[Nicole.Monroe365]

Hi everyone,
I just got a golden retriever puppy. She is supposed to be around 8 weeks old but she is only 4.2 lbs which is concerning to me. The guy I got her from stopped replying to me after we got her. He sent me a picture of her shot records and they seemed pretty sketchy. They were done in Mexico, I got the dog in Phoenix AZ. Also the date on the shot records were 4-2-2022. She would have only been 4 weeks old, what i've seen online is that puppies are not supposed to get their shots until 6-8 weeks old. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how old she might actually be and if she's a purebred as this is my first puppy. I took her to the vet a couple days ago, they said she seems very healthy and that it is possible that she could be 8 weeks old but they were unsure.

 

[dezymond]

Sounds pretty sketchy. If the vet says she's healthy then that's the best news possible in all of this. I wish you and your new puppy a long happy and healthy life! Let us know how she does moving forward!

 

[Prism Goldens]

If I had an 8 wk old puppy weighing 4 pounds I would assume there was a shunt somewhere. .. and yes- shots are not given that early.

 

[SRW]

I just got a golden retriever puppy. She is supposed to be around 8 weeks old but she is only 4.2 lbs which is concerning to me. The guy I got her from stopped replying to me after we got her. He sent me a picture of her shot records and they seemed pretty sketchy. They were done in Mexico

I hope your pup stays very healthy.
I have to ask would you have bought a car, a watch, jewelry....... Anything other than a puppy from this guy?

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

I drove 6 hours to get the puppy and was starstruck when I saw her. I thought she seemed small but I’ve also never seen a baby golden retriever before so wasn’t sure. He didn’t seem sketchy until after I had left with her and actually looked at what he gave me in detail which is my fault for sure. The good thing is that she is healthy. I’m already in love with her, I don’t mind if she’s purebred or not it doesn’t change anything. I just wanted to see if anyone could tell me what age she may actually be and if she’s actually a purebred since this is a golden retriever forum. Thank you for your comment though.

 

[SRW]

The good thing is that she is healthy.

Absolutely
Just use better judgement next time you get a puppy.
We don't need "breeders" like that.

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

I appreciate your advice. I will be more careful next time. She is healthy though and that’s what I care about the most. Would you have a guess on her age or if she is purebred? That’s my main question now.

 

[SRW]

Would you have a guess on her age or if she is purebred?

Older than a 4 pound Golden pup would typically be is my only guess.

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

Okay, I’m not sure what that means. I didn’t come on this site looking for judgement. I took my puppy to the vet, she is healthy and well taken care of. I was just asking for peoples opinions on her age and whether they think she is purebred. I’m not sure why you felt the need to comment and make me feel worse without providing any progressive information to the questions I asked. Obviously I know I need to be more careful next time. Thank you.

 

[GoldenDude]

Okay, I’m not sure what that means. I didn’t come on this site looking for judgement. I took my puppy to the vet, she is healthy and well taken care of. I was just asking for peoples opinions on her age and whether they think she is purebred. I’m not sure why you felt the need to comment and make me feel worse without providing any progressive information to the questions I asked. Obviously I know I need to be more careful next time. Thank you.

Very often you’ll find new people are not treated very nicely on this forum. It’s a real problem. My apologies.

She looks very cute and all that matters is that you love her. I hope you’ll stick around and continue to post pics as she grows up!

 

[SRW]

Okay, I’m not sure what that means. I didn’t come on this site looking for judgement.

There was no judgement, you asked me to guess her age and if she is purebred. I have no idea except for the fact that 4 pound is very small for a healthy Golden pup.

 

[SRW]

Very often you’ll find new people are not treated very nicely on this forum. It’s a real problem. My apologies.

I suppose, perhaps questions should be posted with multiple choices of acceptable non-hurtful answers.

 

[pawsnpaca]

FWIW 4 lbs is about half of what an average 8 week old Golden Retriever puppy should weigh. That said, from your picture I would not have guessed she was so small. She looks purebred to me (not well-bred, but purebred), and too “mature” looking to be a much younger pup. I’d say she either has a health issue (hopefully your vet is correct that that is NOT the case),, or she’s mixed with something. Only a DNA test can tell you for sure…

 

[GoldenDude]

I suppose, perhaps questions should be posted with multiple choices of acceptable non-hurtful answers.

It’s always great when existing members aren’t rude, but instead are helpful.

 

[SRW]

It’s always great when existing members aren’t rude, but instead are helpful.

I try but often fail to add enough sugar.

 

[Nicole.Monroe365]

Very often you’ll find new people are not treated very nicely on this forum. It’s a real problem. My apologies.

She looks very cute and all that matters is that you love her. I hope you’ll stick around and continue to post pics as she grows up!

Thanks for the positive comments, I appreciate it. Based on your experience with goldens would you have a guess on her age or whether she’s purebred? Thanks for being so kind. I appreciate any information you could give.

 

[GoldenDude]

Thanks for the positive comments, I appreciate it. Based on your experience with goldens would you have a guess on her age or whether she’s purebred? Thanks for being so kind. I appreciate any information you could give.

I'm not qualified to answer that question, but I would agree with @pawsnpaca

 

[chelseah]

She’s very cute! I don’t have any experience to really guess age, but you could always do an embark test or something like that to see if she is a mixed breed.

 

[Jasmyne]

She is very sweet and she clearly landed in the home she was suppose too!
Obviously 4 pounds for 8 weeks is way too little for a purebred golden. So she is either younger than 8 weeks or mixed breed.

I looked back at photos of Emmett when he was 5/6 weeks and this age resonates with her look and better fits the size (though still on the small side of things regardless). Healthy for wherever she is at is the best news. If she is just younger than expected be prepared for some extra work with behaviours and social skills that she is missing from mom and littermates.
There is something about her face eyes/muzzle, ear length that makes me wonder if there is a mix in there… I would definitely do embark to see what shows up just because I would be too curious to not too.

 

[Prism Goldens]

I appreciate your advice. I will be more careful next time. She is healthy though and that’s what I care about the most. Would you have a guess on her age or if she is purebred? That’s my main question now.

So- she's half the weight of a small Golden puppy @ her age. My own tend to 10+ pounds at 8 wks ,and usually more than 12# so that puts her at a third the size of my puppies. She does (as Lisa said) look Golden, but not well-bred... and my worry at that weight would be that she has a shunt which is why she is so small- so do watch her, health wise, and mention a shunt to your vet on her next round of shots if she hasn't caught up by then. At 12 weeks she should be well over 17# for a small Golden puppy. I would be concerned enough that I would purchase insurance for her before her next shots, so the question of health is not in her records.