my dog is very sick. ?'s about breeders and vets and my rights?

Question

bought boxer 16mo's ago $700

health problems incl. but not limited to bladder, eye, foot yeast, ear infections, puppy strangles disease, massive allergic reactions, thyroid problems and now a tumor.

the vet couldn't get a sample from the mass. he removed it. the results came back great as benign hysticytoma. 2 days later he went from being his happy self to lethargic & whimpering. his sutures began pussing and opening. his abdomen developed huge pockets of fluid. breathing is like hyperventilating.

i've been to the vet's 4x in 24hrs. 2x to reg 2x to ER. he's there until monday. REALLY sick. the exact same symptoms, much more advanced and bruised. very sad. the wound is massive and gaping.

we are not vets! he needed their care. we have spent $2400 in one week on willis.

i am upset with the breeder for giving me such a sick dog and not refunding. with the vet for not being agressive with treatment. what else could we do??

do i have any rights?

he's 1.5yrs old! i'm v poor & sad.

i did do research and called 2 people that owned pups they sold.

he is on a special diet... natures recipe- venison and rice. only treats are carrots and rice cakes. it has helped a lot.

i have papers... they say i can get a trade within one year. but i am not going to trade my dog! he is my baby.

i will put him down if there is no hope. but he has been healthy for a few months. he is so sweet and playful and brings us joy.

all of my prior animals have been rescues. no purebreds. my first cat died at 6yrs after $4000 of surgeries,chemo, cryogenics. her playmate died 6mos later (also 6yrs) from a vacuum cleaner induced heart attack. she was chunky and middle aged according to the vet.

i did the research on the breeder prepurchase, breed post. it was a req (and i suprised him) by my fiance. i thought stupidly they would be healthy considering the payment.

i don't think these people are backyard breeders. and i know vets do the best they can. he seems inexperienced however. and this seems like bad business by the breeder, by not refunding, considering the investment i have made.

i have an animal curse. the day i took the dog in for a tumor they told me my kitten has a heart murmur 4-5 on a scale of 1-6. she's 2 yrs old.

the only healthy animal is my fiancees cat.

he has only been showing signs of pain for 2 days. extreme pain, yes. he was on 2 antibiotics and 2 pain pills. none of the vets have even hinted at doing that. until today they led me to believe he'd be fine soon. i think he will be now that he is in the care of the ER' vets.

my concern is the infection has possibly given him inner tissue damage, which would mean he would need skin removal. i worry about his recovery. i never want to see him hurt like this again.

BUT the ER vet said that we as owners have acted agressively enough where she thinks there is a good chance this won't be a problem.

i took willis to the vet the morning after i bought him. i was suprised that the vet told me the number of shots he needed was more than what the breeders had told me. but at that point had fallen head first in love with him.

i just called the ER.. they are working on him right now and she's calling me in 1-2hrs. my fingers and toes are crossed.

they ran a series of tests... bloodwork looks good. hooked him up to an IV. draing and flushing... snipping his infected stitches and redoing... figuring out the problem.

we sent him there in january. he was vommitting profusely.. i live in chicago and someone in the neighborhood says dogs have been poisoned. and he tries to eat everything. i think that was the prob, but they pumped him full of fluids and fixed him up great.

i feel much better than i did, just knowing he is in hands i trust.

Answer 1

well far as your rights go. do you have records of a vet check-up right after you gotten your dog ?? w/ in 24-48 hrs of getting it or w/ in a few days ? if your dog was found w/ problems a year after buying it. it would be a tought case to prove. good luck and keep us posted.

Answer 2

As far as the breeder goes, it all depends on what type of guarentee you got. If dog wasn't sick when you bought it, the breeder didn't sell you a sick dog. There should have been genetic testing if it was a reputable breeder. If they lied about the tests then they have to refund your money. If not, and its not covered elsewhere then you're probably SOL there.

As for the vet, its true a lot of vets don't practive a sterile technique in the OR like they should. It sounds like your dog is now suffering from a post op infection and that could cost the dog his life. On the other hand, post-op infections can occur even if sterile technique is used and you can't prove it wasn't anyway.

Are they treating your dog sufficiently now? I would say if the dog is on intravenous antibiotics and treated for pain and other symptoms they are doing everything they can. If they aren't than I would say it's likely they have been doing a half-assed job since the beginning.

If you plan to pursue anything, it would be the vet. At best you will be refunded the medical expenses after the infection only, as well as $700 if the dog dies. You will need a lawyer and that may cost you more than just paying the vet fees. This is why vets don't get sued very often, courts don't compensate people well for animals. You could do it on principle anyway but you may still loose your case and just be out more money. Or if your dog survives, just cut your losses and find a better vet. In the meantime, stay on them and make sure they are taking care of your baby because all you really want is for him to survive this, right?

Answer 3

Unfortunately no..Unless you have a contract.. Did you and the breeder sign a contract or guarantee? Breeders can only guarantee against hereditary conditions. Everything that you have mentioned I do not see how it could be the breeders fault.

