# 9 weeks old and 4.5 lbs



## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

I got my baby boy Simba on the 23rd. I will be honest with all of you-- Simba wasn't from a reputable breeder or rescue. I was absently browsing Craigslist (I know) and decided to see, just out of curiosity, listings for puppies (since I was in the market for one anyway). Anyway I saw a genuine-looking (I know) listing for golden retriever puppies, called the seller up, she says she has 1 male left out of the litter.

I drive down there skeptically, knowing that there is a better chance than not that this puppy is from an irresponsible breeder or a puppy mill and is riddled with disease-- we meet in a parking lot (I know) and she brings out the puppy, and I'm in love. He just seemed like the one for me, licking me all over and sitting at my feet, falling asleep in my arms. 
So yeah, I ended up taking him home.

Well he is the smartest and most playful little guy. He isn't AKC certified but the woman I purchased him from says that he's the product of a red golden (hers) and an English cream (her friend's). He looks purebred but I would like opinions on this, just out of curiosity.

I know to take her words with a grain of salt but she seemed rather attached to the puppy and gave me a vaccination card that showed that he had gotten his Parvo done and his 1st deworming (it had the labels from the vials on it and everything so I'm inclined to think it's legit).

Ever since I got him he has had on and off diarrhea (today he had a wet poop that was... yellow?) and hasn't wanted to eat the dry food that the lady said he eats, but he will gobble wet food right up. Since he got dewormed again today at the vet at the vet's recommendation, he has become a bit lethargic and not hungry, not even for treats or wet food (which he will nibble at). Also he is supposed to be 9 weeks old (birthday 10/22) and only weighs 4 lbs?? 

Do you guys think he's sick or what? I love him to pieces already and am so concerned for him. Any tips on getting him to eat? Is 4.5 lbs in the "normal" range for a pup of his age? I attached some pics


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## GoldenTucker (Jun 27, 2012)

Where are you located? Los Angeles Fox LA news has reported a large story of Golden Retriever puppies being sold in parking lots from Craigslist that are all parvo and distemper puppies.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

I would call the vet back today and let them know how Simba is acting since his deworming. Poor baby


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I would call your Vet clinic, if your pup has an upset stomach either due to the worming or because he may not be feeling well, it's usually better to withhold food until the stomach settles down. 

Did your Vet take a stool sample? 

I would recommend getting Pet Insurance for your pup, you could possibly be looking at some expensive Vet bills in the future.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

GoldenTucker said:


> Where are you located? Los Angeles Fox LA news has reported a large story of Golden Retriever puppies being sold in parking lots from Craigslist that are all parvo and distemper puppies.


Not LA but in California. I live in San Diego but he was located all the way down in San Ysidro. It might just be wishful thinking on my part but he doesn't act like he is in too much pain or discomfort, except for the diarrhea. When ever he wakes up, he is bouncing around and playing like normal... I'm not an expert on these things though so he may be infected still, idk.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> I would call your Vet clinic, if your pup has an upset stomach either due to the worming or because he may not be feeling well, it's usually better to withhold food until the stomach settles down.
> 
> Did your Vet take a stool sample?
> 
> I would recommend getting Pet Insurance for your pup, you could possibly be looking at some expensive Vet bills in the future.


Yes she took a stool sample. We will be getting the results of that back today so hopefully we will know what it is.


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## GoldenTucker (Jun 27, 2012)

nephisto said:


> GoldenTucker said:
> 
> 
> > Where are you located? Los Angeles Fox LA news has reported a large story of Golden Retriever puppies being sold in parking lots from Craigslist that are all parvo and distemper puppies.
> ...


Yeah the Golden puppies are coming from Mexico. Id definitely talk to your vet and test for those and other parasites to try and get a diagnosis.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

GoldenTucker said:


> nephisto said:
> 
> 
> > GoldenTucker said:
> ...


Alright thanks. I am also starting to think that he's not quite 8 weeks too. He looks more around 6 weeks when I compare to pictures.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

My own puppies weigh at the 4-5 pound range at around 3-4 weeks old. So he is tiny. My 8 week old pups out of a normal sized litter (all bets are off if there are only 2-3 ) weigh around 12-14 pounds.


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## GoldenTucker (Jun 27, 2012)

Paws crossed for you both. Hopefully he is just younger than they told you and has a very treatable typical puppy parasite. 

