Can I get my money back?

Question

well my puppy had parvo virus. it stared friday , i did everything i was supposed do 2 for him.The vet was closed for 3 days , so i took him monday morning.I paid a 100 dollars deposit so they could keep him. 1 hour later the vet calls me and says he died.I'm still crying cause i miss him so much , can i get my money back

Answer 1

Probably not from the vet. If you got your puppy from a breeder and they stand by their puppies, they will (and SHOULD) refund your money. If nothing else, they should provide you with a replacement pup that has been thorougly checked out by a vet.

Answer 2

It depends, do you have a purchase contract that offers a money back guarantee, some contracts offer exchange only, with prove from vet, some contracts will specify refund only for genetic illness/disease.

It will also depend on how long you had the pup before it developed parvo, if you had it less then a week you should be covered, if a month and the pup only had first vaccines and you have been exposing it to other animals before it's second vaccines or you yourself have handled another animal who was contagious but did not wash and change your clothes before handling your pup then the breeder is not at fault.

In cases where you can claim a refund from the breeder it only covers the purchase price of the pup, not any of the veterinary care you provided, this is why it is important to have vet check up on a new pup within a couple days of purchase so as to know if the pup is healthy so as to reduce your financial risk, if the vet says the pup is not healthy that is the best time to return the pup with vet documentation, then any treatment becomes the breeders responsibility.

As others mentioned the vet cannot be held liable for a sick animals that dies, very few pups that get parvo survive despite medical treatment and normally treatment must start right away if the pup is to have a chance, in the case where your vet office is closed, often the vet will have a tape recorded message saying who or where to go or contact if it is an emergency, also checking the yellow pages of your phone book under veterinarians will tell you where after hours or 24 hour emergency care is available in your area, for the heck of it I have look up online yellow pages in various international countries to see if it is common for yellow pages under vets to indicate which vets have 24 hour or emergency care, and it is. I figured I would mention this, so you or any one else that reads will know how to get/find emergency help in the future

I am sorry for your loss

Answer 3

You should be able to get some of your money back, depending on what the vet did in order to try to save the dog. Ask for an itemized bill for services rendered.

The reason for the deposit is exactly for situations like this. The vet gives his best professional effort to correct the health issue with the animal. He deserves to get paid for his time and materials, regardless of the outcome. Some owners figure that the vet should not get paid if the desired result is not achieved. The pet is dead, so they just walk away without compensating the vet for services rendered.

You are highly emotionally involved, which hinders the process of making a wise financial decision. Let's say that the dog itself cost you $40 when you bought it. If you bought another one, it would cost you another $40. When the vet told you that the deposit would be $100 but the dog had little chance to survive, what would be the wise financial decision, regardless of how much you wanted the puppy to recover?

Answer 4

Money back from the vet? No. The vet provided services for your pup.

If the pup had parvo when you got him, you might be able to get your money back if from a breeder. However, most "providers" of dogs have contracts that state what medical care is required in what time if a refund is even to be considered. If you didn't sign a contract, you are probably out of luck.

I hate to sound harsh, and I am sorry for the loss of your pup, but isn't there an emergency vet around you? Waiting to get medical care could effect whether you will get any money back.

Answer 5

I bought my dog from a pet store, and he ended up dying just shy of a year later from a hereditary disorder. I did end up getting my money back, but I have to admit that it was tough. You have to be persistant and demanding. If you have documentation from the vet, then the place were you purchased your dog from doesn't have much choice but to give you your money back, if they do not want a lawsuit. In my case, they would only give me a refund for the price before tax, but after much persistance, I ended up getting the full refund.

If you purchased your dog from a breeder you may have signed a contract. You need to check your contract for any clauses that may protect the breeder from giving back a cash refund for a pet. When I bought my 2 dogs from a breeder, she stated in her contract that if they were to have any hereditary illness, etc., then the only option would be to get a new puppy form her.

You may have to prove that the virus was attained from where you purchased your dog or that it was due to their neglegance that he attained the virus. Did he have his vaccinations form the place of purchase, or did they tell you he did? If they did not (but they SHOULD have), did you take him out and around other animals before he was vaccinated? How long ago was he purchased? These questions may all play a major part in whether or not a refund is accessible.

As for the vet bill, they are money theives. I spent so much money at various vets for tests that were pointless, false diagnosises, medication that didn't work, and more. None of them could figure out what was wrong with him, and they just loved to have me give them the money. In your case, though, I do not see why they could not give you a proriated amount of your money back, if not all of it, because they did not DO ANYTHING for him before he died. He was only there for one hour!!!! You need to argue this point with them. For a fair proriated amount, just subtract 1 hour from the total he was to be there for, and then figure out the $ amount. If he was to stay there for 24 hours and only "stayed" for one, you should be refunded for 23 hours worth. $100 divided by 24 equals approximately $4.17 per hour. Therefore, you should receive a refund for at least $95.83.

I wish you the best of luck and I am sorry for the loss of your pet. I know how much it hurts and even though the refund does not replace his precious life, it can at least give you the means to add a new little friend to your life.

Answer 6

I don't know whereyou'r located but my state (MN) has a "Puppy Lemon Law" it protect's poeple from just such a thing..
Get somthing in writing from the vet that states the puppy died from Parvo contact the breeder/seller ASAP & let them know what happened if their good responsible people they'll offer you you'r money back oR anothr puppy (personaly i'd PASS on another puppy if one had Parvo chances are they all do & all their dog's were exposed ) If not let them know you'll be reporting them to you local & state Humain Society and/or ASPCA..
If their is a Lemon Law in you'r state & you take them to court you will win & you should gt you'r money back & possible some hlp withthe vet bill..
So Sorry About You'r Puppy :(
And Good Luck..

Answer 7

You should be able to get back your money from wherever you got your dog. By law, they have a certain amount of days that the dog will be healthy for gauranteed. If you bought the dog from a shelter, then you may be able to get all the money back if you would have brought him back to the shelter and they would have helped him no charge. Just get the vet to sign something saying that the dog did have parvo and there should be no problem.

Answer 8

Form who the vet? Then no they did what you paid them to do.. they tried to help your dog. There is not grantee cure for parvo. You can't get money back from your doctor when you don't get better can you?
If you got the dog from a breeder or pet store it would all depend on the contract you signed or did not signed as to what rights you have to get your money back.

Answer 9

I am not sure who you want this money back from the vet or the breeder. If the vet , then no you can't get your money back, This puppy was work on while he was at the vet so you shouldn't expect the money back now if from a breeder, with the vet report , she should give back your money.

Answer 10

You should be able to get a refund on the money that you paid for the dog. That is something that began before you got that dog. Now, the money you paid the vet went to tests they had to run and to dispose of him. They might need to run a final bill and maybe you might get some back?

I'm sorry for your loss. This happened to me once before. I got the dog from a pound and when we returned him, the pound had to quarantine every single dog!