I agree. Classic strangles. WE had a four or five month old puppy who suddenly got a swollen throat- no pustules at all. It was strangles. That is why they call it strangles- because of that swelling in those glands around the throat. It is of course a staph infection caused by a failure in the immune system to keep the ever present staph at bay. I have also seen the swollen throat in one week old puppy with no bumps and then I have seen even more that never got the swollen throat but got the bumps around the eyes, in the ears, on the stomach.
I worked for Vets for 26 years and was married to a really great one for 8 years. But I am here to tell you they don't know everything. Breeders have the experience of living with, observing and dealing with a lot of stuff with dogs that Vets never get to see. Did you know that the majority of Vets have never, ever whelped a litter- why would they? They really haven't raised a litter either. I think an experienced breeder and a well trained Veterinarian make a great team when they work well together. They learn from each other. They have the education we lack and we have the experience they lack. I do say though, beware of Veterinary hospitals where the Vets are paid by commission. There are companies who are buying up Vet hospitals all over the U.S. and then put all the Vets on commission. A Vet on commission makes a lot more money doing skin testing and selling you a lot of drugs, than by telling you that your bitch is only losing all of her hair because of the fact that she just had a litter of pups by c-section and is therefore reacting to both the anesthetic and the hormones, Its the difference in a $500.00 Vet bill and a $50.00 Vet bill.