The reason I brought up the news story is it has affected hundreds in California so much so that they did an undercover investigation in California. People always met in a parking lot, paid about $700, they came from Craigslist, and received a Golden puppy too young and already (quotes) vaccinated. 

Keep us posted!


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Yes hopefully so... His diarrhea seems to be clearing up a bit, he is going less often and his stools are a little less watery. So yeah, paws crossed, I hope this little guy is alright.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Alright so we got the stool sample results back. Thankfully it is only coccidia, which i have heard is pretty common in puppies, no distemper or parvo. That explains the lack of appetite, diarrhea and the low weight. We will be grabbing the prescription today and going back to the vet next week to check again for the parasites.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

That's good news. Hope all is well soon.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

I dont think that puppy is nine weeks.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Cpc1972 said:


> I dont think that puppy is nine weeks.


How old do you think he is? I am thinking maybe 5 or 6 weeks. The vet says he has got all his puppy teeth in. 
He refuses to eat dry food.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

When my pup was little I would soak his dry food in warm water for about half an hour before giving it to him. It made it softer on the outside, but still was still solid on the inside. Perhaps consider trying it and gradually as he gets older, bigger and healthier transition to dry kibble if you want to.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

No way that pup is 9 weeks. If the pup was under weight from parasites, the pup would be super thin. That pup's bone structure is way way too light to be that old without also looking malnourished. I would be epically shocked if that pup is more then 6 weeks old.

Edit: I should add that my opinion is based on that being a purebred golden.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Maggie'sVoice said:


> No way that pup is 9 weeks. If the pup was under weight from parasites, the pup would be super thin. That pup's bone structure is way way too light to be that old without also looking malnourished. I would be epically shocked if that pup is more then 6 weeks old.
> 
> Edit: I should add that my opinion is based on that being a purebred golden.


Do you think he is purebred? It doesn't really matter to me so long as he is happy and healthy but I am just curious... 
Also since he is probably not 9 weeks, should I try making him eat solid food or should I just give him soft and wet foods?


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

It's really hard to guess if he's purebred since his age is a guess. In the photos his ears are set really high and appear small. That could be because he's very young or it could be because he's mixed with something, it's just a guess. I would try soaking some kibble for him and skipping wet food. If he continues to be picky, I would splash some goats milk in to soak and entice him to eat. He doesn't need milk at this age, but it might make the food more interesting.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Thank you! But he is SO picky about what he eats. He REFUSES to eat the Purina Puppy Chow we have, no matter how much we moisten it, grind it up, or what we mix it with (he will just spit out the kibble, or, if we grind it up so that it's homogenous with whatever else we mixed in, he will just turn up his nose at the whole thing). He even stopped eating his wet food, so we have begun cooking him a mixture of potato, herbs and ground turkey which he loves. I just worry that he isn't getting all the nutrients he needs which would be in a puppy kibble.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

nephisto said:


> Do you think he is purebred? It doesn't really matter to me so long as he is happy and healthy but I am just curious...
> Also since he is probably not 9 weeks, should I try making him eat solid food or should I just give him soft and wet foods?



Hard to say for certain but the ears look a little on the small and odd side. Probably won't know for another couple weeks as structure starts to really develop. 



I would offer him whatever he'll eat. If he's having trouble with kibble then I'd offer him more can food for a week or 2 and add in more kibble and remove the wet food over a weeks period.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

nephisto said:


> Thank you! But he is SO picky about what he eats. He REFUSES to eat the Purina Puppy Chow we have, no matter how much we moisten it, grind it up, or what we mix it with (he will just spit out the kibble, or, if we grind it up so that it's homogenous with whatever else we mixed in, he will just turn up his nose at the whole thing). He even stopped eating his wet food, so we have begun cooking him a mixture of potato, herbs and ground turkey which he loves. I just worry that he isn't getting all the nutrients he needs which would be in a puppy kibble.



Have you talked to your vet about this? Typically they recommend boiled chicken breast and white rice for an upset stomach.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I was going to say more like 4-5 weeks old, too. Poor little thing. I'm glad you are so devoted to him - he's going to need your love and support. Coccidia is indeed very common. Hard to get rid of, but once you do, he'll be much better. He's lucky he wound up with you. But he probably is much younger than the guy said, and didn't even necessarily come from a breeding that he did. He may just be buying litters and reselling them. 

