A recent fad in pet ownership is the teacup puppy. Celebrities and movie stars can be seen carrying around tiny dogs, little bigger than a can of soda, in their purses. The puppy’s miniscule size always draws out squeals of delight from most women, who consider them to be the cutest things they’ve ever seen. While it can be incredibly fun to have such a tiny little dog, there are some hefty responsibilities that come along with owning such a fragile creature, responsibilities that everyone should be aware of before they rush off after the sign declaring teacup puppies for sale.
Recognize that “teacup” is not a recognized breed of dog. “Toy” is, and it denotes dogs of very small size, usually weighing around about seven pounds and often standing only a foot high. Teacup dogs are marketed as being even smaller, often weighing in at a tiny four pounds or less. Unfortunately, there are many irresponsible dog breeders out there who want to cash in on this recent fad, and they do so at the expense of the puppy’s health. It is not generally wise to breed a female dog that weighs less than four and a half pounds because her body will simply not be able to carry the young. They will often be born premature, with organs and skeletal structure not fully developed. However, there are many teacup puppies that are quite healthy, so here are a few guidelines for buying teacup puppies for sale.
Talk to the breeder, and ask very specific questions about how they breed, how their puppies are born, and any money-back guarantees they offer. Ask how large the mother was and make sure they aren’t inbreeding their dogs to get extra-small puppies. Don’t buy teacup puppies for sale if the breeder refuses to offer money back or a new puppy if the one you choose has problems with hypoglycemia, a collapsing trachea, hydroencephaly, digestive problems, cardiac problems, or portosystemic shunts. These are problems that all occur frequently in teacup puppies that were born too early. Many unethical breeders will ignore these problems if they see them in their puppies and will assure the buyers that the puppies are healthy, when they really aren’t. Choose only breeds that are originally toy breeds already–Yorkshire Terriers, Malteses, and Poodles are breeds that already have very diminutive sizes, so it is possible for them to be quite small and still have healthy, strong bodies.
Beware of breeders that charge several thousand dollars for their pooches and seem to evade your questions about whether they do genetic health testing on their dogs. Be aggressive and don’t allow irresponsible breeders to butter you up with how cute their puppies are–they should be abiding by accepted breeding standards, and if they are not you shouldn’t give them your business. There are many very informed breeders out there as well, and these will often be very open and frank with you about potential health risks and their breeding practices. When you have the teacup puppies for sale that you have purchased, be prepared for quite a few vet bills. These small dogs are simply more prone to health problems, and that is something owners must be prepared to deal with.
Also, don’t ever start thinking of this little creature as a plaything. It is an animal that must be fed and cared for. Don’t carry it around in your purse, because it can get quite hot inside, suffocating the puppy. Teacup puppies often have extremely delicate bone structure, so you must be aware and not let it fall or jump off of things that are too high. Owning a teacup puppy can be rewarding, but it requires a great deal of care and responsibility on the owner’s part, so don’t undertake it unless you are prepared.