erikajayne Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 7 days ago we bought home a gorgeous 8 week old Rottweiler puppy called Carter from a breeder who has been breeding for 25 years. All was well until early friday morning when he vomited and had diarrhoea x3. I went with my gut instinct and booked an appointment at the vets straight away. Vet tested him and he had a faint positive for Parvo(may have been as he only had his jabs 1 weeks before), naturally we were devastated. We left him there and my partner rang the breeder to let her know, assuming she would appreciate the call. The breeder started shouting aggressively at my partner telling him that "I told you if he got d or v to call me straight away and i will give you something for it (he wasnt eating or drinking anything so how we were supposed to give him anything is beyond me) "The vets wont know what is wrong with him and he will die there and charge you a fortune etc, if you followed my eating plan then he would have been fine" My partner politely told her that he found her tone appalling, she then commented towards the end of the call "We had coccidia last year and it may still be around" (A fact we werent made aware off). We rang the vet to tell her and she said at the moment we just want him to get better and thankfully he had perked up but overnight was critical for him. Last night was a sleepless night for us and i was sick to my stomach worrying about him and feeling guilty as it may have been something we did. We have spoken to the vet today and she said he seems in better spirits and has had no d or v in the last 24 hours or so, he know has to have food and keep it down. My question is a) has anyone experienced this before? b) If it is discovered that it came from the breeder what are our right? can we report the breeder?do we contact the association the breeder is registered with? Thanks for your advice from a very worried first time puppy owner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 I don't know your rights etc.. Hoping your new puppy will be ok - it is sounding as if there is progress , which is good The breeder is sounding not very helpful or pleasant at this stage sending thoughts.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shells Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 Did you follow the breeders eating plan? Just asking because any change along with the stress of moving to a new home and leaving his litter could cause stomach upset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogs4Fun Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 The rapid improvement sounds like something other than Parvo, so that is good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 Agreed that the rapid improvement makes it sound like it is not parvo but if it is the only way you would know if it came from the breeder is if they have dogs ill with parvo. Otherwise it is quite possible that the puppy picked it up the first day or so that you had him. This does happen despite breeders taking all precautions. Infections like parvo can simply be walked into your house or yard on your shoes. The puppy was vaccinated but sometimes the puppy still has some immunity left from it's mother and in that case the vaccine does not always work completely. This is not the fault of the breeder, it is just something that happens sometimes. The breeder's attitude needs some adjustment but breeders often tell buyers things that are not taken in with the excitement of getting the puppy. If the breeder has had coccidiosis on the property she may not have wanted to worry you but prefered to tell you to contact her if the puppy had any symptoms so she could pass on the appropriate treatment. This may have been what was wrong with your puppy and he may not have needed a vet but yelling at you for panicking with a sick puppy is not going to help anyone. The first rule for any puppy buyer should be to contact the breeder immediately, if the puppy becomes ill in the first two weeks or if possible take the puppy to the breeder's vet. If any of the rest of the litter have become ill the breeder or their vet may already know what the problem is and it can save a fortune in vet bills if you already have an idea what it is. Breeders choose their vets very carefully and really good vets are few and far between. Far too many are simply out to extract the maximum amount of money in as short a time possible. I hope your puppy recovers quickly and it sounds like he is on the mend. I doubt the breeder has actually done anything really wrong here except for failing to understand how helpless a new puppy owner feels if their puppy gets sick and having an arrogant atttitude. That is a character fault but does not make them a bad breeder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikajayne Posted September 25, 2010 Author Share Posted September 25, 2010 (edited) Thanks for the advice. Edited September 26, 2010 by erikajayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 To me it doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, and of course you'd want to take him straight to the vet. Just sounds to me like the breeder was either having a really bad day or reacting overdefensively at the thought of parvo (and there is a vaccination issue with black and tan dogs and parvo). Yes, you did right taking the pup to the vet immediately, no matter if the breeder just lived around the corner that would have been the best thing to do if you're worried. If it had been parvo you could have saved his life by acting quickly and not waiting for an over-the-phone opinion. Sounds like it all turned out OK in the end though. Perhaps now the pup is on the road to recovery you could phone the breeder back and let them know the pup is going to be fine. Ignore anything they say about the cost - that's entirely up to you and no business of their's if you decide to spend your money at the vet's or not - but stay calm and simply state that you were very upset about your puppy being sick and it upset you even more to be accused of doing something wrong to have caused it. There's lots of things I don't take my dogs to the vet for which novice owners certainly would, and I have been known to say that they needn't have wasted their time and money on a vet, but never when it's v & d in a young puppy and never when the owner is obviously upset by their dog being ill. If they remain aggressive and unhelpful then I'd chalk it up to experience and see if I couldn't find someone else to help with the inevitable problems that will come your way. Bad people skills don't make someone a bad breeder, any more than having being breeding for 25 years makes them a good one. Glad the little guy's better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 Nothing to add, except that even if a puppy is not eating or drinking, there are still ways to treat it, so don't think badly of the breeder in that regard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 I don't know. Doomed if you do take pup to the vet in some peoples opinion & doomed if you don't by others. I think you did the