I am so upset!! I took my new little baby chihuahua to the vet today because i could see that she probably had tapeworms. I bought this puppy on friday. Anyway, the vet did the whole worm check thing, and she also has hookworms. The vet said she probably got them from her mother. Well my question is shouldn't this have been prevented?? This lady that I bought her from is a breeder, who sells lots of puppies. Now, because of this I have a hefty vet bill for the treatment. I feel that it was her responibility to make sure my puppy was worm free. She said when I bought her that she had been wormed, but I wonder now if she was lying. Anyway........I just want someone's opinion about this. Thanks so much to those who answer.
2006-12-04 08:52:35 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Did you sign a contract when you bought the puppy? When I bought my Yorkies, I signed a contract that stated I needed to take the pup to the vet within 5 days for a health check. If any problems are found (aside form congenital) the breeder would pay for vet bill and any medication. Sure enough one of the pups had ringworm and she paid up. Hope this helps, and don't you just love puppies!?
2006-12-04 09:03:53 · answer #1 · answered by kksay 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good job for getting that puppy into the vet to have the worms taken care of. Yes, the breeder should have made sure the puppies were worm free before sending them to a new home. She may have dewormed the puppies but may not have done it as often as she should have or yes she could have lied just to get the dogs out of her home. I would speak with the breeder about this situation. Ask her if she would consider paying for the bill or at least paying half of it. If that is no luck, check with a lawyer to see if you are able to take the breeder to court and have the judge order her to pay for the bill. Also, the breeder should have given you some kind of record showing what shots have been given to the puppy along with when it was dewormed. If you did not receive this, ask the breeder for a copy, this will show you if the puppy had been wormed.
2006-12-04 09:53:13 · answer #2 · answered by kerrberr95 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure, it is common for puppies to have worms and treatment is not a one time deal. The breeder may have just provided one de-worming and might have missed the tapeworms altogether. You might contact the breeder and tell them your puppy tested positive for those worms and had to be treated and that she should treat the mother. You could also request a partial reimbursement for expense of worming but many states would say you have a right to return the puppy within a few days and get a full refund at best if you are unhappy with puppy for any reason.
If you love the puppy, you might want to chalk it up to experience and don't recommend that breeder. It sounds like you are a very responsible owner who will follow through with all the medical care of your puppy and the worms are a minor and temporary problem. Congrats on your new puppy!!
2006-12-04 11:42:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even the best of breeders can have worms in their litters. This is so very common. The puppies actually contract the parasites from the mother in utero, meaning before they are even born. This does not mean that the breeder is dirty or selling bad puppies. Any dog that goes outside, especially if there is any kind of wildlife going thru the yard, is susceptible to parasites. They walk on the grass where maybe an animal has defecated, vomited, etc. and then they lick thier paws and ingest the eggs and get the parasites. Most breeders do give the puppies a general deworming before selling them but you have to keep in mind that there are different dewormers for different parasites. The dewormer she used may have been more effective against other common parasites, coccidia for example, than against tapes and hooks. Also, it very often takes more than one course of a dewormer to rid the puppy of the parasites. So before you accuse the breeder of wrongdoing or seek legal action, consider that it is just normal for puppies to have parasites. Please remember to have another stool sample checked when this course of dewormer is gone to make sure the tapes and hooks are gone and that they weren't suppressing the appearance of another parasite as well. Good luck!
2006-12-04 09:19:55 · answer #4 · answered by luvbabysky 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I know how you feel. I have gone through this same issue. The sad thing is that these people lie a lot and only care about making money. On the brighter side at least its worms and nothing really bad. They will be gone in no time. It is also possible that they pup could have got it again from a flea or something and it didnt show up until you got the pup. Sorry to hear about your experience, its not fun but all you can do it love the puppy.
2006-12-04 09:03:08 · answer #5 · answered by KMRP 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All puppies and kittens have worms when they are babies. They need a routine of de-worming, that the vet will say. Even if you got them from a breeder, if they are too young to have finished their deworming treatment, it is normal to have worms.Don't panic, just follow the vet's instructions. You could ask for some money back from the breeder, but babies have this sort of things, and once you get a puppy you start paying for his treatments, vaccines, etc-unless the breeder had guaranteed they are dewormed.
Anyway, keep in mind that any deworming must be repeated after 14 days, to avoid reoccurrence.
2006-12-04 08:58:45 · answer #6 · answered by cpinatsi 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The breeder probably has hook's on her property. I don't guarantee pups are free of worms when they leave, even though I worm them 3 times before they go. But... I am assuming that the tapes came from fleas, which the breeder could of prevented. Make sure that dog is treated with Panacur for the hooks. Hopefully your vet gave you some wormer's for tapes and hooks.
2006-12-04 09:06:52 · answer #7 · answered by bear 2 zealand © 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She may have given a de-wormer for a different type of worm, such as round worm.
Breeders are sketchy, it sounds like you may have gotten from a puppy mill or back yard breeder. People like that breed unhealthy, sometimes unsafe, sometimes inbred, never guaranteed dogs. You got screwed over, and there's nothing you can do about it...
EXCEPT!!! PLEASE, please please- adopt next time. When you adopt from a humane society or rescue organization, you are given papers that PROVE the dog is in good health, and most of those places will give you meds if you find out a few days later that the dog has treatable illnesses. Also, you're saving a dog from being euthanized. 6-8 MILLION dogs enter shelter doors every year. The adoption rate is only 25-30%, which means the other 70-75% are killed (euthanized).
2006-12-04 09:38:25 · answer #8 · answered by Alicia 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I feel the breeder should pay the vet and you should turn her in for selling sick puppies. Every state as laws about it. She will have to pay your bill give prove that she as check and deworm the rest of her dogs and get a large fine. I worked for breeders when in high school, in MO. where worms are a big problem and never did one sell a puppy withworms. Thry always had them tested before theywent to their new homes
2006-12-04 09:21:10 · answer #9 · answered by raven blackwing 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You did the right thing by taking the pup to the vet within 48 hrs (Sun doesn't count, NO gen. vet on the planet is open on a Sun)
Contact the breeder NOW and tell them (keeping it within a reasonable time frame). If you have a written agreement that the pup is free of parasites, then yes, she should be responsible for the bill.
If no written agreement, and she refuses to help you, you have a few choices...
1. return the dog for your money back (doubtfully the vet bill)
2. keep the pup and take her to small claims court
3. keep the pup, suck up the bill, lesson learned, be glad she has a good home.
2006-12-04 09:32:52 · answer #10 · answered by Pam 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