# Sick new puppy



## Bish (Dec 12, 2012)

I've just joined this forum. We bought a 9 week old puppy from a private breeder and brought her home. Within 24 hours she wasn't eating and had diarhhoea. After 48 hours we took her to the vets (after ruling out it wasn't settling in nerves). After 1 day of giving antibiotics at home and trying to inject watered-down food into her, I took her back to the vets. They admitted her and she stayed there for 3 days on a drip with antibiotics, fluids, pain killers etc. Very sadly she had to be put down on the 6th day as she had grown so weak and her intestines were so damaged. Our family was so heartbroken. We had spent a week of wondering whether she would survive and in such a short time had bonded with her. When I contacted the breeder with the story, she blamed me for taking her to the vets and said that the medicine caused her to be so sick! I feel such a fool for being so naive and not making sure that she had done all the things she promised (vet check etc). To make matters worse because we bought the puppy on the weekend, I hadn't got any insurance sorted out. So not only did we lose the cost of the puppy but also a huge vet bill of over £500. I'm not sure what to do next regarding the breeder.


----------



## Von (Nov 1, 2012)

So sorry to read this, I can't help with advice about the breeder, but I expect others will be able to. Such sadness in what should have been a time of delight, really feel for you and your family.


----------



## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

Oh what a sad, terrible story. I'm sure you must all be utterly devastated.
I would certainly be looking to the breeder for some form of compensation..name and shame if you feel they are at fault and do not play ball.


----------



## DebsH (Jun 24, 2012)

Oh this is so sad  Any half decent breeder would be absolutely devastated if one of their puppies went through that 

And blaming you?! That makes me so angry 

I'm so sorry you've had an awful experience xxx


----------



## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

That is such a sad terrible experience for you and your family. At least your little puppy is no longer suffering. I hope your breeder will do the decent thing.


----------



## Nanci (Mar 1, 2012)

So sorry for your awful experience. Did the breeder give you any paperwork or guarantee guidelines? Our breeder required a vet check whithin 24 hrs of us receiving the puppy, unless on a weeked. We took both of ours within the alloted time. You seem to have done the best you could have done considering the circumstances. Hopefully the breeder will step up to the plate as she should as it seems as if she sold a sick puppy. She may not have even been aware of this, give her the benefit of a doubt, but ultimately they are responsible for a certain period of time for the puppies they are selling. So sorry again for your bad experience.


----------



## tosh (Feb 10, 2012)

How awful for you and your family. I think others with more experience will be able to guide you. It's amazing how attached you can become in such a short space of time. I do think the breeder should have been more caring and sympathetic.


----------



## Bish (Dec 12, 2012)

The breeder had a hatred of vets; she said that all they were after was the money (which is strange coming from her!). When I told her the bad news, I'm afraid that our converstion just went round and round in circles with her insisting that the puppy was well when I picked her up and me telling her that the vets told me that she must have had the virus before we got her. She was sick within 24 hours and it takes at least 2 days for anything to incubate. To start with they thought it was parvo but apparently it was something very similar with devastating effects. She only weighed a kilo when we got her so she had nowhere to go. They were injecting food into her mouth and it was just passing through her. They worked round the clock for 3 days and I think the vets were just as upset as we were. The breeder advertised the puppy as having a vet check and insurance but when I looked closely at the paperwork later, she had done neither. I know that we were stupid for not looking closely. From the moment we arrived, her husband took the mum out for a walk, so we didn't get a chance to get a good look at her and rub our blankets with her scent for the puppy. We had travelled a long way and it felt like she was getting rid of us quickly. We didn't see any of the other puppies because she said that ours was the last one. The house looked very clean. We feel so lost that we know we have to replace her and are going to look this weekend at a 'properly registered breeder'. Still feeling nervous though because I don't think I could go through this again. Thanks for your support.


----------



## Nanci (Mar 1, 2012)

OK . . thats called FRAUD!! However . . the paperwork has the final word. No matter what she said, if the paperwork did not reflect she had insurance or a vet check, there is not much you could do. I'm so sorry for your misfortune . . awful breeder!!!


----------



## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

You poor thing. How awful for you and your family.
I really feel for you.

Maybe you could ask the vets for a written statement regarding the health of your puppy when you took her into them
You could then send a copy to the breeders and a copy to the RSPCA, if you think that it is appropriate.
Potentially there are other puppies with the breeder who could be sick...


----------



## Toffin (Aug 8, 2012)

How dreadful for the puppy, you and your family, and what an appalling reaction from the breeder. Could you say which breeder it is?

Toffin
x


----------



## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

How terrible for you at what should have been such a lovely time, I don't want to make you feel worse but we had a written 30 day money back health guarantee, paperwork regarding free insurance - copy of a vet check signed by the vet as well as a copy of the fathers DNA pra check and hip score - these are what you need to ask about when you see another breeder, i'm sure they will have every sympathy for what you have been through - and quite rightly horrified. Did the people you got your pup from advertise as breeders or was it meant to be a one off home bred litter? I really think perhaps they ought to be named and shamed - I know its nice to give people the benefit and there are good people who mistrust vets, but it does sound as if you were conned regarding paperwork etc. I wish you all the luck you deserve now at finding a breeder you can trust, who will have the most wonderful healthy little puppy who can help you put this terrible experience behind you. xx


----------



## Elzo (Jun 6, 2012)

That's awful news, sorry to hear that.

You should definitely name and shame the breeder, even just to stop others from buying from them. This would then make them step up to the plate a bit more, and ensure their puppies are healthy.


