Hello everyone, this is my first post! I am currently trying to get a Husky puppy and I found one that I really like, unfortunately its in Georgia and I am in Central Florida
I asked the breeder to send me tons of pictures so I can make sure the dog is worth the 9 hour drive and the dog looks beautiful except for this spot on its foot


I asked the breeder about it, and she wasn't too sure herself, she said she was going to ask when she goes to the vet next week. Do you guys have any idea what it could be? Should this be a deterrent from this beautiful puppy?
Thanks in advanced!
Puppy is 3 weeks old if that makes any difference.
Full puppy album, just for fun
https://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc424/cwilcoxvasquez/Puppy/

It could be a number of things, I'd wait for what the vet says since you don't know the symptoms. Sounds like a BYB to me. Are the parents CERF and OFA tested? Ask the breeder for their scores.

I'm fairly sure its a BYB. I know it's not necessarily a good thing, but I read a thread on here about perfectly healthy puppies that came from BYBs. I understand what you are saying though and I will ask them next time I talk to them!

Good! My Kale is from a BYB, I wish that I had had the nerve when I rescued him from the guy who had him at the time, to ask for the parents OFA and CERF scores, or even a picture of his parents, but I didn't. I just wanted to pay the guy and get Kale outta the Fresno heat and give him some water. Kudos to you for staying in contact with them and following up on the vet visits!! I'm sure he'll get the proper treatment and be in your arms in no time!

From your profile picture your dog looks BEAUTIFUL! I'm sure it feels awesome knowing you saved that puppy and now its in a better home with you. She's going to the vet on Monday, so fingers crossed that it's nothing too serious.

It shouldn't be. The most common causes for hair loss in puppies are ringworm, and Demodex. Both are very treatable with topical medications and/or oral meds. Ringworm is a fungal infection and is very contagious to other dogs and people. Demodex is a mite that normally lives in the hair follicles (in humans as well (mostly in our eyebrows! EW! lol), but can spread and become a problem with a stressed or compromised immune system. It is very common in puppies since their immune systems are not fully developed; it is not contagious. It could be something else as well, but those two are the most common that I see at work.

She's a cutie!! I love how she's mostly white on her head! Little chunky monkey!

BYB

Sad people continue to exploit these wonderful creatures for money.

I had a litter of Heeler puP's once and one of the puppies got a spot like that, not as big though. I took the whole litter to the vet and it ended up being staph. Vet gave me some cream and within a week they were good to go. Hopefully it's something simple to treat! Pretty pup:)

CoryWV wrote:

I'm fairly sure its a BYB. I know it's not necessarily a good thing, but I read a thread on here about perfectly healthy puppies that came from BYBs. I understand what you are saying though and I will ask them next time I talk to them!

please ask, and know that even if you do ask they might not be telling the truth, make sure all the puppies are healthy and worm-free and have had all their puppy shots. just because a few people get lucky and have healthy puppies does not mean they all will be. we have had new members on here with very sick puppies that were not cared for and cost $$$ to get them healthy .

now on to the toe:
that does not look like a spot to me it looks like the whole toe is infected! Sierras toe swelled up like that once, we think a pricker got in there and got infected, few bath soaks and meds and it went down.

i would ask to have the vets # so you can call the vet your self and hear what they say about the area. i would not buy the puppy unless its healthy, and you are told that from the vet.
sorry i dont trust many people

We got Siku from a BYB and she did have some health problems right off the bat. Spend a good $300 on her just in vet bills the first few days we had her. BYB's really won't stop breeding until people stop buying from them, sorry to say.

BTW, I'm in Central FL too and I know a good breeder who just bred her female. Her female is a champion and has had her CERF and OFA tests done. I truely think she bred her male much too young, but there were family issues and timing of things that made that happen. He's a very nice male, just too young to breed IMO. But that being said, I highly recommend her over any BYB. Private message me if you want her details.

What part of C. FL are you in? I'm in Deltona. We have a group called CFLSnowdogs on facebook. We meet up at different dog parks and let our huskies play together. It's a lot of fun.

Thank you for everyone's replies!
jbealer- Once she takes them to the vet I will have more answers, and in turn more questions. I think its a really good idea to contact the vet to get the scoop straight from them. When the breeder told me they were going to ask the vet she said she would do so on their visit to get their shots, so it sounds like they are on the right track at least. I will get confirmation on everything before I drive 9 hours to get this puppy though, best believe!
SaraB- I am a student a UCF, I live in very close proximity to the campus. I'm originally from Jacksonville so I am not too familiar with this area yet, but from what I understand Deltona is fairly close! If this puppy doesn't work out I will definitely get the information on that breeder from you!

SaraB wrote:

BYB's really won't stop breeding until people stop buying from them, sorry to say.

I wanted to reiterate the above statement because it is so true. It's not really the dogs that are from BYB's that is as disturbing as supporting a BYB by paying them for a puppy and feeding the vicious cycle. A cycle that won't stop until people stop supporting BYB. Please keep that in mind, Cory, if this person is asking for money in exchange for this puppy.