Did your vet suggest a prescription food? I'd ask about EN wet food - it is a nutrient dense but very easy to digest food. It is easy on their systems which are inflamed from the parasites. There is also a nutrient dense wet, very smooth food that is made for nursing moms and very young puppies. I'd probably go with one of those rather than the turkey and potatoes, just because you want to make sue he is getting a balanced diet that is going to help him grow and develop. 

What's his name?


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Sweet Girl said:


> I was going to say more like 4-5 weeks old, too. Poor little thing. I'm glad you are so devoted to him - he's going to need your love and support. Coccidia is indeed very common. Hard to get rid of, but once you do, he'll be much better. He's lucky he wound up with you. But he probably is much younger than the guy said, and didn't even necessarily come from a breeding that he did. He may just be buying litters and reselling them.
> 
> Did your vet suggest a prescription food? I'd ask about EN wet food - it is a nutrient dense but very easy to digest food. It is easy on their systems which are inflamed from the parasites. There is also a nutrient dense wet, very smooth food that is made for nursing moms and very young puppies. I'd probably go with one of those rather than the turkey and potatoes, just because you want to make sue he is getting a balanced diet that is going to help him grow and develop.
> 
> What's his name?


His name is Simba! I will look into that wet food, thank you. Currently we have shifted off turkey and potatoes to chicken livers and white rice, which he also likes. I hope that the livers are not too fatty for him. We are feeding him pretty big meals around 3x a day. We thought his stools were getting better but now they have been light yellow, runny and mucousy. Seriously worried for the little guy but as long as it's just coccidia I think he should be fine.


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

Be careful with feeding liver. It's very high in vitamin A and can be toxic in large amounts.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

ArchersMom said:


> Be careful with feeding liver. It's very high in vitamin A and can be toxic in large amounts.


Thank you for the advice! I am going to give him cooked ground turkey and rice instead until he recovers from the coccidia, then I will start working on giving him puppy food (kibble etc)


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

nephisto said:


> Thank you for the advice! I am going to give him cooked ground turkey and rice instead until he recovers from the coccidia, then I will start working on giving him puppy food (kibble etc)



If you want to switch to dog food while he is recovering, you can give the EN prescription food. It comes in the wet form or in a kibble. It will just give him more complete nutrition than the turkey and rice. And I can tell you, most dogs love it. My girl, who is 5 years old, is on it again right now just because she had a bad bout with diarrhea and I wanted to give her insides a chance to calm down. I think she likes it better than her regular food!


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## Lizziecvt (Dec 16, 2018)

So much advice here but it sounds like the poor little man’s digestive system is out of whack. It could be the coccidia but also could be all the food changes. I’m a vet tech in MN and when we see these digestive upsets we treat with a prescription diet or plain ground hamburger(all grease drained and rinsed) and white rice. Then you slowly introduce his food mixed very carefully with that mixture until his stools are back to normal. If you are feeding Purina puppy chow, a better choice would be the high end of Purina that is still affordable- Purina Pro Plan. 
Choosing a high quality food can be overwhelming and not necessary. Our vets use Pro Plan and their dogs are healthy, beautiful and over 10 years old! 
That being said, as long as he is eating and drinking and having no bouts of vomiting, it sounds like he will recover. He’s adorable. Congratulations and don’t beat yourself up for getting him off Craigslist. He needs you!


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## MegabyteBob (Aug 3, 2018)

*Your puppy*

4 lbs is underweight and the cause could be his GI issues. Also, after looking at the pup I agree with some of the people here that he is younger than 8 weeks. Puppy diarrhea can be caused by a lot of factors. Diet, parasites, illness(es) and something as simple as a change of kibble brands. The fact that you have contacted your vet and testing has started is a huge step in the right direction. I know from past experience that plain boiled chicken and boiled white rice usually helps diarrhea. Also plain pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling is great for dog digestive issues. However, I would check with your vet if they think it is okay to feed your pooch the chicken, rice and pumpkin. 

As far ask AKC registration? It is nice to have but not having the "dog's papers" should in no way impact the love and affection you will have for each other. Hopefully your little one will be fine once the problem is diagnosed and treated.

I wish you both many years together.


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## roxygold (Apr 6, 2014)

Here is the story from Fox: SICK PUPPY PEDDLER: FOX 11 confronts sick puppy seller for 4th time; law enforcement investigating - Story | KTTV

I hope Simba recovers and has a long, healthy life. But I also hope that people read about Simba and their takeaway is don't buy puppies from Craigslist (it is likely to end up costing you way more in the long run). Either buy from a reputable breeder or adopt from a quality rescue.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Thank you all for the responses  I am so thankful to have found such a supportive and helpful forum.

