Question:
My 11 week old boxer puppy came from a puppy store two weeks ago.

He was very thin when we got him. Two days after we got him, he started gagging, as if something were stuck in his throat. Also, he breathes fast when sleeping and has a runny nose. He is current on puppy shots. I am thinking it is a bronchial bacteria. He is eating well, his feces is good and is very active, and he has gained weight and is growing well.

My vet is out of town. Any help at this moment would be great.

Answer:
Call a Vet ASAP and then call the pet store.

Answer:
I am so sorry to hear about your pup.

But unfortunately,this is what happens when you buy from a pet store.They come from puppy mills.Which I am sure you didn't know.I think there should be a law stating pet stores are not to sell puppies or kittens.


Please try and find another vet......I know when my vet is off for a while,there is another one to take his place...Call your vets office and see if you can see if there is another vet available.

Please do this as soon as possible.

Answer:
Hi, I have to start by saying that you should NEVER get a puppy from a pet store, because sicknesses are predictable for pet store pups. Anyways I have a 3 month old boxer that does the same thing, he also vomits his food quite a bit. I consulted 2 vets, got blood works done (to be safe) and my vet told me to give him special gastro canned food, which had helped tremendously, he has not vomited since I started him on the new food. Then I called my breeder, because she knows the breed more than any vet could. She told me that since the food was working and that he was improving, that I should not worry about it. It's normal for dogs who move into a new home to have sensitive stomachs, and once the stomach is irritated, it needs time to heal. So I would say that even if you bought your pup in a pet store, look on the internet, find a breeder in your area and call him or her or visit. You will get some great advice from them because a breeder will relate to your problems easier. Of course, see your vet if this is a serious problem! But otherwise, I would try gradual changes in his diet and then time to get him to adjust to his new diet.

Also, if your puppy is not eating enough, of getting thinner - see the vet immediately - it is probably serious.

Good luck with your new addition!

Answer:
Good post, cutelittlemako!

I have to start by saying that you should NEVER get a puppy from a pet store,
This cannot be repeated often enough. Those puppies ALL come from backyard breeders and puppymills, are bred with no regard to health or standards.

Every time someone buys a petstore puppy (or kitten) they reward these unscrupulous people and perpetuate and encourage the misery and cruelty that produces the puppies.:(

Is Mako your puppy's name? Is there any reason you named him after a shark?

Got a pic?

Answer:
Yeah Mako is my puppy's name. I named him after a shark because they are my favorite animal and Mako sharks are very beautiful animals! I do have a picture of him, but I don't know how to post it. Anyways, he's a flashy brindle - I just love him to death!!

After I got Mako I saw two boxer puppies in a pet store and I just felt awful, these two little puppies having to spend their day in a cage smaller than Mako's crate (which he only uses during the night and some short periods during the day). I felt like staying there and passing on business cards from my breeder to people who were looking at the dogs . Oh well I guess you can't learn if you don't try! The internet is a great way to get educated about where to buy your animals, and I'm sure people are getting more accurate information this way.

Answer:
I love brindle!

One thing you can do (and what we do) is post pictures of rescue animals on the local pet shop's bulletin board.

Your interest is boxers and there are many abandoned and needing homes! There is nothing wrong with buying a puppy from a reputable and responsible breeder, but it would be nice if all the dogs that are already here could get homes.

Answer:
That is SO true! I spent about 2 months looking through rescue sites before getting Mako, but the thing is, there are suprisingly not alot of dogs up for rescue in Ottawa or close to Ottawa. Each time I got interested in a dog it was either already adopted or I was told really negative things about the dog from the lady who worked at the humane society. I was really interested in Boxers and I found one at Foxy's Canine Companions near Montreal, but I could not adopt her because she did not adopt out to people from Ottawa. The Boxer Rescue of Ontario has a 4 MONTH waiting list. So I figured that they are not in any real emergency to place the animal - they are sure not to have to euthanize the animals. Anyways all this to say that boxers are hard to find in rescues and there are not alot of adoptable animals in the Ottawa region (suprising since Ottawa is pretty big).

Answer:
Oh! I know Foxy's, and I'm shocked that they would not adopt to you simply because you are in Ottawa which is only about 2 hours away! Do you remember the name of the dog you were interested in?

Yeah, it's not easy getting the kind of dog you want from rescues here in Canada, unless you want a Lab or Golden.

I intitially wanted a Doberman, but it was not possible to get one here, or in Ontario that was under 6 years old.

I then decided to get a pit bull, and couldn't find any here in Quebec. I had to go to Ontario to get one. Unfortunately, there is no shortage there. :(

Answer:
Foxy's is a great place!

I got my Sadie from Rosie Animal Adoption and I'm in Ontario they are in Montreal

Answer:
The name of the dog I was interested in was Keisha, she is a small Boxer mix, very cute. I was getting ready to go visit her in Montreal and the lady e-mailed me and told me not to bother because they didn't adopt out to people from Ottawa because it's too far away. It's ok, I'm glad I got Mako, but it's not like I didn't try rescues - it just didn't work out.

Answer:
Oh Keisha is just adorable, and I believe she has an adoption pending. She looks more like a pit bull mix than boxer to me.

I'm glad you found a pup that suits you!

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