Should a puppy be vet checked before buying?

The puppies should have been health checked by the breeder’s vet. You can ask for evidence of the health check or find out which vet they use and ask if they are happy for you to call and confirm the pups have been checked. If the breeder shies away from this, it’s a huge warning sign. Puppies need a course consisting of 2 vaccinations. They should have had the first vaccination before they leave the breeders premises and ideally at least 2-3 days before you pick them up. The details of this vaccination will be on a vaccination card that the breeder will give to you when you pick up the puppy. Make sure to ask the breeder which vaccinations they have had and if not, why not. Will the puppies be up to date with vaccinations, flea and worm treatment?

I asked the breeder if I could confirm the puppy’s health with my vet before taking them home. My intent was just to make sure everything was fine and to avoid any issues down the line. I put a deposit down for a puppy, but I noticed something unusual about the puppy’s eye alignment in a video. From a breeder’s perspective, is it unreasonable for a buyer to want to confirm a puppy’s health with their own vet.

A responsible breeder will want to improve the health of the breed by breeding from only the best and healthiest dogs. Both the mother (dam) and father (sire) should have been tested or screened before mating and the results should have been carefully considered. The mother of the puppies should appear happy and healthy. Any sign of illness should be a warning sign, as this may suggest sick puppies too, or could indicate that the mother has not been cared for by the breeder. If you suspect that the mother is unwell, question the breeder. Our Health Test Results Finder service allows you to check the parents' health, including: DNA test results screening scheme results inbreeding coefficient estimated breeding values. We’re unable to record the results for all tests and screening schemes, so for any results that we don't have, you should ask the breeder to see the health certificates of the puppy’s parents. If the breeder has not carried out some, or any, of our recommendations you should ask why not. If a reasonable justification cannot be provided, then you may want to find an alternative breeder.