masador Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 Hi just wondering whether anyone else has struck this problem. We have a 5mth puppy bought from a registered breeder who began showing signs that something was not right almost immediately. Subsequent vet visits and reassurances later he has today been diagnosed is in hospital on fluids and may not last the week. The vets cannot tell if the renal failure was caused by a massive infection or vice versa at this stage but I do know that at least one other puppy from this litter had been hospitalised. Should I contact the breeder and discuss it with her. The puppy was expensive and his vet bills if he survives the week are going to be massive added to this is the fact that we have grown to love him dearly and are angry that this has happened to him. What do you suggest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 Renal dysplasia perhaps? Absolutely call the breeder. If it is renal dysplasia then both parents will carry the fault and those dogs should not be bred again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labsmum Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 Sorry to hear about your puppy. I hope he/she recovers. Sorry I have no wisdom or knowledge on these matters so can only send a few hugs and say I understand how you must feel. I had a very sick puppy once (different ailment and he recovered and lived a happy life for 15 years) He was seriously on deaths door but miraculously recovered. I hope your little one does too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniangel Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 so sorry to hear about your puppy......what breed is it? if there is an acute renal failure have the vets ruled out toxicity like from raisins, grapes, panadol, etc? i would seriously be talking to your breeder to find out what problems they may have had in the litters? it could be hereditary/genetic. will keep everything crossed for you and your pup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 It may or may not be hereditary. Might just be bad luck. I would be speaking to the breeder about it, because they do need to know. Not everything which happens is hereditary --- sometimes it just has to go in the "s##t happens" basket. I had 1 pup with a shrivelled liver - he lived to 15 weeks, happy as could be, and passed in his sleep. The vet diagnosed him at 6 weeks, although he was not sick. Trusting the diagnosis, I did not sell him. It was definitely not hereditary, but if I had not expected it to happen, and sold him, someone may well have thought it was hereditary. I guess you are trying to find out what it is, and perhaps why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masador Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 Hi there just an update. Our little guy was pts yesterday morning. The general concenus is that it was something he was born with but not easliy picked up because it was chronic in nature but his kidneys were damaged beyond any help. The vets believe it to be just plain bad luck and not genetic in nature. The breeder was just as upset and horrified as we were and readily agreed to refund our costs which will perhaps at least cover the vet bills. He was such a sweetheart even the vets were amazed that no matter what they did to him he was always happy to see them and greeted them with a wagging tail. He will be sadly missed. Thank you to all who replied for your caring and concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfgirl Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I just saw this thread, I'm very sorry for your loss RIP little one :D He sounds like his was a real trouper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toohey Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I'm sorry for your loss. What an awful thing for a baby to go through, and so sad for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 So sorry to hear that bad news Masador. :D It's a rotten thing to happen, but sometimes, nothing you do makes a difference. Pleased the breeder is helpful, good on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTD Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 I am so sorry for your loss. What a rotten thing to happen to you the breeder and of course the little one. I am so happy to hear how the breeder reacted to the news it is nice to know that they did care and I'm sure it made you more comfortable with the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masador Posted January 20, 2007 Author Share Posted January 20, 2007 Thanks for your support it is greatly appreciated. He was a little trouper and would have been an incredible dog had he had the chance to grow. Unfortunately the breeder has gone awol and is not able to be contacted which I find strange after her assurances to both the vet and I that she was horrified by our loss and that a full refund of the purchase price would be forthcoming. I am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt but it is not looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Masador Unfortunately the breeder has gone awol and is not able to be contacted which I find strange after her assurances to both the vet and I that she was horrified by our loss and that a full refund of the purchase price would be forthcoming. I am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt but it is not looking good. I shall x my fingers that she has been busy - and does get in touch. Hate it when breeders do this - makes the rest of us look bad. Was she offering a refund, or a new puppy, or either? Some of those wretched ailments are heartbreaking for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masador Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 (edited) Hey Jed , she is apparently not breeding any more so the offer was for a full refund of the purchase price. I emailed her and got a really nasty reply stating that my vet has said that although the damage to the puppy's kidneys shows that he has probably had the problem since birth it cannot be proven.