Maybe she in-bred or line bred? Do you have a pedigree? It will show on there. But it is a common practice with many breeders.. I refuse to do it..

Puppy strangles can happen to any puppy and it is very easy to treat and is not life threatening.

What is happening to your dog right now is your vets fault!!! You dog has an abcess from where the idiot removed the benign tumor. I have a 12 year old dog with one and never needed to remove it, since she was 2..

While I feel for you, this sometimes happens when buying dogs and not properly checking the breeder out. I am NOT blaming you, it happens every day.

I recently bought a puppy and he had Parvo and died within a week of me buying him..

I spent over $3,000.00 in vet bills and 800 for the pup.. There was NOTHING I could do, I would have to go to her state to sue her. She has since changed her number, email address and I am sure her kennel name..

I of all people should know better, But I did not check her out well enough before I bought that puppy.. The world is full of a**holes!!

I did pay with a credit card so I did get my 800.00 back i paid for Mikey, but I am now trying to pay off the vet bill.. Thank god I had a credit card.

I also reported her to the department of agriculture in her state, the BBB, her vet, animal control, and the attorney general in her state..

This will not get your money back but it will put a noose around her neck a bit and so if I were you I would do that too.. As well as contacting the attorney general in your own state.

You also need to hold your vet responsible for the infection he got after the surgery and demand he pay for the care!

I am really sorry you and your dog are going through this.. SOme breeders need to have something bad happen to them.

Did she even have a health guarantee on your puppy when you bought him? You could demand another puppy if you got a guarantee..

Answer 4

I hate to say this but I have to. Your a perfect advertisement for doing your homework before buying a dog. Boxers are known for being tumor breeding machines. Why nobody knows. As far as some of the other ailments..totally common and normal and happens to all dogs. However, $700 isn't a lot of money for a puppy. After I researched the breed I wanted and investigated the breeders...I wound up paying $2500 for a puppy and he was worth every cent.

I feel so bad for you and feel bad for the dog too. As much as you'd like to, there's no point in trying to find someone to blame. It's not the breeder's fault. It's not the vet's fault unless the vet is a total nincompoop. He should be able to explain what is happening...surely it has happened before and is documented.

Best of luck. I really hope all turns out well.

Answer 5

He is suffering so much... do the right thing and put the poor baby to sleep. You'll be doing him a favour and THEN you can go after the breeders. If they are to blame for selling you a sick animal then go after them and make sure they compensate you.

A friend of mine bought a labrador a few years back with a similar stroy. She lost her dog but she won in court and now has three beautiful labs (mum, dad & baby) who are all healthy and from a reputable breeder.

Next time you want to buy a pure breed, do your research. Unfortunately, breeding dogs means the dog often has genetic defects.

I'm sorry for what you're going through

Answer 6

I don't think you can blame a breeder for all of these things...how can someone know a dog will have allergies??? a tumor???ear infections??? etc. I understand you spent a lot but I have 8 dogs and 1 has chronic ear infections, no one else does and I bred his parents and have had him from birth. If you love the dog, you just do for it...I hope he gets better and healthy......

Answer 7

We had something similar happen to us. Do a search for puppy lemon laws, no I'm not kidding. search the internet for it. Some states have puppy lemon laws that hold sellers of puppies responsible for certain things, expenses, etc... Look into it. What state do you live in? Keep bugging the breeder for $$$, be persistnat. I hope he gets better. Our sick puppy from a breeder died after we had her a week, I cried for a really long time, it was hard. I'm sorry

Answer 8

I don't have any advice on your legal rights in this matter, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in on the vet issue. If you feel the vet is inexperienced and/or not doing everything they can possibly do for your dog, I'd scout around and see if there's another animal hospital nearby that is willing to take your dog on as a patient and move him there as soon as he's in a condition in which he can be moved. When our cocker spaniel was around 10 years old he developed a tumor on his back near his tail and the vet we'd taken him to all his life refused to do surgery to remove it--she actually told us that he was too old for her to bother operating on and that we should take him home and let him die. We took him to another vet, who disagreed whole-heartedly with the first vet's opinion, did the surgery, and the dog is now coming up on 15 years. Finding a vet you can trust and who is willing to help your dog fight makes every bit of difference.

I hope your dog gets better soon. :(

Answer 9

well i know one thing the dogs only chance to live was you all going the whole 9 yards to try...but you would have to prove the breeder had prior knowledge of this and that's tough..you can however file a certified letter to them telling your story and then ask your vet there is an organization you can notify about there less than human breading habits and your certified letter will make a case for the next victim from this breeder.

Answer 10

Very sad for you ... You paid 700. for a trashy bred Boxer... Go back to the Breeder of the pup --It Is Their Responsibility To Make It Right With You.. If not Take Them to court... And drag their Name through The MUD and they will never to Sell another Trashy Poorly Bred Boxer...By the way Sorry for your Loss.

Answer 11

Unless you received a written health guarantee (which a responsible breeder will give you) you are out of luck. I am terribly sorry but this is what happens when a dog comes from a back yard breeder.