I want to buy a boxer puppy. He is deaf, has a heart murmur and his testicles have not droped, should I?

Question

This little puppy is 9 weeks old. He is very cute but the breeders want the same price as the other puppies. Should I stay away form that puppy and look at other at the same breeder different bitches? Or just stay away all together. I am not sure what to do.
Thanks

Answer 1

YES. and name it .. Lucky.
Seriously though, why would you want a defective pup? And why would you go anywhere near that so called " breeder"! Stay away. Far away. Don't pay breeders to foist their genetic goofs on anyone.. it just encourages them to make more people miserable when other,awful,flaws appear,and gives a bad name to real Breeders. Their are genuine and decent people put there that have quality if not quantities of good dogs.

Answer 2

I have the feeling that you are asking us, but you already know the answer in your heart. If that breeder will even consider selling that pup, you should run the other way, because they obviously have no ethics and no scruples. Why on earth would you want to start out with an unhealthy pup? Who knows what other health problems they have bred into their lines? It is possible his testicles will still drop, but most pups do have both testicles down by 9 weeks (in spite of what other people are telling you) and if they don't drop, neutering will cost you a few hundred bucks-- if his heart is strong enough to stand the surgery. The murmur may be innocent, or may be an indication that his heart will not be able to support a big dog, and in that case he will die before he reaches maturity. Some people will tell you to buy him so that his breeders don't put him down, but if you do, you are just encouraging them to keep breeding inferior dogs, like the people who feel they have to "rescue" a puppy from a puppy mill or pet store, when what they have really done is support the puppy mills and puppy sellers. Tell them you aren't interested and find a healthy puppy somewhere else. If you want to rescue a puppy, look at your local pound. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

If you have a really kind heart and want to give this poor little puppy a Loving and caring home then do BUT would NOT PAY Full Price for this little dog is defective-contact the Breeders Association for Boxers-there must be some kind of rule against selling a sick puppy at full price-the heart murmur can be minor and can be major-only a vet can determine See www.thensome.com its a site that talks about heart murmurs.If you are a patient person that loves animals and out of the kindness of your heart wants to give the puppy a good home then do your best to get it away from the breeder for people may abuse th little feller because he'll require extra attention and training-obviously he'll have to be a Housedog-considering hes deaf can't be outside without someone there with him or you could consider getting the puppy a guide dog-has been done before and the dogs do very well. Being that it is Christmas you have a opportunity to do something really noble and name the puppy appropriately Mirace. You'll be very blessed if you o this -for you'll be rescuing and caring for one of God's creatures-its obvious the breeders do not care for the puppy except what profit-dollars-that they'll get for him-what sorry people. Hope that your heart will stay soft and you'll be a Hero.

Answer 4

The only questions you should be asking are
1) can I give this dog a good home?
2)can I afford (emotionally and financaially) this dog?

If you can answer yes to BOTH these questions then I would say go for it! The only other consideration is an ethical one that has nothing to do with this particular dog.
This is do you want to promote this particular breeder (as that is what you are doing by buying this dog) Personally I would say no . Though I dont know the details of this dogs health problems they may be due to cruelty or neglect of either the mother, the puppy, or of the breeding stock in general. You could possibly ask a vet to visit the dogs or take the puppy to a vets after you have bought him to find out these answers. At least if you buy him and take him to a vets then if he does have to be put down you know it will be in a humane manner. When buying a puppy please always keep the dogs best interest at heart.
A Very Merry Christmas to you!
PS Ive got a heart murmur myself and someone gave me a good home!

Answer 5

I am soo sorry for that pup! He needs a good home. the breeders should give him to you if you would give him a goo d home. But you have to remember a boxer is a very energetic dog. this one Will not hear your commands. If you yell down. He will not hear it! If you say sit he will not hear it. You can teach them hand signals BUT that takes SO much more patience! In the interim he will destroy half your house.A deaf dog is not suited for out door life either!

The testicles don't usually drop by 9 weeks. The heart murmur may kill the pup at any point and it may have no effect on the pups life. But the deafness is bad. do some research on deaf dogs as pets.

And as for the breeder they are awful. I would not consider buying one fo their dogs. They, obviously, are not good breeders just a puppy mill. They are horrible! That pup should not be sold at any price. He should be given to a good home and any other dog related to him may carry the genes for the problems he has or the problems will crop up later in life in their lives. These people have very inferior pets and they a re going to cause a lot of heart break!.

Answer 6

Why would this breeder charge the same amount for an inferior pup? Sounds to me like they're more in it for the money than improving the breed, which is what a good breeder's purpose is. I would stay away from that breeder. That poor pup is in need of a good home that can pay big medical bills, not for someone to get rich off of. I would suggest looking for another breeder or better yet, find a boxer rescue that has plenty of dogs to choose from, where they're fully tested for any physical or behavioral issues. Good luck!

Answer 7

There will be a lot of issues taking on a dog with such health problems, mostly the sheer cost of Vet Bills. Another problem will be on patient, special training since he's deaf. You will need to weigh all of these issues before deciding whether or not to take him. The breeder should NOT be charging the same price as a healthy puppy as he could possibly pass along these genetic defects if he ever breeds.

If you are at all doubtful at being able to afford him or have the time to spend with this special puppy, I'd advise you not to. IMO, nothing is worse than someone taking on the responsibility of an animal and then getting rid of it later.

GL

Answer 8

Firstly, dogs testicles do not typically drop untill they are close to 6 months old, that is not a concern. Second question to ask, how bad is the heart murmur, this is typically on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the worst. I've heard of a 1-6 scale but never by a vet.
The deafness, thats what you have to worry about, whether or not you have the time and patience for the type of training this dog would need to receive. I'd suggest doing some research into training a deaf dog, and if there are any centres/trainers in your area that have worked with deaf dogs in the past

Answer 9

Ok first of all a dog of show quality would fetch a higher price than a puppy of pet quality. I'm guessing this person is jipping you a bit wanting a show price for a pet quality dog. Haggle with them if you really want this puppy.

Also, you have to be willing to do some real babying to this sweet pup. He's deaf, you'll have to help keep him safe. A heart murmur can be interesting, it depends on how bad the heart valve is. I have what the dr. called a "working" heart murmur. My heart still skips beats sometimes, but the valve still works most of the time. The vet can give you more info on this. There could be a chance that the dog may have to have it replaced.

As for the testicles, ask a vet on that one as well. I know with one particular cat, the testicles hadn't quite dropped fully when they went to fix him.

Were you wanting to breed the dog? If so, you'll want one without defects. A heart murmur can pass on to the trait to other babies. It's possible, if it's genetic.

Also, if you don't adopt the pup, what will these people do to it? Will they put it down or keep it.

Answer 10

No reputable breeder would sell a dog like that at full price. You are looking at having him neutered (has to be), the heart murmur may and probably will get worse with age. Being deaf means you will have to learn how to train him as he can't hear. I love Boxers and have two, but I would walk away as fast as I could and check out Petfinder.com for a rescue Boxer. There are hundreds of them in rescue. Look at it this way, you will be giving a good home to a Boxer that needs one and may be healthy, up to date on its shots, heartworm checked and on preventative and have had some obedience training. There are Boxer rescues all over the country. The list can be found on Petfinder.com also.
Good luck.

Answer 11

RUN FAR AWAY FROM THIS SO CALLED BREEEDER. Any breeder that would try to sell someone a pup with so many defects and to try to sell them at the same price as a healthy pup is a horrible breeder. Why would you even consider buying a pup from that breeder. If the breeder would give you the pups and you would love it forever, that would be a different story but do not pay anything to that breeder for a sick pup!