Here is a check list for you to review. This goes for tiny toys and teacup sized puppies. In general the smaller the puppy, the more fragile it is as a puppy. You can compare a teacup or tiny toy puppy to a newly born human. They need extra care, kept warm, and careful watching for any changes in weight. They also may need to be fed around the clock and have a babysitter. Once tiny puppies are 6 mths old they are more sturdy and less fragile in most cases.
1. Is there small children in the home? Small children can hurt or kill a puppy on accident. Humans do not comprehend death until at least 6 yrs old and do not consider fragilness of an animal until at least 8 yrs old. So if you have small children you are taking a big risk.
2. Do you want your young puppy, before it is an adult, to be able to run on top your bed or sofa? A tinier puppy will break its leg or neck if it jumps or falls off of furniture. So you would have to wait until your dog is an adult before it could sleep in bed with you and in some cases such as super tiny sized dogs it would always be to tiny to be up on furniture without being held.
3. Can your family afford lots of vet bills? Tinier sized puppies are much more fragile so every day things that would not hurt an average sized puppy could kill a tinier puppy. Compare a 1 week old human catching the flu to a 7 yr old child catching the flu. The younger one would most likely need to be hospitalized and have extensive care for a week or more where as the 7 yr old would just need to drink fluids and have temp kept down. Same in tinier sized puppies. This even goes for routine sicknesses or after a routine vaccine or worming, which can cause pup to stop eating. Take for example coccidiosis or bacteria. These are readily in our environment and are in the body of all animals but STRESS, ANY STRESS, can cause the immune system not to keep these things in check so then the tiny puppy gets overwhelmed with it in his system. If it is an average sized puppy you might see a few softer stools but the puppy acts fine and in most cases gets over it quickly with a couple day antibiotic or with fluids and rest. But if the puppy is a tinier size it may stop eating, or have a critical reaction and have to be hospitalized for days which is going to cost the owner more money. So can you afford a tinier puppy???? If you are saving up to get a puppy then a teacup is not right for you. You should be able to afford the extra vet care your teacup is going to need because of his fragile nature. That goes for the day you receive your puppy on… We do not refund for vet bills on any dog for any reason. If you buy a puppy from us and it gets overwhelmed with a bacteria, coccidiosis or anything else that is in the environment we do not guarantee for this. We have a schedule of worming and meds we give the puppies and no puppy is guaranteed to be free of these things at time of sell. Because they are young and additional wormings and preventives need to be done throughout the dogs life. And stress of going to a new home can cause things to develop in any puppy quickly and tinier puppies are overwhelmed quicker than average sized puppies. Even routine vaccines such as kennel cough can make the puppy get the sickness for a while because it is a weakend live virus and tinier puppies have more likelihood of a weak immune system that can catch the sickness you are vaccinating for. Again, more vet bills from day one of having a new teacup puppy. Some people get pet insurance to be proactive when getting a puppy of any size. If your puppy of any size ever has a problem that requires vet care you should call me for my advice and my own vet’s advice to help keep your vet bills lower for you. If you have any concerns at all please call me. I have my phone at my side 24/7 for this very reason.
4. Does your schedule allow for feeding a puppy every 3-4 hrs if needed? Some puppies because of stress or many other factors need to be fed around the clock like a newborn baby. Are you willing and able to do this? Sometimes it is just for a day or two and sometimes weeks at a time is needed of syringe feeding.
5. Is your house ok for a tinier puppy? Is your house drafty, or does it have high drops such as a loft area? If so you may need to think twice about getting a super small dog. Tinier puppies can have a hard time regulating body temperature so you want his environment to be normal room temp and not to cold, even supplying a heating pad so if wanted the pup can use it. Loft areas can be a falling hazard.
6. Are you ok with your puppy living in a pen or crate for the next few mths of his life only coming out for short play sessions? Because of their tiny size a puppy can get stepped on or hurt himself around the house so would need to have his own spot set up in your home until he has some weight and age on him, like around 6 mths of age or so.
7, Do you have a sitter? If you have to work for 8 hrs a day or want to go on vacation you would need someone to check on your young puppy every 3 to 4 hrs around the clock while you are gone. Syringe feeding if needed and with knowledge as to how to care for a puppy and how to spot if your pup is having a problem.
8. Do you have large breed dogs or other possibly dangerous animals? If so you may need to keep the puppy away or consider a larger sized puppy. I had a person that owned 2 boa snakes call asking if I would sell them a tiny puppy. You could guess my answer. I have had people with large breed dogs get a tinier puppy but you do need to be aware of the risks involved if you choose to do that and you really need to know your large dog well.
9. Tinier puppies also have more of a chance of small defects that are not life threatening. If you compare all regular sized puppies with all tiny teacup sized puppies you will see more instances of open fontanels, loose knees, imperfect bites, etc in the tinier sizes… Now a defect is still extremely rare in any size but you do see a pup pop up with one every now and then. These things are not life threatening and most people would not even notice the differences. If we or our vet finds any issue at all we tell the puppy buyer so they can choose another puppy if wanted. Anything life threatening would be covered by our guarantee, even after you receive your puppy, non life threatening is not covered.
I feel owning the tinier adult dog of your dreams is worth the extra effort and care you may have to put into your tinier puppy while it is a young pup. Now that you have the check list do you feel the same? Many people do and I have heard wonderful stories of how people love their tinier family members. Once your puppy is over 6 mths old the fragile nature will diminish to almost nothing. I am always available 24/7 if you ever have questions or need advice.