right thing, if you hadn't taken the puppy & it was really sick & died you would be blamed anyway. I would want any puppy I bred to be taken whether it was before I was phoned or not if there was concern. Due to the breeders attitude in response to your informing them I just would not bother contacting again. Politeness & manners cost nothing & make communication much easier & clearer. Hopefully your puppy will be fine & well soon & that is the most important thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilly Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 As the puppies new owner you have every right to take it to the vet if you are concerned ... and you did the right thing in contacting the breeder to let them know there was a weak positive to parvo. We had a 6 month old rottie pup that was a little slow getting off his bed one Friday morning ... he seemed bright enough but just not quite himself - so we took him to the vet straight away. Nothing specific but just a feeling. By Sunday he was dead ... all because of parvo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikajayne Posted September 25, 2010 Author Share Posted September 25, 2010 Does anyone know why parvo is more prevalent in black and mahogany dogs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffygirl88 Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 As the puppies new owner you have every right to take it to the vet if you are concerned ... and you did the right thing in contacting the breeder to let them know there was a weak positive to parvo.We had a 6 month old rottie pup that was a little slow getting off his bed one Friday morning ... he seemed bright enough but just not quite himself - so we took him to the vet straight away. Nothing specific but just a feeling. By Sunday he was dead ... all because of parvo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 a dog will test positive for parvo after a vaccine, your vet should know that. The smell, consistency and general health of the dog can tell if its parvo or not to an experienced eye. My own rottweiler got sick the day after his vaccine, no point testing they all came back PARVO PARVO PARVO even though it could have been corona. The breeder over reacted, maybe she's had vets go a little overboard before. Doesnt sound like Parvo at all, probably just stress glad to hear the pups beter anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 Whilst I believe it is a very good idea and good for breeder relations, if I deem my puppy needs to go to a vet I take it. I would not just take a lay persons opinion over my vet whom I trust implicitly. I would hope your breeder was just having an off day. I would still enderavour ro keep contact going, photos etc. And ask their opinion about things as they do have lots of knowledge. If it is potentially life threatening though do as you have done already. Vet tested him and he had a faint positive for Parvo(may have been as he only had his jabs 1 weeks before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecTraining Posted September 25, 2010 Share Posted September 25, 2010 Hopefully your puppy sounds like he is on the mend. You probably need to determine what the illness is from stool samples, blood test etc to diagnose the condition. If it's Coccidia which has like a 14 day incubation period, it would determine that the illness was contracted at the breeders place, it wouldn't be unfair to ask the breeder to pay the vet bills considering they sold you a sick dog. Otherwise if it was a non decript stomach upset, it's just great it's nothing more serious I guess is how I would view the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rottigirl Posted September 26, 2010 Share Posted September 26, 2010 (edited) I've sent you a PM all the best with your new rotti pup. I hope that the testing was a false positive caused by vaccine. If you need any tips with parvo happy to assist my rotti boy had parvo and thankfully we got him through it. Parvo is really the pits and their digestive systems need alot of TLC afterwards. One little tip, regardless of the cause of the d and v ask your vet about Protexin for your pup now he's on the mend. This is a dog probiotic which I think greatly assisted getting my boy back to good health. Welcome, the rotti owners on the breed sub forum are also very helpful and knowledgable if you need any further assistance. Edited September 28, 2010 by Rottigirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickbrownfox Posted September 26, 2010 Share Posted September 26, 2010 Does anyone know why parvo is more prevalent in black and mahogany dogs? Black and tan dogs are more vulnerable to parvo because of genetic heterogeneity (ie. lack of genetic diversity.) These dogs have inherited problems with the immune system. If you're good at understanding genetics, this is a good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikajayne Posted September 26, 2010 Author Share Posted September 26, 2010 Hi guys, thanks for your advice. Carter seems to be doing well, he was meant to be home today. Even though he has had no d or v in 48 hours and drinking, he hasn't has a lot to eat (i did tell the vet that since we bough him home he was never a greedy eater. Fingers crossed we will get him home tomorrow. We miss him so much and want him home. Anyway, the diagnosis seems to be a viral and bacterial tummy bug with coccidia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rottigirl Posted September 26, 2010 Share Posted September 26, 2010 (edited) So glad Carter is on the mend Talk to your vet about the game plan but I would ease him really slowly back into bland low fat food when he gets home. Small meals frequently during the day usually does the trick, when my boy was recovering we were giving him about 1/6th of a can of Prescription i/d and built up slowly to 6 times daily (or chicken and rice which you can make). Soup is good to keep them hydrated I just boil a chicken frame pull out the frame, let it cool and skim off the fat and let him drink the soup (fat is not your friend if you have a pup with d and v). Don't worry if he hasn't eaten for a while, mine survived without food for at least 5 days (although he was on a drip). All the best hope he continues to improve when you get him home. Edited to add...we need a picture of this cute ball of rotti fluff :D Edited September 27, 2010 by Rottigirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Danni Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Protexin is worth it's weight in gold! We keep it on hand and give it to every puppy when we start weaning them off their mum. I think that it helps to strengthen their immune system in general, as well as their intestinal system. The other thing that you should have on hand when your pup comes home from the vet, is Nutrigel. It will greatly assist to give him a bit of an energy boost and you can give it to him 10 times a day if you like. Good luck with Carter. I'm sure you will have many happy years together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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