!


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

Are there any other intact dogs on the breeder's property or near their property? Litters can be dual sired.


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## Romeo1 (Apr 19, 2008)

What an adorable puppy!


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## jinni1980 (Jul 22, 2016)

I can see why you fell in love with her. She is so cute!!!

I may be wrong but she may not be a full golden retriever. She looks bit different than typical Golden retriever puppy. (But she is for sure super cute I gotta say this.) 

Mine was a runt.. smallest one in his 10 litter mates. My breeder didn't let him go till he was 10 weeks old because she wanted to wait till he putted on weight & did extra vet check. By the time he came to us, he was little bit smaller but not that much different size from other normal Golden puppies. 
He is just over 2 years old now & he is a standard size male golden retriever but smaller side & he is only 28kg. For his size, he weight is great range.. 

No matter how small, she will make you laugh & giggle a lot.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Your puppy is very cute! Please keep us updated. FWIW, my girl was pretty small. She grew to be 52 lbs.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

gdgli said:


> Your puppy is very cute! Please keep us updated. FWIW, my girl was pretty small. She grew to be 52 lbs.


What a sweet looking dog. There is always a chance that it could be a different sire. That's pretty tiny for a golden. I think its great that you are taking her to the vet. Coccidia can be hard to treat, and also giardiasis can be hard to treat and diagnose sometimes. 

My Piper is also pretty small for a Golden. She was the runt of the litter and stayed with the breeder until 10 weeks because of that. Her mom was 55-60lbs. Dad was big haha. When she was 10 weeks she was about 12 pounds. I think around 15 at 12 weeks. She's almost two years old and is about 48-50lbs. People still think she's younger than she is. I call her my "apartment-sized" golden


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

aesthetic said:


> Are there any other intact dogs on the breeder's property or near their property? Litters can be dual sired.


Several goldens on the property, but no teeny dogs that I could see. One vet suggested she coukd have been gestationally you ger than her littermates, but I have also read that is a myth.


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

*Update*

Searching more intensely for the reason Izzie isn’t thriving. Vet suspects liver shunt, but her liver function appears normal, and she has had no neurological symptoms. The rest of her bloodwork is slightly off, but all would point to a malnourished dog from chronic diarrhea.

Waiting on results of bile acid test, and going for an abdominal ultrasound today. 

Hoping today is the day we find something that can be corrected to get her on the road to healthy.


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

Piper_the_goldenpuppy said:


> What a sweet looking dog. There is always a chance that it could be a different sire. That's pretty tiny for a golden. I think its great that you are taking her to the vet. Coccidia can be hard to treat, and also giardiasis can be hard to treat and diagnose sometimes.
> 
> My Piper is also pretty small for a Golden. She was the runt of the litter and stayed with the breeder until 10 weeks because of that. Her mom was 55-60lbs. Dad was big haha. When she was 10 weeks she was about 12 pounds. I think around 15 at 12 weeks. She's almost two years old and is about 48-50lbs. People still think she's younger than she is. I call her my "apartment-sized" golden


If we can get little Izzie healthy and growing more, I would be over the moon to have an apartment-sized golden! ?


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Good luck with Izzie's ultrasound today. Hoping you get some answers for that sweet little girl.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Izziebeth said:


> If we can get little Izzie healthy and growing more, I would be over the moon to have an apartment-sized golden! ?


Thinking of you and Izzie today! Good luck with the ultrasound.


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## Zoeys mom (Apr 26, 2008)

Good luck today! Keep us posted.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

Will be hopeful for you guys it’s something easily fixed and she gets to grow up into an adorable mini golden.


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

*Update #2*

After two days of testing, we’ve learned Izzie’s liver is good.

Unfortunately, it appears there is a serious inflammatory process in her small intestines. My vets are recommending endoscopy to get a biopsy to see what kind of treatment is needed. 

They are discounting her parasite infections (coccydia and giardia) because she has been on treatment for a month, and do not want to do anything new to treat her without knowing what it is because of her size.

This little pup is getting sicker every day (it was uphill albeit with slow growth until the beginning of the week), and now they are suggesting no new treatment until at least next Wednesday. I fear this pup will not survive that long.

Frustrated and heartbroken to say the least. Need to get my mama bear pants on and demand some help. Now.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

I'm so sorry  . Your poor little pup is very lucky to have you taking care of her. Good luck!


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## Zoeys mom (Apr 26, 2008)

I’m sorry you are going through this with your fur baby. Have you discussed all this with the breeder? I don’t have any experience or knowledge in what you are going through but I know how hard it is to see your baby suffering.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

Will continue to hope for the best for you guys. 
No matter what she is loved and well cared for. Something to be said for that. Stay strong Momma.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

I'm so sorry. I hope your vets can help her to get healthy. She looks like such a sweet girl.