I hope, too, that other people will see this and will choose to either rescue or buy from a reputable breeder. I will never regret Simba and I love him with all my heart, but what I did was irresponsible and will likely cost me in vet bills & pet insurance in the future.


Simba is recovering well. Barely any diarrhea (he goes only around 3 times a day now), stool is still a little loose but I can see it is getting better. I am feeding him rice, chicken, and crushed puppy chow, in the process of buying the wet Purina prescription food and Pro Plan for when he recovers completely. I am thankful that I got lucky enough to get a puppy who wasn't sick with parvo, distemper etc. and I hope that he retains this health into the future.

I can only hope that his future will be as bright and that he will not start displaying early signs of genetic disease, that he will grow up happy and healthy and will live a long life. As he does not seem to be pure golden maybe this will be good for him, genetically. Regardless of everything I love him to death.


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## R and B (Jul 4, 2018)

Hi, I stumbled across your post. I did the exact same thing that you did - knowing better, found a puppy on Craigslist and took her home. We’re also in San Diego and I picked her up in National City - I’m wondering if it’s the same person, I also didn’t have any red flags up until we got there. (I’ve considered reporting her since our puppy got very sick about 2 weeks after we got her — I think she would have died had she not been with us - did your person say the puppy was from a litter of her mother and her uncles dogs?) We were told she was 10 weeks and only weighed 3.5lbs (I knew immediately something was off though, and we took her again because we didn’t think she stood a chance if not with us). The only good news is that now she is 7ish months old and very healthy - still tiny, but very sweet and all golden puppy. I wish you luck!


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

R and B said:


> Hi, I stumbled across your post. I did the exact same thing that you did - knowing better, found a puppy on Craigslist and took her home. We’re also in San Diego and I picked her up in National City - I’m wondering if it’s the same person, I also didn’t have any red flags up until we got there. (I’ve considered reporting her since our puppy got very sick about 2 weeks after we got her — I think she would have died had she not been with us - did your person say the puppy was from a litter of her mother and her uncles dogs?) We were told she was 10 weeks and only weighed 3.5lbs (I knew immediately something was off though, and we took her again because we didn’t think she stood a chance if not with us). The only good news is that now she is 7ish months old and very healthy - still tiny, but very sweet and all golden puppy. I wish you luck!


Hello! It's comforting to see someone who's had a similar experience. 

I forgot who exactly she said bore the litter-- I think she said that Simba was a product of her "friend's" English Cream and her own Red golden retriever (Or it may have been the other way around), did you get any other information similar to that? 

If you want I'd be happy to PM you my email or social medias if you want to compare the info we got (like the woman's phone number, appearance etc) or just want to keep in touch. 

Best of luck to you and your pup as well! Happy to hear that she is doing well.


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## Sunkota (Sep 30, 2010)

It sounds like this little guy had a rough start. Along with what your vet has suggested I would add some good yogurt with active cultures or a good probiotic (like Ben-Bac Plus). He may not even be 9 weeks, my 9 week old pups are around 15 pounds. He could have coccidia (which a regular wormer doesn't touch). Good luck with him.


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## Sunkota (Sep 30, 2010)

Sound like the little guy had a tough start. He may not even be 9 weeks, my 9 week pups weigh 15 pounds. Along with what your vet has you doing, add a good yogurt with active cultures or a probiotic (like Ben-Bac Plus). He may also have coccidia which a wormer doesn't touch.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Sunkota said:


> Sound like the little guy had a tough start. He may not even be 9 weeks, my 9 week pups weigh 15 pounds. Along with what your vet has you doing, add a good yogurt with active cultures or a probiotic (like Ben-Bac Plus). He may also have coccidia which a wormer doesn't touch.


He did indeed have coccidia. The vet has us giving him 1.4 mL of Albon every night, and she also gave us some packets of probiotic supplements to sprinkle into his food. He seems to be recovering nicely and is looking much fatter now LOL.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

nephisto said:


> Thank you all for the responses  I am so thankful to have found such a supportive and helpful forum.
> 
> I hope, too, that other people will see this and will choose to either rescue or buy from a reputable breeder. I will never regret Simba and I love him with all my heart, but what I did was irresponsible and will likely cost me in vet bills & pet insurance in the future.
> 
> ...