(This puppy had developed an undershot jaw which meant that his bones were turning to cartlidge due to the high levels of toxins in his system. According to the vet this takes much longer than the one month that we had owned him for and he has never seen one this bad in twenty years of vet work. He gave her the option of having futher tests done post mortem at her expense which she declined. He offered to speak to her vet which she declined all the while assuring him that there would be no problem with refunding the money. She has now made me feel bad because in asking for a refund she has decided that I have threatened her and says she has no money . I am not rich either and paid the money out in good faith and so in my email I offered her the option of discussing how the refund would be paid but if only she would make contact. All I got was a nasty email saying threats wont work. Go figure. Edited January 23, 2007 by masador Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nynka Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Dear Masador, I am truly sorry to hear of your loss, it is an awful thing to have gone through with a beloved pet of any age. From what you have said I don't think the breeder could have known there was anything wrong with the dog any more than you could have. Obviously your dog seemed okay up until this point and you didn't pick up on any ill health, so I think it would be unfair to suspect the breeder "knew" something and tried to decieve you in some way. At five months you have had the puppy longer than they did, if you got the puppy at 8-10 weeks old. You would be very caught up by all the emotion of losing your precious pet at the moment so I hope you don't take offence to my opinion, but hopefully in time your thoughts will clear and not feel that the breeder owes you anything. If she was still breeding she probably would offer you another puppy (I would) but as she is not breeding anymore I don't know what else she could do to help. Unfortunately there are no guarantees with living creatures and really no amount of money is going to change what has happened or how sad you feel at losing your puppy. I suspect the breeder did feel terribly sad at what has happened to the puppy and maybe got caught up in the emotion of a very sad situation when talking with you and committed to something she later regretted because a) she couldn't afford to do that and/or b) thought more about it and didn't think she should be held responsible for what has happened. It is also very natural to want to "blame" someone when things like this happen and also think about all the "what ifs?" RIP little one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masador Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 I do understand that there are no guarantees with anything in life but $2000 is a lot of money to pay for something in good faith then to end up with nothing but a vet bill of the same again. The puppy was diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism which is reasonably rare and we purchased him at the age of almost 4 mths. I dont think the breeder knew that the pup was ill but there were signs from day one that this pup was not 100%. He had attended the vet on three previous occasions due to our concern and I had contacted her about the situation at the time and when I did she revealed that she had had contact with the owner of one of the litter mates who was also having health problems. I am not a novice in the world of dogs having been a vet nurse for many years but I do not understand the mentality that agrees and sympathises and then just basically says too bad. I have known many breeders some good some not so good but for the sake of the other owners I hope that she is honest when they ring and ask about any health problems in the litter because it could save the life and heartache of another family losing a loved pet. Hypoparathyroidism is not something an animal can catch it is born with it and I believe that there should be legislation put in place to protect buyers in these situations. If you ordered a new car and it was faulty you would take it back for a refund I dont see why pet owners should be contunually ripped off by the "Its not genetic its not our fault" clause. If it is congenital it should be the breeders responsibility to cover it. Basically a breeder is selling a product and if that product is faulty due to a defect that was present from the start it should be their responsibility morally and ethically. No amount of money will fix the heartbreak of my family at the death of this little guy but these kinds of breeders just keep on doing it and getting away with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRADA68 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Judging by your breeders response I think they knew full well that there was something wrong with the puppy, what breed are we talking about here is it the pug in your photo? I myself personally would be taking it up with the VCA and then possibly Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal and see if you can get a response or a refund with their ruling? It will cost you around $40 to get the case heard but I think in this case its probably worth while. Let us know the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masador Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 (edited) Thanks for the support. I doubt really that she did not know but I have always given her the benefit of the doubt. . I have contacted the VCA who told me to take it to the small claims court as they can't do anything about it, even though they should. Edited January 23, 2007 by masador Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 It's people like this who give registered breeders a bad name and make people like the "gardener" rubbish purebred dogs. I'd be pointing that out to the VCA and suggesting that they probably wouldn't want their organisation's name in the mud, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nynka Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 (edited) .. Edited January 23, 2007 by nynka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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