My family is first on the waiting list for a litter of puppies that was born last night. It was a small litter of four males. The first puppy to be born was stuck in the birth canal, pulled, and "revived" by the breeder. She stated to my wife that the puppy was coming out paw first, and that the paw was turning blue before she was able to pull it.

My question is, should we not consider this puppy as our choice? Can there be negative side effects to the lack of oxygen during the birth? The puppy seems to be healthy at this point but we worry about the long term effects. What kind of risks do we have at picking this puppy at five weeks, should any negative side effects be noticeable at such a young age?

I know that newborns can be very resilient and go with low oxygen for a long time, but I don't want to end up with a mentally retarded dog. If the breeder wasn't honest and upfront about the situation, we might not have even known that anything was wrong. She also stated that if the puppy had been a female, she most likely would have kept this puppy (she reserves the right to first pick), but I can't tell if she is just being a good salesman at this point. Of the four, this is probably the one we would pick. Should we just move our pick to a future litter?

Thanks.