Runt puppies hold a unique appeal in our hearts. We want them to thrive so that we can share in their triumph. Many people say runts have great personalities and that’s why they want the smallest puppy. I guess the runt had to be more outgoing to get food and maybe more one on one time because of hand feeding if needed, but other than that I do not see a difference in the runt puppies.
Many breeders will kill a runt puppy at birth because it could have underlying issues that had caused it to be smaller than the litter mates. I however choose to have the vet look at the puppy and the vet will say if the puppy is suffering or has any signs of a problem such as a heart murmur that could cause a puppy not to grow. If there is something wrong with the puppy then the vet will decide to put it down. If the vet finds that the puppy acts perfectly healthy and there are no visible signs of a medical issue, then we will place the puppy in a pet home at a greatly discounted price.
Any runt puppy is covered by our health guarantee just as any other puppy is. We do not however pay for your vet bills. So if you are worried about a runt possibly having medical issues,” you can not afford,” maybe you should get a regular sized pup in the litter. It is rare but is possible the puppy has a medical problem that is just not apparent at time of adoption that is causing the size difference. This is true of absolutely any breed of dog. Most runts are just smaller but a few are smaller because of a medical problem, and not all issues are seen early in life. If something medically that is life threatening shows up that is causing the growth to be slow then you will be covered by our puppy health guarantee and you will get a credit of the purchase price of your puppy towards a future puppy from us.
Sometimes a runt is the smallest, but healthy, sibling. Only time will tell. A runt puppy in a litter is going to happen, no way around it, but we can be proactive and save many puppies just by caring enough to take the extra time and individual care a good breeder should. Most catch up to the other puppies in the litter by the time they are fully grown, a few will always be smaller than the breed standard size. Again only time will tell.
In giant schnauzers and most other breeds the size genetically is pretty stable so a runt is likely to catch up to other puppies in the litter by the time they are adults. It is different with a breed like Poodles. In the Poodle breed the size is not stable: An example is that all toy and mini Poodles are from Standard Poodles that were bred down in size to be extra tiny. So genetically they are very close. So Poodles and Poodle mixes can have puppies that are bigger or smaller than the parents. So a micro or teacup Poodle from tiny poodle parents may not be a “runt” at all.
The most important resource for giving a runt puppy the best care and quality of a life is a great vet. If we have a puppy that is smaller sized we have the vet look over it and see if anything is wrong before we offer it for adoption. We are always there for you throughout the life of your puppy and hope you keep us informed of how your puppy turns out to help us be better breeders.
Thank You, Tina and Family