Should I buy her? (runt of the litter)

Question
Hi,

I've decided to buy a toy poodle. I went to the breeder today and I fell in love with a baby 3 weeks old poodle. She is exceptionally small, very cute and absolutely gorougs. I saw her parents and other littermates. Her parents are normal toy size 10" poodle. The breeder told me the girl I picked is the runt of the litter. She is very small, like 2/3 size of her sister.

What do you think I should do? Should I buy her? I've heard that runt usually have lots of genetic diseases and can end up the same size as other, is that true?

Please reply early as I need to pay the deposit in 2 days.
Thanks

Answer
Hello Kaley,
If you have your heart set on this little girl then go ahead and plan on getting her.  There are a couple things you should know about the runt of the litter though.  Sometimes they stay smaller than average and can have that runty look to them, and sometimes they fill out nicely.  They can have skin, organ, and sometimes development problems due to them being smaller and their bodies being weaker.
If you work with them (have the breeder make sure to watch that your girl is physically put on the female to nurse as sometimes the larger puppies will constantly nudge her over to get to a nipple and cause her to not get as much milk) you can help them become stronger and a more normal puppy.  Be sure to get a high quality puppy feed when you start them on the wet mixture.  This will insure that she gets the healthy vitamins and minerals her body needs to grow healthy.

You should also take her to a Vet before you buy her and make sure that there is nothing internally wrong with her.  If the vet certifies that she is healthy, then go ahead and put the deposit on her.  
If you don't have to travel very far to visit her, go often and play with her, as these first few weeks are very important for bonding with your puppy.  Hold her and let her get to know you at this early age.  
Here is an exercise you can do with her to help you bond with her.
Its called the Puppy Exam.  
Start with the puppy in your lap.  Her head should face your stomach and she should be on her back.  Rub her and get her to lay still.  Sometimes with puppies, you can get them to totally relax in your lap in this position.  When they will lay still, you can do a small exam on her.  Go over her head first, look in her ears (also gently pull a few hairs from inside her ear canal every time to get her used to having the hair extracted from her ears.  the more used to it she is the better), eyes, and in her mouth.  This is really good for her to accept so that when she is taken to the Vet or Groomer she won't resist being examined or groomed.
Move down her legs and get you used to feeling how the bones feel.  Play with her toes and move your fingers around the pads and the nails.  Click on the nails with your fingers and give them a light pinch to get her used to the feeling of a toenail clipper.  Go over her body, running your hand backwards against the grain of her hair.  Look for anything abnormal or things like fleas or ticks.
Go over her back legs and tail.  When you are finished, let her up and praise her.  Get her up to where she will let you go over her whole body.  Don't expect it over night.  Just do a little bit at a time.  
Have fun bonding with her and I am sure she will do great for you if you give her a little bit of time.  

Here is a recipe that you can use to help get her healthy.  Just put a small spoonful (maybe 1-1 1/2 Tablespoons) on her food.  Make sure you feed her a good quality food, such as Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Nutro Max, and Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers (yes they make a food now) which will give her what she needs for being healthy and strong.

1 lb Hamburger or Turkey Burger (70-30 because of higher fat content)
1/2 lb Spinach  
1 can Sardines in Olive Oil or 1/2 can of Salmon (use the oil of the sardines and blend it with the Spinach to make a juice)
2 eggs scrambled
1 Apple Blended (or you can use 1/2 cup of Applesauce)
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked using chicken broth for better flavor
1 grated carrot
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese

She will love it and think she is getting a treat, but its healthy for her.

I hope this helps you with your new puppy.  If I can help you further, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim