sandgrubber

No one can absolutely guarantee there will be no hereditary health issues with a pup. You should read up on the breed and find what health problems are worries, and what testing is recommended for the breed. Ask if side and dam are tested and get their test results. Ask about longevity in the bloodline. There are many health problems, including some with a genetic component, for which there are no tests (allergies, cancer, epilepsy, bloat, to name a few), and some tests that don't rule out health problems in the pups (hip and elbow scoring, some of the things checked in annual eye testing).

There seems to be a cadre of anti-chemical folks out there...like the anti-vaxxers. I'd do a critical review. If there are 100 serious side effects reported and 10,000,000 dogs getting the stuff, I wouldn't worry. A wormer, by definition, is a poison that has been extensively tested for toxicity to mammals/dogs. Reported side effects can be due to 1. Dogs with some mutation that makes them vulnerable 2. Coincidence, and people looking for something to blame 3. Counterfeit drugs. In selecting wormers, it's important to know what works you need to guard against. Heartworm, tapeworm, and various other worms require different treatment. Ask your vet.

My first thought is local is good. Second thought, why grain free? Third though...'meal' can be top quality or junk, depending on what was ground and how it was treated. Final though: 16% fat is higher than I'd want to go for a Lab

Labs are water dogs. Raincoats, IMO, are entirely unnecessary. Towels, on the other hand, are obligatory

Flea and tick meds are essentially insecticides (commonly neurotoxins) that, when tested, showed little toxicity in mammals (rats and mice first, progressing to dogs and cats). I've read that the blood brain barrier in mammals makes them immune to some(many?) of the neurotoxins used as insecticides. I have no idea how many dogs are on Bravecto or Nextguard. 10s of millions? Hundreds of millions? A relatively small number have experienced problems. It's possible that some dogs have blood brain barrier problems that let insecticides cross, or that on rare occasions some odd coincidence results in apparent poisoning when something else actually caused illness/death. It's also possible that counterfeit drugs are on the market and causing problems. I don't think it's time to panic or use language like 'killing our pets'. Further investigation and transparency are needed. If you want to be absolutely safe, use no flea or tick meds. Anything you do use poses a very small risk. With my own dogs, I've had seizures following use of synthetic pyretheroids... another class of insecticide and excellent results using Bravecto. one further note, if the problem is in crossing the blood brain barrier, it's unlikely to show up in the kidneys.

Yes. A breeder would know. But with puppy prices where they are, lots of people are breeding for $. IMO the pedigree dog world pays far too little to allergies and skin problems in health testing. A lifetime of itching is as bad or worse than old age cataracts. There's a good chance it has a hereditary the component... inbreeding compromises immune system...but very little research has gone that direction. Sadly, I doubt you're going to have much success in pinning this on the breeder because it is a blind spot in pedigree dog breeding.

No matter what problem your dog has someone will come up with a dietary fix, usually based on anecdotes. 30% protein isn't particularly high for puppy chow. I've seen higher in working dog bickies. No harm trying for a week or two, I guess.

Not a rage that's going to fly at my house. I find it challenging to cook for myself. No way I'm going to take on cooking for the dog

Japanese chin?

Yes... although this research was looking at more basic behaviors... like making eye contact and interpreting a pointing finger.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/these-adorable-puppies-may-help-explain-why-dogs-understand-our-body-language Some interesting experiments on human body language (eye contact, pointing) with a large number of 8 week old puppies. " Enter puppies. If social intelligence is genetic, dogs should display it at a very young age. And there shouldn’t be any learning required. That’s what MacLean and his colleagues found. The scientists partnered with Canine Companions for Independence, which breeds dogs to assist people in the United States with post-traumatic stress disorder and physical disabilities. The group loaned the researchers 375 8-week-old Labrador and golden retriever pups: They were just old enough to participate in the experiments, but young enough to have had very little interaction—and thus experience or learning—with people."

This includes a description of what the FDA data are, specifically for the recent Soresto flea collar scare https://skeptvet.com/Blog/2021/03/seresto-flea-tick-collars-the-new-satanic-panic/

Were the meds bought online from a discount seller? I have no idea of how widespread counterfeits are, but I can believe they're causing a lot of problems.

1. Unless those are verified reports, I'd be skeptical. 2. How many Ozzie dogs would die of paralysis ticks if not protected? 3. Be aware that the data are for a 33 year period. 4. How do you know the drugs causing problems weren't counterfeit knock-offs?

something sounds wrong. Codine? I'm used to Benadryl being recommend. Then others saying honey water works as well, particularly Manuka honey. And the KC I've seen was dry, not mucusy. I'd ask your vet (or the vet nurse). KC doesn't respond to antibiotics... they're not usually prescribed unless there's a secondary bacterial infection.

She may be perfectly healthy NOW. That's no guarantee that there won't be adult onset problems. Most serious health problems don't show in young pups

I'd suggest attaching a photo of the papers. I've never seen 'pup only' on a pedigree.

I'd ditch the partner, but it's a little rude to say that, knowing nothing about your relationship and what else is going on.

Scaring people gets readers. The article requires critical review. https://skeptvet.com/Blog/2021/03/seresto-flea-tick-collars-the-new-satanic-panic/

The word 'registered' can be used to mean registered with council, and there are a few registers other than the main pedigree registration bodies (state canine associations). Some of these may accept cross breeding. Some may be commercially oriented. No registration guarantees great care to mum and pups. You really have to look into the individual breeder. To further complicate things, some people who get slammed as back yard breeders and are on no registry consider their dogs to be family members and take loving care, though they may skip health testing. The high price of pups these days makes for a lot of opportunists.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full The health effects of desexing appear to be breed specific. The above study looked at data from 40,000 dogs, including 383 pugs. Basically it found little difference between intact and desexed pugs. Pug The study population was 96 intact males, 106 neutered males, 63 intact females, and 118 spayed females for a total sample of 383 cases. In intact males and females, the occurrences of joint disorders were zero and 2 percent, respectively. In neutered males and females, there was no evident increased occurrence of joint disorders. The level of occurrence of one or more cancers in intact males was 6 percent and in intact females, 8 percent. Neutering males and females did not lead to any evident increase in risk of a cancer. There were no cases of MC in females left intact or spayed at any time, and there was a 5 percent occurrence of PYO in the intact females. None of the females was diagnosed with UI. Lacking a noticeable occurrence of increased joint disorders or cancers in neutered males or females, those wishing to neuter should decide on the appropriate age.

I bought some when I had a chewing Lab pup. The pup chewed up the bottle.

Evidence for probiotics isn't great https://skeptvet.com/Blog/2019/10/no-good-news-for-veterinary-probiotics/

Carbs aren't just a filler. Dogs have enzymes to break down carbs. If you read very old dog books, bread and milk were commonly used to feed weanling puppies. I'm not saying you should feed hi carb diets to pups...but there's a lot of stuff written about dog diets that has a weak scientific basis, and a lot of pressure to feed expensive products.

I can see your point of view, but it could also be argued that low fertility bitches aren't the best breeding stock. IMO the ideal brood bitch throws large litters without problems and is an excellent mother. No real disagreement though. I have never seen any evidence that a bitches health is harmed by having many litters, given proper nutrition and care. Indeed, the risk of pyometra is reduced by periodic litters. (Repeat singletons would seem, often, to mean repeat Ceasars, which is a health risk).