That's AWESOME news! 1 thing to note is that when you get a very young animal and has gotten a slow start for lack of nutrition or parasites, they will usually have a compensatory growth period and can sometimes catch up pretty quickly. So the thing here is not to give a lot of extra food thinking you need to help them catch up as that can lead to pano (think of growing pains). Just let him catch up on his own.


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## StarBright (Nov 11, 2015)

He doesn’t look like a purebred golden retriever puppy to me. But maybe he is just a lot younger than they told you. You have to be careful, even buying from some rescues. My niece adopted a puppy from a bad rescue. Found out the pups were being brought in from Mexico. She spent lots of money trying to save the puppy. He ended up dying from distemper. Hers was not the only one that was sick. This rescue had a history of sick puppies. Hopefully your puppy will grow up to be a happy healthy dog. Even with a poor start you can get lucky and have a great dog. My first golden was from a backyard breeder. He had some health challenges. But he was a great dog and he lived a full life, no regrets. But in the future I did purchase from a good breeder and also adopted goldens from rescue and local animal shelter. Hoping for your puppy to live a full and healthy life!


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

StarBright said:


> He doesn’t look like a purebred golden retriever puppy to me. But maybe he is just a lot younger than they told you. You have to be careful, even buying from some rescues. My niece adopted a puppy from a bad rescue. Found out the pups were being brought in from Mexico. She spent lots of money trying to save the puppy. He ended up dying from distemper. Hers was not the only one that was sick. This rescue had a history of sick puppies. Hopefully your puppy will grow up to be a happy healthy dog. Even with a poor start you can get lucky and have a great dog. My first golden was from a backyard breeder. He had some health challenges. But he was a great dog and he lived a full life, no regrets. But in the future I did purchase from a good breeder and also adopted goldens from rescue and local animal shelter. Hoping for your puppy to live a full and healthy life!


Thank you. I think he may not be purebred but as he grows he is looking much more "golden"-- longer ears etc. He has a curly tail which you can see in one of my other posts which I think is the biggest hint at him not being purebred. But then it may just be a "gay" tail or he may outgrow it. If I get curious enough I might purchase a DNA test from Embark or something just to find out what he is mixed with. Regardless of his pedigree I don't particularly care that he is purebred or not, just that he is happy and healthy!


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## Chok1344 (Jan 4, 2019)

Hun i was havinbg the same problem and now its worse. Did you by any chance drove to Fullerton to get him???


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Chok1344 said:


> Hun i was havinbg the same problem and now its worse. Did you by any chance drove to Fullerton to get him???


No, we drove down to National City (more south, closer to the border). What problem were you having?


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## MegabyteBob (Aug 3, 2018)

That is encouraging news. Did the vet give you any indication on how old he is?


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## Sunkota (Sep 30, 2010)

Looks like you are on the road to recovery. Since you suspect the pup is actually younger I would add that my pups get soaked (I mean soaked - kibble and water in a container in the frig, sits at least several hours). They don't start getting less soaked food until they are about 7 weeks, then gradually harder consistency to prepare them to go home. My adults always get food soaked for a few minutes in warm water. Another good trick for transitioning to food, too late for you pup but may have helped early on, is to buy powdered Esbilac (puppy milk replacer), mix as directed, and soak the kibble in that. Good luck with Simba.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

MegabyteBob said:


> That is encouraging news. Did the vet give you any indication on how old he is?


Thanks! And no she just remarked that he has all his puppy teeth. To be fair we didn't really ask her, we told her "he's 9 weeks" and she just seemed to take our word on that and didn't really question it at all other than saying he is small for his age and that he might just grow up to be small for a golden retriever.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Sunkota said:


> Looks like you are on the road to recovery. Since you suspect the pup is actually younger I would add that my pups get soaked (I mean soaked - kibble and water in a container in the frig, sits at least several hours). They don't start getting less soaked food until they are about 7 weeks, then gradually harder consistency to prepare them to go home. My adults always get food soaked for a few minutes in warm water. Another good trick for transitioning to food, too late for you pup but may have helped early on, is to buy powdered Esbilac (puppy milk replacer), mix as directed, and soak the kibble in that. Good luck with Simba.


Thank you for the advice! He is getting better at eating the hard kibble. We grind it up and mix it with a little bit of cooked ground chicken because he won't touch the kibble if there isn't anything mixed into it for flavor. We used to add rice as well but now we have stopped it as we are transitioning to just feeding him dry food, We are also grinding up the kibble less and less to transition him to just eating completely whole uncrushed chunks. Hopefully he will get to the point where we don't need to add the ground chicken either.