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## jdavisryan (Jan 28, 2018)

Izziebeth said:


> After two days of testing, we’ve learned Izzie’s liver is good.
> 
> Unfortunately, it appears there is a serious inflammatory process in her small intestines. My vets are recommending endoscopy to get a biopsy to see what kind of treatment is needed.
> 
> ...


I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope the little one will pull through and I'm thinking of you both today.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

I am so sorry to hear this. Sending thoughts and prayers your way <3


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Hoping for the best.


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

*Last Izzie Update*

Thank you for your ideas and wonderful thoughts and wishes.

Izzie had a difficult week, and by yesterday was having severe diarrhea and completely refusing to eat and drink. She was whining in her sleep and even pooped while sound asleep.

My own vet had nothing more to offer to stabilize her and -- without knowing the cause of her intestinal problems by way of endoscopy -- was unable to treat the mystery problem in her small intestines.

We took her to the emergency vet clinic so she could be seen by an internal medicine specialist. By this time, she was so weak, they recommended hospitalization until internal medicine could see her on Monday.

We then learned how much it would cost to not only hospitalize her, run more tests, consult with the specialist, and conduct the endoscopic biopsy. After all that, we could not be sure the biopsy would even reveal something that could be treated. The fact she was 4.5 pounds did not bode well for any of this. Putting her through it all seemed so unkind.

After consulting with the doc, we decided the best choice would be to euthanize her. I am so grief stricken. Somewhere inside I also have anger toward a breeder and his vet would reassured me a 2.5 lb. puppy could thrive and at my own vets who also reassured me she was well and did not recommend a work up before her health started to crash.

I am so grateful for my exactly one month with her and also know my husband and I gave her the best month of love that puppy could have had. But, oh, the heartbreak ...


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## jdavisryan (Jan 28, 2018)

I'm so, so sorry to hear this sad news. You did your very best for her. You're in my thoughts today.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

I’m so very sorry for your loss


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I am so sorry to hear this. It is amazing how much we can come to love a puppy in such a short time. We got a Golden puppy from an ASPCA that had parvo and died 5 days later. My daughter was 8 and it was an awful experience for us all.
I would be angry too. Izzie was such a cute little girl. I hope you find comfort in knowing she had a loving home and you did all you could for her.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

I am so sorry to hear this, and for your loss. I can only imagine how devastated you must be. Keeping you in my thoughts.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I am so very sorry to hear this. You did your best, and she was very well loved in her short life.


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## Zoeys mom (Apr 26, 2008)

I’m so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you. ?


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## Izziebeth (Mar 26, 2018)

Zoeys mom said:


> I’m sorry you are going through this with your fur baby. Have you discussed all this with the breeder? I don’t have any experience or knowledge in what you are going through but I know how hard it is to see your baby suffering.


I was in touch with the breeder a week or two ago. Now that Izzie has passed, we need to have a different conversation with the breeder. What a roller coaster this past month has been.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

I’m so very sorry. Not the update I was hoping to see. 
Hugs to you and your family.


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## Zoeys mom (Apr 26, 2008)

Izziebeth said:


> I was in touch with the breeder a week or two ago. Now that Izzie has passed, we need to have a different conversation with the breeder. What a roller coaster this past month has been.



Please keep us posted again. I’m so sorry you went through this. Izzie was lucky that she had such a great mom to take care of her. She will see you at the bridge.


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## Rusty9294 (Mar 2, 2018)

Sending you condolences and wishes for your well-being.


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## Vika the Golden ! (Jun 18, 2017)

Vika and I are sending you our condolences! I really admire you though for putting up a great fight for her life [emoji17][emoji304]


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## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

So very sorry to hear about your sweet girl.


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## Redmoon (Feb 4, 2010)

So very sorry for your loss, its really hard when they are so young, but at least she knew she was loved and wanted and you got to see her love for you, run free and fast Izzie, you will not be forgotten.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

This is so crushing. I am so sorry for the heartbreak you are going through. I am thankful she was with you and being loved and cared for while she was sick.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

I am so sorry for your loss of sweet little Izzie  . She was very lucky to have you taking care of her.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I just saw your thread today, so was catching up from post #1. My heart just broke when you said the poor little thing was getting sicker and eventually died. I'm so sorry. So devastating.


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## undalwis (Aug 6, 2020)

Izziebeth said:


> Hello,
> I am looking to compare notes with others who may have started out with extremely small puppies. I found an old thread on this forum from several years ago (pup named Shiloh) that has helped relieve some of my worry.
> 
> We picked Izzie up at 8 weeks old only to find that she weighed just over 2 lbs. The breeder’s vet declared her healthy and okay to go home, just very small. My own vet also agreed she was healthy but extra tiny, and said it was likely she would thrive and catch up eventually.
> ...


Hi Beth, I am so sorry for your loss!


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