Could this be a puppy farm?

[MinkSlink]

A friend bought a dog yesterday from pets 4 homes (in Yeovil, cockapoo, advert still on there) the 'breeder' said mothers milk had dried up and gave it to my friend at only seven weeks old saying she'd only be doing the same thing as she was anyway (feeding breskfast ceresl and milk) and not to take puppy to vet as she might get breeder in trouble.... Suspicious?

Very :(

Oh dear :-(

What should I do?

Get your friend to take the dog to the vet ASAP. It could be younger than 7 weeks.

Will the vet be able to tell how old it is?

yes, they will have a good estimate
poor puppy

If the pup is 7 weeks then it should be eating dog food by now, mashed up to a paste consistency. Cereals can be used for new weaners at around 3 weeks old who are getting mums milk too but not for fully weaned pups.

I reckon the pup may be younger than 7 weeks. What colour are it's eyes? Has it got teeth? She needs to get it to a vet asap, if it is younger than 7 weeks it will need puppy milk.

No respectable breeder would give a pup at 7 weeks, they would already be vet checked, wormed and deflea'ed before going to the new home and the breeder definately wouldn't tell you not to take it to the vet. She will need to get it wormed anyway because it probably won't have been done by the sounds of it. She'll need to keep a really close eye on it, any runny bum etc needs to be checked out asap because alot of puppy farm pups end up with gardia etc which can be fatal.

Pups need to stay with litter and mum for socialisation and mental health

He's got teeth but his eyes are kind of blueish

The breeder told her it had been vet checked a swell as eye scored?!

What is it walking like? Is it still wobbly?

Yes still quite wobbly with very fat belly

She needs to take to bet asap, poor puppy.

?

Yes, I would say so

then she needs to take pup to the vet. She will need a specific puppy formula, as normal milk is going to be bad for her, could give him a bad tummy.

The breeder beIng in trouble is the least of worries.

Everyone is absolutely right that the puppy needs to go to the vet ASAP. They will have a good idea of age and be able to tell your friend how best to feed the puppy etc and what else to watch out for. She will have to keep a close eye on the pup's health - there are lots of horror stories of things going seriously wrong.

Once she's done that, she should also read up on puppy socialization. Pups from puppy farms are more likely to have behavioural problems and they haven't been socialized properly from a very early age - they won't even be used to normal household sounds or to being handled. Ian Dunbar's online training textbook is a good place to start, here. She will need to put in a lot of hard work to make up for the puppy's poor start in life.

the poor puppy could well have worms if it's tummy is swollen. What utter evil bitches these illegal breeders are. Poor puppy

Unfortunately, many puppy farmers are operating perfectly legally.

They will continue to flourish and make handsome profits for as long as people who are stupid and cruel carry on being their customers.

i don't think people are stupid or cruel Scuttlebutter, I think most people are misinformed or not informed at all. When I first began my search for a dog I looked at adverts in the papers etc. It was only talking to my sister who has two dogs that I learned that that is not the path to take. It is amazing how many people have never heard of the condititions in which puppy farm dogs and bitches are kept. I had never heard the phrase back yard breeder until I began researching pups. I certainly didnt realise the rescue situation was so dire It is down to those who are more informed to put others in teh picture. I tell everyone I can!

Steady on Scuttlebutter, I don't think it's fair to call OP's friend cruel. Stupid yes.

I agree with Scuttlebutter. What about the poor puppys mother? Who is going to take her to a vet. People who buy puppys like this are cruel and stupid. There is enough info out there ,if you can be bothered to do some research, to know this is not ok.

WTFwasThat - please don't describe puppy farmers as 'evil bitches'. They are just evil.

Bitches are the poor creatures that are forced to live on a puppy farm. Forced to suffer.

By putting money in the hand (almost certainly tax free too) of this breeder the purchaser (and I am not singling out the OP's friend - this applies to ALL purchasers of puppy farmed dogs) is creating a profit for a trade which is cruel, and directly incentivising the breeder to do it again very soon.

Let's not forget even licensed puppy farmers (and it is a licensed trade) are able to keep their licences even when pups are kept in dire conditions, when bitches are bed at less than a year old, when bitches are bred repeatedly, when illnesses are not treated, when health checks are not carried out, when bedding is not provided and when there is no obligation to say how or where bitches are disposed of when they are finally at their end of the exhausted pitiful lives.

Puppy farming could stop TOMORROW if numpties stopped buying.