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## k9mom (Apr 23, 2009)

I just with through this with mine. At 12 weeks he was only 6.8 pounds. When we got home he would not eat . He was loaded with worms, and had kennel cough. I had to grind up his food, and a little water made a paste and feed him every 2 hours, also put him on a probiotics . Fast forward he is now 18 weeks old is over 30 pounds, and healthy, and very smart.
I also grind up his puppy Royal Canin puppy food make a paste out of it and make him his treats out of it...he loves this. We don't want to give him any junk treats.


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## Chok1344 (Jan 4, 2019)

nephisto said:


> Thanks! And no she just remarked that he has all his puppy teeth. To be fair we didn't really ask her, we told her "he's 9 weeks" and she just seemed to take our word on that and didn't really question it at all other than saying he is small for his age and that he might just grow up to be small for a golden retriever.


What area do you live in?

If you could drive to glendale and see Dr. McClean at glendale banfield location he would tell you everything about the puppy. 

My lil baby was very sick and she's recovering now thanks to that vet. 

What does he look like right now? can i see a picture?


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Chok1344 said:


> What area do you live in?
> 
> If you could drive to glendale and see Dr. McClean at glendale banfield location he would tell you everything about the puppy.
> 
> ...


We live up in San Diego around Escondido. 

Here is a picture of him now:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...37823744/Screenshot_2019-01-10-04-45-31-1.png


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

Glad he's doing better! He's very cute. I don't think you need to worry too much about his weight being under that of a typical golden. It's really clear in that latest picture that he's definitely mixed with another breed.


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## Neeko13 (Jul 10, 2010)

Awwwwww, he looks so much better...glad to see him!!!!


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

He is a very cute little guy.


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## MegabyteBob (Aug 3, 2018)

Hi 

You may be correct (mixed) but considering the issues the pup has/had he is undersized and because of this I think it is a bit early to determine if the pup is a mix. The other possibility is that his parents were less than the breed standard in looks and physiology.

In any case, mixed or not, at least he is on his way to a good life.


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## Barlosh (Sep 1, 2018)

Bless him he is beautiful and I'd think he was around five weeks old in that first pic, could be why he's behind because taken from his mother too early - poor little guy. Can see why you love him so much and I'm glad he's got you looking after him and giving him the best start. The pic shows what a fab job you're doing, he's a lucky little lad.


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

Thank you everyone for your replies! Yes he is doing so great, and getting so big. He is almost triple the size of when we got him. We are thinking he was 4-5 weeks when we got him. So he should be around 9-10 weeks now. He is 13 lbs now so that is a much better weight and he is progressing nicely. He is so good at going potty outside and knows sit already. He is a bit mouthy but that's to be expected, he is very bouncy, full of energy and LOVES people.

Here are some recent pictures.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...7496168448/Screenshot_2019-01-21-13-31-45.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...8258203649/Screenshot_2019-01-21-13-39-09.png

I don't know if he is mixed yet. I am not an expert on Goldens and this is my first dog after all but I'm more inclined to believe that his parents simply weren't very breed-standard goldens. No matter what he is I love him to death and couldn't really care either way. Thanks everyone for your help and assurance! <3


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## cobbfamily (Jan 22, 2019)

so glad i found this. We too are in San Diego, we bought our pup in the LA area though. 2.5lbs at 8weeks, I couldn't not take the pup from those hoodrats. I thougth he was just a runt, pictures of mom and dad were beautiful Goldens (who knows where the pics came from). All was well until last night and he started vomiting and having tummy trouble. Turns out he has Parvo and will now be at the vets for 48hrs and 3k$ later. Crossing our fingers the little man makes it through. I hope your dude is doing great!


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## cobbfamily (Jan 22, 2019)

this is ours, 8 weeks 2.5 lbs.


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## eeerrrmmm1 (Apr 15, 2018)

nephisto said:


> Thank you everyone for your replies! Yes he is doing so great, and getting so big. He is almost triple the size of when we got him. We are thinking he was 4-5 weeks when we got him. So he should be around 9-10 weeks now. He is 13 lbs now so that is a much better weight and he is progressing nicely. He is so good at going potty outside and knows sit already. He is a bit mouthy but that's to be expected, he is very bouncy, full of energy and LOVES people.
> 
> Here are some recent pictures.
> 
> ...


