I have just bought a dog from a private seller and paid $450.00?

Question

He was a male chihuahua and the seller stated in the ad that he had been vaccinated. When i got there she then said he hadnt! so the next day i got him vaccinated, prior to this he was fine.
Then he went downhill from there, we just had to get him put down. Looks like he contracted parvo and the vaccination made it worse. Now i'm really mad because she should have had those pups vaccinated, my son saved for this pup now we are in total over a thousand dollars out of pocket, vet bills,dog,accessories. We are devastated! the person isn't answering their phone and really through their own conscience should give us a refund. the vet said he would have had the virus in him when we bought him. broke my heart to see him going through so much, vomiting and bad loose stools, at least he's at rest now. I want my sons money back though, are their organisations that can help with this? any help would be greatly appreciated!...thanks..Deb

Answer 1

You have learned a very valuable lesson, and it came as some dollars, but for the lesson you learned, it was cheap. IF you are looking for pure bred dogs, go ONLY to reputable breeders...call the societies in your area that have shows, etc...there is a list of breeders they will recomend, or...other breeders will tell you who raises the best of ...... breed in that area. A good breeder will NOT vaccinate a puppy until it is 10 weeks old, and that is against distemper..three shots 1 week apart. YOU made the mistake of having the dog vaccinated at your vet! The vaccines they use are multivalent, cause terrible damage to some dogs, and much of that damage may not be seen for years. There is NO reason to vaccinate a dog against every known disease in the book...corona, kennle cough, etc. ONLY distemper /Parvo vaccines are needed, and the state requires a rabies shot somewhere down the road....but puppies cannot take all these vaccines, and your dog, regardless of what the vet told you, has reacted towards the vaccines it was given. NO vet wants to talk about this, will deny it, but you need only go online to find what you are looking for. VACCINES are highly dangerous to puppies! Rabies shots only after the pup is at least 8 months old, and better yet, after one year. The chances of the dog contracting rabies is more than remote if it is a house dog. The dog must be bitten by a rabid animal to get rabies...house dogs are just not exposed to this!
I am so sorry you have gotten tangled up with a bad breeder AND a bad VET! The breeder will blame the Vet, and the Vet will blame the breeder..a no win situation. IF you want a Chihuahua, find a very good breeder, ask for references, call them and find out what kind of pups they got. A good breeder will have only champion lines on both side of the lineage...the more champions, the better the dog's confirmation...but be careful here, you also want a dog with a very good disposistion, and that must be part of the breeding also. A good breeder will breed the ***** once, maybe twice in one year, no more! ASK a lot of questions before you buy another dog. A good breeder will give you the vaccines against distemper that you can administer to schedule IF the puppy is only 8 weeks or so old when you pick it up...NO vaccines until the 10th-12th week, and then only what the breeder has given you. The breeder will show you how to give the shots...very easy, and the dog will not feel a thing. Good luck AND everything 'K' has stated above is true about breeders.
Manual P has a chihuahua they must sell..see questions above yours for more info.

Answer 2

You might not be able to sue, because even if the person lied about the vaccination in the paper, the person told you up front the puppy wasn't vaccinated. On the other hand, false advertising is against the law so they can still be punished that way. If the person was running a puppy mill, that could be illegal in your state.
You also paid too much for the dog. Animal shelters are cheaper and they come with papers saying they were vaccinated. Some people give away their puppies (mixed breeds) for free.

Answer 3

I'm very sorry that this happened to you. Unfortunately, you bought your puppy from a backyard breeder. Responsible breeders do NOT advertise. I hope, in future you will learn from your mistake and only support responsible breeders.
Here are some suggested questions one can use to determine if a breeder is truly responsible:

1. Is she an AKC registered breeder of good standing and an active member of her breed Parent Club?

2. Are there AKC Champions listed on the pedigree, showing that the breeder spends her time & money to prove the quality of her breeding stock through competition?

3. Are all the animals kept in clean, comfortable, healthy, loving circumstances?

4. Did the breeder conduct extensive interviews with you and every member of your family?

5. Have the sire & dam received all available health clearances, (eg. OFA Hip & Eye, Thyroid testing, THESE VARY FOR EACH BREED)

6. Is she willing to honestly discuss any possible genetic defects that may exist in her line?

7. Does she have a Sales Contract?

8. Does the contract contain a clause stipulating that you spay or neuter the puppy before it reaches a certain
age?

9. Does the contract contain a clause stating that if at any time in the puppy's life, you can no longer care for it, it must be returned to the breeder? (This ensures that no animal bred by this breeder will ever end up in a shelter).

10. Will the breeder maintain contact with you for the life of the puppy to answer questions and help in general?

Answer 4

Reputable breeders DO advertise, but did this particular breeder have a Puppy Health Guarantee and Sale Contract that you and the breeder both signed? If not then she was a disreputable breeder and there is not really much you can do because if she lied to you what's to say she won't lie to the courts? It's better to do your research beforehand than to learn the hard way. I feel very sorry for you and especially your son. I know how devastating this can be. Tip: Before you get another puppy please sanitize everywhere and everything the puppy came into contact with to avoid another heartbreak.

Answer 5

Gather all your bills and statements from the vet. Look into what are commonly referred to as "puppy lemon laws" in your state. Generally if someone sells you a sick a dog, they are liable for vet bills up to the purchase price of the dog, a refund, or a replacement puppy.

Once you've looked into that and got all your paperwork together, file in small claims court.

This site lists some of the states with puppy lemon laws, and no they do not pertain only to maltese http://www.malteseonly.com/lemon.html

Sorry for your heartache.

Answer 6

I am so sorry for you, your son and the puppy who had to go through this.

It is an expensive and heartwrenching lesson and know you should NEVER obtain a pet through a newspaper ad except if they come from bona fide rescue organisations who are responsible in giving their pets the proper medical protections prior to adoption.

I think your only recourse financially would be small claims court with the documentation from the veterinarian as to the cause of the puppy's death and details of the medical treatment given to try to save its life.

Answer 7

You have the right to sue her. Personally I would. You have the right to either get your money back or another puppy (which I doubt you want.) I'm sorry you had to go through this. In the future either adopt or else don't get a dog from someone that first said they had there shots and then changed there story. That would have set me off to begin with.

Answer 8

particular, you pays taxes. and then your state will deliver you a kind which you may desire to fill out asserting what you paid for the motor vehicle so they might nail the sellers for income tax. You make certain which you do get a receipt and/or invoice of sale with matching advertising expenditures or somebody is going to get into hassle. additionally they frown on human beings "advertising" for way decrease than blue e book fee as that's totally suspicious and that they might come knocking in person so do not attempt to cheat the gadget or the dep.. of sales.

Answer 9

Sorry, it serves you right. No sympathy for buying from a puppymiller. Youve just encouraged this woman to breed even more diseased creatures to sell at a big profit. LMAO, do you really think she has a conscience? This is the way she makes a living!

Answer 10

It's similar to buying a used car, may the buyer beware. Since you knew she lied already about the vaccinations, you should have stopped the deal and looked elsewhere.