I would also second Jenn's advice to either get a copy of the pup's vet records showing when it was taken, the diagnosis AND treatment instructions/meds, or ask to speak to the pup's vet personally. If the breeder won't provide this information then I would run far away.

jbealer wrote:

CoryWV wrote:

I'm fairly sure its a BYB. I know it's not necessarily a good thing, but I read a thread on here about perfectly healthy puppies that came from BYBs.

just because a few people get lucky and have healthy puppies does not mean they all will be. we have had new members on here with very sick puppies that were not cared for and cost $$$ to get them healthy .

Again, Jenn has a good point. With a reputable breeder you have much more assurance (there's never a guarantee no matter how good a breeder is) that you will have a sound, healthy puppy. With a BYB you never know what you'll end up with. The same holds true for rescues but at least with a rescue/adopted dog you are not supporting the continuation of the cycle of undesirable breeding practices.

As an example of what you could end up with, all three of my dogs are rescues...

Dakota, our Siberian husky, was a stray before we adopted him so we have no background history on him whatsoever but he is and always has been a picture of perfect health.

Faith, our older smooth coat Chihuahua, was bred by a very reputable breeder who produced many champions yet she fell into the hands of a BYB who bred her until she was no longer a money-maker. Faith, despite coming from a reputable breeder, has a congenital juvenile cataracts. Given that, she should have been spayed and not been used for breeding. Did the BYB she ended up with care about getting her health checked and not passing on her genetic problem? Nope, the BYB cared about $$$ and passed on Faith's cataracts to countless offspring.

Glory, our younger long coat Chihuahua, happens to be Faith's daughter and was bred by the BYB that her mother ended up with. Glory has even more genetic health problems than her mom and has thus far been the most costly of all our dogs when it comes to vet bills and supplements/treatment for her ongoing health issues which include the hereditary cataracts (passed on from her mom) and hereditary knee problems which require constant treatment which isn't cheap.

I'm just saying, chances are higher that you'll have health problems in a dog that is purchased from a BYB versus one from a reputable breeder. Just something to keep in mind as you make your decision.

You bring up some very good and interesting points that I did not consider before. I'm sure it would be difficult for a vet to detect medical issues with a young puppy, so I should inquire more about the parents. What sort of questions, or documents can I ask for that could help determine the likely hood of a genetic problem?

You are correct, in a puppy that young you will not be able to get a clear picture of how healthy or not it will be. If you are purchasing a puppy from any breeder, reputable or not, you should find out what health testing has been done, at what age, how many times, and what the results were for both parents. Sibes most commonly have their eyes (CERF) and hips (OFA) checked. If one or both of the parents were tested at a young age (less than 2 yrs old) then I would find out if they were tested again, when and what the results of the later test were. The reason for re-testing in dogs who were young at their first test is that as they got older their structure may have changed since their first test.

If you haven't already, you might have a quick read through this thread that has some helpful tips on questions to ask and things to look out for when considering purchasing a puppy from a breeder.
How to Find a Reputable Breeder

Oh and by the way, I'm originally from Jax and I went to school at UCF also. Small world.

Wow, very small world! Where about in Jacksonville did you live? It says you are 27, that's about my sisters age.
Thank you for all of your advice, hopefully I can get more information from the breeders Monday when they take the pups to the vet. When I find out whats wrong with the toe I will inquire about the parents as well.

I totally agree with Val. Hereditary problems with BYB is MAJOR! I spent a good chunck for Kale just to bring him home and another 400 on top of that because he had a severe case or roundworms and coccidia which are intestinal parasites. He was also severely under developed due to both of those infections and it looked like he could barely walk for the first week we had him, mind you I got him at five weeks. As he grew I made sure he was on a good large breed food so that he would grow at a slower rate, but started to notice that his legs were starting to bow out at around 3 months old. He has a leg deformity due to irresponsible breeding, thanks goodness it's not severe and he can still run and jump and play, but if fear that he will have early arthritis because of it. I never talk about it becase I don't want to think about it and enjoy his spryness now, but i have noticed that he is starting to get a limp towards the ends of his walk. gets me teary eyed just typing this.

him as pup just starting to become more noticeable


and him now


Just remember that if you do decide to get a pup from a BYB that they may have problems in the beginning, later on in life, or both like my Kale. Just something to think about.

CoryWV wrote:

Wow, very small world! Where about in Jacksonville did you live? It says you are 27, that's about my sisters age.
Thank you for all of your advice, hopefully I can get more information from the breeders Monday when they take the pups to the vet. When I find out whats wrong with the toe I will inquire about the parents as well.

Sounds like a good plan and you'll have plenty of time to prepare any additional questions you may have for the breeder.