Huh! I take it back! Maybe he is a full golden. Either way, he's very cute and it's great that he's doing so much better!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

*nephisto*, your little guy is cute, great to hear he's doing much better. 

*Cobbfamily,* I'm sorry your little one has Parvo, I hope he will be alright, sending good thoughts.


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## cobbfamily (Jan 22, 2019)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> *nephisto*, your little guy is cute, great to hear he's doing much better.
> 
> *Cobbfamily,* I'm sorry your little one has Parvo, I hope he will be alright, sending good thoughts.


Thank you!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

cobbfamily said:


> so glad i found this. We too are in San Diego, we bought our pup in the LA area though. 2.5lbs at 8weeks, I couldn't not take the pup from those hoodrats. I thougth he was just a runt, pictures of mom and dad were beautiful Goldens (who knows where the pics came from). All was well until last night and he started vomiting and having tummy trouble. Turns out he has Parvo and will now be at the vets for 48hrs and 3k$ later. Crossing our fingers the little man makes it through. I hope your dude is doing great!


I hope your baby beats this virus. If he makes it the first 48 hours after diagnoses they usually pull through. I've fostered parvo puppies for rescue several times, they can make it and be just fine, so I'm sending lots of good thoughts that he gets well quickly. 

He is such a little bitty guy. He sure looks a lot younger than 8 weeks to me, my guess would be more like 5 weeks.


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## Chok1344 (Jan 4, 2019)

I so hope for the best for you guys please update us on his progress 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Golden9 (Jun 13, 2016)

Looks like he is 4 weeks old for a Golden Retriever. Missing his mom. Torn away way too soon. 
Did the seller show you pics of the mother and the father? What did the parents look like? Where were the pics taken, in a yard or in a house? Was it clean area or dirty area?
Or pics taken in the car. A lot of stolen dogs or stolen pups, post pics on Craigslist, that were taken inside the car, after they stole the dog or pup from someones yard, they take a quick pic in the
car, and then post asap on CL to get the pure bred or almost purebred dog or pup sold quickly. They will not have pics of the parents, or they copy pics online.
Call the seller back, and ask to do a phone video or skype or facetime video of the parent dogs.
This pup Weaned way too early, still needs his mama. Of course he hates dry kibble. What poor dog should have to eat kibble, unless stuck in a killing shelter, then they are lucky to have something to eat.
Instead of canned pasteurized food where all the nutrients are killed from the high heat in pasteurization. 
I would try feeding him that lightly cooked meat, veggies and fruit from FreshPet .com sold in pet fridge at costco, target, some grocery stores. It will have more nutrients
for this poor puppy taken away from his mama way too soon. 
Hope he is feeling better, it must be so depressing for him being taken away from his mama way too early. He must miss his mama and siblings.


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## cobbfamily (Jan 22, 2019)

He made it through the night. The main vet who was on call last night, also believes he is closer to 4 weeks. Is it possible for a four week puppy to have all his teeth though?


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## nephisto (Dec 28, 2018)

cobbfamily said:


> He made it through the night. The main vet who was on call last night, also believes he is closer to 4 weeks. Is it possible for a four week puppy to have all his teeth though?


That is such good news. From what I have read, the longer your puppy holds out the higher his odds of beating the disease. Prayers for your baby.

As for the teeth, my puppy also had all his puppy teeth when we got him apparently but he definitely didn't appear 9 weeks in any other way. At the time we put him closer to 5 or 6 weeks. So this is just anecdotal but maybe the teeth are different for every puppy. You see some human babies get their teeth in really early (and that gives mom a VERY tough time, ouch). So maybe puppies are the same.


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## cobbfamily (Jan 22, 2019)

Well the little guy is back from the 48hr stay. Turns out he had parvo and coccidiosis. He put on 2lbs in 2 days and is much more lively. Let the adventures continue.


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## StarBright (Nov 11, 2015)

Cobbfamily, Good too hear he’s back from the Vet and feeling better. Hopefully on the road to recovery and a long and healthy future!


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## StarBright (Nov 11, 2015)

Simba looks great in his new pictures. Looking like a real golden now. Perhaps since he was just younger than you were told originally, made it seem he wasn’t pure golden, with those short ears. Now that he’s aged a bit he’s looking very cute! And hopefully eating good and staying healthy, now that he’s in a good home.


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