question for our resident vet

[dan.]

im looking at getting a german shepherd , have been looking for a while now. My better half knows a friend who has just had a litter of ten pups, only two of which have survived. She thought it was because they had a long birth ,but i suggested it may be an e coli infection from the mother so she took them to see the vet and it was confirmed. My question is, if these two pups do survive, what ,if any long term health issues could there be ?

 

[Apache]

It is possible that it is an e.coli infection or possibly 'fading puppy syndrome' caused by a herpes virus (canine herpes virus).

How old are the puppies now?

I would always suggest buying the most healthy puppies you can find and these may be best avoided? If they survive to weaning you could take a risk but there's no guarantee!

It's a really hard question to answer with any accuracy!

You sure you want a GSD? They can be prone to hip problems, skin problems, aggression issues etc :|

 

[Andy™]

They can be prone to hip problems, skin problems, aggression issues etc :|

i think that will apply to most of us!

 

[ABC Technical]

i think that will apply to most of us!

You know for a moment I thought Apache was talking about me.

 

[a1]

You know for a moment I thought Apache was talking about me.

He was. ]

Sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

[ABC Technical]

Cheers mate

No worries.

 

[dan.]

hi apache cheers for the reply,sorry its took me so long to answer,the pup im looking at is 5 weeks old now seems to be weaning fine.I know gsds are prone to hip problems along with other ailments,but have grown up with them so have a good idea how to bring them up to be non aggressive(i hope).i went to see the pup and meet the parents who are both really good with exellent temparments and have been brought up in a family home.

 

[Apache]

hi apache cheers for the reply,sorry its took me so long to answer,the pup im looking at is 5 weeks old now seems to be weaning fine.I know gsds are prone to hip problems along with other ailments,but have grown up with them so have a good idea how to bring them up to be non aggressive(i hope).i went to see the pup and meet the parents who are both really good with exellent temparments and have been brought up in a family home.

If it seems healthy and the parents are nice go for it

Thanks for the update