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Purchased puppy 4 weeks ago and has fallen ill with a congenital disease


Saz1991
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Hi 

 

We purchase a pure breed neopolitan mastiff just 4 weeks ago and he has since fallen ill.

Signs are

Slight weight loss

Loss of movement in back legs (very floppy and wobbly on walking and sometimes can't get himself up)

 

Upon vets advice was over night monitoring with no improvement but not getting worse. Advice of an xray to rule of spinal fractures/breaks (x rays clear) vets advice that they strongly felt this poor pup has wobblers disease, which they say is congenital.

We asked the breeder who we got him but say none has had any issues. Tomorrow i will be contacting the vet they took hom too for his first vaccination. 

 

What are my rights being sold a puppy who has a disease/ syndrome and would possibly need extensive $$$$ for surgery and medications throughtout the rest of his life??

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Your rights as a buyer (of anything) mean you can return the pup for a refund of the purchase price.

If you want to keep the puppy but go for expenses it's small claims court and there's no guarantee you'll get your money back, I've no experience with this. Did you sign a contract?

 

If you want to keep him you'll need to properly confirm what it is. I've seen one dog with the same symptoms go to 3 vets before being diagnosed with simple tick.


And we've just had one who was initially diagnosed as a 'white shakers' by the vet and put on corticosteroids, but it took going to a neurologist and having an MRI to work out it is a (possibly degenerative) brain disease. He also had to be tested for the nasty neospora caninum which can have the same symptoms. I know it's expensive to investigate, but you can't always go by initial diagnosis.

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First of all any dog can get wobblers, my Greyhound bitch was suspected of having it earlier this year. What she had was steroid responsive meningitis.

 

So how old is this pup? 12 weeks old? Weight loss can come about from a growth spurt or simply the awful heat that has been happening.

 

Congential is not always hereditary. " Congenital disorders are present from birth, and hereditary disorders are transmitted from parents to their children through the genes." Dogs, people same thing. So even if your pup does have wobblers then that's just the luck of the draw.

 

At this stage, as diagnosis is uncertain, you have few rights. I'd suggest a less combative stance with your breeder. One would hope you took out pet insurance on your pup as  Neo's are not the soundest of breeds out there. Anyway the most you would get back, if you can prove the breeder sold you a sick pup in the first place, is the purchase price and that usually involves sending the pup back.

 

Fingers crossed it's just a minor curve ball that's been thrown at you and your pup.

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Worrying for you, I know, however, a slight weight loss is hardly a symptom in a hot hot summer and growing animal ... was an x-ray done for hip problems, or just of the spine ? Is pup otherwise absolutely normal? No extra drooling? no extra drinking? keen on food, still interested in everything ? :) 
The vet clinic you go to - are they experienced with large breed pups? 

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