I mostly lived in the Argyle/Chimney Lakes area just outside of Orange Park. Prior to that I lived on the Westside off Timuquana. I went to Bishop Kenny HS and also put in 2 years at UNF. After UNF I put in 1.5 yrs at USF in Tampa, met my future husband who lived in Orlando at the time, and because of him I transferred over to UCF where I finally got a degree. Of the 3 universities I liked UNF the most because of it's small size. Whereabouts in Jax did you call home? My parents and sister still live in Jax so we still visit there frequently. My in-laws live in Orlando (Winter Garden more specifically) still so we also visit there on occasion.

I'm very sorry to hear about Kale, my heart goes out to you and your dog I will pray for you both!
The listing claims that the sire was from a working line of huskies, that the puppy will be CKC registered, and she isn't asking very much for the puppy, so I don't think the breeders trying to use these pups to get rich. I know these are little things but they help, I am still going to ask for more documentation and questions when the time comes.

I lived in Orange Park, in a subdivision called Tanglewood. Its literally across from Ridgeview Highschool if you are familiar with that school. My sister went to UNF, she really liked it. Funny you mention Bishop Kenny, my girlfriend went there. I never even heard of that school until I met her and now everyone I know is/has been there!

I went to UNF for 2yrs then transferred to UF. Deltona is about an hour north of you. Our group does meet up in Orlando and Winter Springs once a month.

When they say CKC, ask if they mean Canadian Kennel Club or Continental Kennel Club. Canadian is well respected, but Continental is pretty much solely used by puppy mills and BYB's. Definitely ask if they have gotten the parent's hips and eyes tested and what their scores were. You want a "normal" for eyes and "good" or "excellent" for hips. You can also inquire about their relatives and see how they scored too (if they were AKC registered you could just go to MyAKC and look up with AKC numbers and see what tests they've gotten). And ask if the line has had any other health problems. My guess is they won't know any of this and give you the same lame escuses that Siku's breeder gave me. I'm still mad that I paid that stupid women, though I do love Siku. I noticed after we got Siku, her breeder suddenly got more dogs and always has 2+ litters on her site. I bet she produced more than 200 puppies just this year. It's sickening. We found a reputable show breeder when we got Elara. I know her parent's backgrounds and those further back in her pedigree and as a bonus I talk to her breeder all the time. After Siku's breeder sold us Siku we never heard from her again. I contacted her about Siku having worms really bad (almost killed her) and all she replied was that none of the other puppies had worms. Didn't seem cared at all! Almost acted like it was my fault! And we had only had her for a day and a half! I was so pissed.

I also know of a few other reputable breeders (I show Elara and have met these people at the dog shows) and one big time one (they have many top dogs in the breed) is in Jacksonville.

I was wondering about CKC (Continental). That's where our breeder filed paperwork for Ghost, so that's where we registered her. I've voiced my suspicions before, after I learned a little more here, and I'm pretty sure they were BYB. Lesson learned on that one...

Cory, I really hope that spot doesn't turn out to be something serious.

BTW, Cory, we all would honestly like if BYB's weren't supported, but we all know how easily you can fall in love with a puppy! So please don't think we are being harsh and are going to hate you if you buy this puppy. We did the same thing with Siku. My bf found an ad for her and fell in love. Couldn't do anything to change his mind, plus she was a really cute puppy and I fell for her too. Though if you haven't fallen in love already and haven't put a down payment on it already, do look around at different breeders.

I wasn't very informed of back yard breeders and just how much exploitation these dogs suffer when I first started looking for a puppy.I have learned so much from you guys over the past few days and I really appreciate it! At this point, I am not really comfortable supporting BYB but as you just said Sara, it is really hard to walk away from a puppy you have fell in love with, which is what has happened with my girlfriend. I have been relaying the information that you guys have been giving to me and asked her if the parents haven't been tested and its a BYB would she be interested in looking elsewhere and her answer was "No, we are getting this puppy". At first I thought she was being stubborn but the more I talk to her about it, she really has fallen for this dog. All I can do is hope/pray that this is a healthy puppy, and have confidence in knowing that its going to a good home!
In the future, way down the line, if we get another dog (which I heard is almost impossible not to do with Huskies) I'm strictly going to look for/ask for reputable breeders so we won't get attached to a BYB puppy again.
Here's to hoping her toe is alright! Two more days and we will know for sure.

Looks like mange on the toe, interesting place for it to be. You usually see it on the face/legs/body not just a toe. Either way I hope they figure out what it is and have it be something simple like mange.

CoryWV wrote:

In the future, way down the line, if we get another dog (which I heard is almost impossible not to do with Huskies) I'm strictly going to look for/ask for reputable breeders so we won't get attached to a BYB puppy again.
Here's to hoping her toe is alright! Two more days and we will know for sure.

Yes, husky ownership brings on "potato chip syndrome". Once you experience puppy ownership you may or may not want to experience it again. I would hope that either way you would consider rescuing a homeless husky for your next dog. We have a big pet overpopulation problem with innocent lives being lost daily.