----------



## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Hi, what an awful experience! Yes I should think your breeder does have an aversion to vets, as obviously getting the right care and treatment for her dogs doesn't not appear important to her.
Stories like this make me so cross.
I would urge you to contact puppylove campaigns. Google it, tell them your story. Sadly you will see stories like this are not as uncommon as they should be. Contact you local trading standards and get some advice.
You did everything right and your breeder is absolutely 100% in the wrong. You do have rights in this situation. Mske sure your vets send you the report on what happened and your pups health at the time.
I hope everything goes well with the next breeder, there are good ones out there.


----------



## Toffin (Aug 8, 2012)

DB1 said:


> we had a written 30 day money back health guarantee, paperwork regarding free insurance - copy of a vet check signed by the vet as well as a copy of the fathers DNA pra check and hip score


Hi Dawn

Can I ask which breeder you went to?

Toffin
x


----------



## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Dawn has your vet said it's ok to get another dog so soon. I'm asking because some years ago we bought our very first puppy which quickly became very Ill and had to be put down. It had distemper. We were told we could not get another puppy for three months as the disease could still affect puppies we brought into our house. So to save further heart ache just double check.


----------



## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Toffin said:


> Hi Dawn
> 
> Can I ask which breeder you went to?
> 
> ...


hi - sure, Anthony at Anzil's near Liverpool, bit of a trek but I wanted a breeder who did all these kinds of checks. Since being on this site I am aware there are a lot of good home breeders who would probably offer the same but when I started out on my journey to find a puppy I was wary of private ads on the internet (well, checked one out but wasn't impressed).


----------



## Von (Nov 1, 2012)

We had our first cockapoo from Anthony, (Anzil) and had all the vet checks, one month's free insurance, pedigrees of puppy's parents, bag of food, puppy blanket, advice sheets - you name it we had it!! The only reason we didn't get our second pup from Anthony was that he had no pups available at the time - his puppies go like hot cakes


----------



## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Oh Bish, I'm sorry to hear this. What a vile breeder, blaming you and the vet. 

I'm guessing you didn't pay by card, otherwise you could go back to them and stop the payment.

It's not much consolation but I for one would be happy for you to name and shame the breeder on here.


----------



## Bish (Dec 12, 2012)

wellerfeller said:


> You did everything right and your breeder is absolutely 100% in the wrong. You do have rights in this situation. Mske sure your vets send you the report on what happened and your pups health at the time.
> I hope everything goes well with the next breeder, there are good ones out there.


Thank you for all the support. I'm so cross now about it and feel so horrible for poor little Elsie who did not have a very good time. The vet bill arrived today - £520 - which considering the round the clock treatment she had was actually reasonable. I'm going to copy the bill and send a recorded letter to the breeder asking for our money back. I will give her the choice to do the right thing or I will pursue for all our expenses. There's no point me naming her because I think this litter was a 'one-off'. (Although after she told me we had the last puppy, we found her advertising her little boy puppy. We sent her an email enquiry. So she was definitely economical with the truth).

We have all decided we need to carry on and replace her and luckily for us one of the reputable breeders talked about on this forum has a puppy available to us. So we are visiting this Sat - don't want to say any more at the moment in case I jinx it! But hoping that the story ends happily.


----------



## JoJo (Mar 2, 2011)

Bish and Family, what a very sad story and one I hear too often 

Your poor puppy, and what a terrible attitude from a breeder 

Please find a caring breeder who is passionate about their breeding, plus love and cares for every puppy they are lucky enough to bred and raise. 

Sending you a hug and please dont let this experience put you off cockapoos or breeders, there are some great breeders out there with some wonderful puppies


----------



## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi Bish, so very sad to read your story ..... unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people out there!

When buying a new puppy it certainly doesn't pay to put your trust in the breeder, but to do lots of research. Viisit more than one breeder, ask about health testing, make sure you can see the puppies with the Mum ... and that the Mum herself is a happy and confident dog. A good breeder will be happy to answer all your questions and will also have questions to ask you.

I hope all goes well with any future pup. You did your very best for this little one, and Puppy Love Campaigns will be able to advise you if need be.

S xx


----------



## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Wishing you luck with your breeder visit on sat. Cat53 has a point, was it something that could be contagious that your pup had? as you will have to be very careful bringing another young puppy into the environment, please check with your vet. I remember a sad story of some people who unknowingly bought a retriever pup from a puppy farm which died - they then did exactly as you are and got another puppy from a good breeder, unfortunately the second puppy got ill and died as well (I think that was from parvo), bad enough going through it once...don't want to upset you and hopefully you have already spoken to your vet about it.


----------



## Tressa (Aug 31, 2010)

What a sad way to learn how unscrupulous some breeders can be. I am so sorry for what you and your little puppy had to go through. There is some great advice on here, so I am sure that your next little one will have the best start in life. Good luck to you.


----------



## Bish (Dec 12, 2012)

DB1 said:


> Wishing you luck with your breeder visit on sat. Cat53 has a point, was it something that could be contagious that your pup had? as you will have to be very careful bringing another young puppy into the environment, please check with your vet. I remember a sad story of some people who unknowingly bought a retriever pup from a puppy farm which died - they then did exactly as you are and got another puppy from a good breeder, unfortunately the second puppy got ill and died as well (I think that was from parvo), bad enough going through it once...don't want to upset you and hopefully you have already spoken to your vet about it.


Yes, I did ask the vet whether it would be OK. It wasn't parvo. I have cleaned everywhere and the vets gave me some special product they use to go over the floors and the cage etc. I am still feeling a bit nervous. The thing is the virus did not come from our environment because she was sick within 24 hours and I often look after other people's adult dogs without any problem. But obviously I cleaned anywhere our little puppy went to absolutely make sure.


----------



## jen (Aug 6, 2012)

I feel so sad for you and your family. I pray you all have a wonderful experience should you get another cockapoo...


----------

