Sick new puppy

padraig.od

Hi,

We picked up our new puppy last weekend. It was purchased from a registered breeder. The puppy will be registered with the IKC etc.

After a day or two we noticed a few different things wrong with the puppy and brought him to our vet. Turned out he had a skin infection and also an eye infection. The illnesses were relatively minor but the trip to the vet & the drugs to treat him were very expensive (> 50 < 100).

To be honest we're just relieved that the pup will be OK and we're really happy with him in general... but I'm smarting from the price of the vet bills on top of what we paid for a pedigree dog.

Should the breeder be selling healthy pups or is it a case of caveat emptor with our choice of dog? Should the breeder be refunding us the vet bill or at least part of it? Furthermore I know that a few of his brothers and sisters in the litter are still for sale and these illnesses could be common to the litter.

As I said I'm mostly grateful the pup will be OK, and not so fussed to start a big fight over the vet bills but what is best practice for the breeder in these situations?

Regards,

Padraig

andreac

Of course they should be selling heathy pups.

I would def contact the breeder and let them know. If they are a responsible breeder they should be accomodating and help you out in some way.

Where did you find the breeder and who recommended them to you?

padraig.od

andreac wrote: »

Of course they should be selling heathy pups.

I would def contact the breeder and let them know. If they are a responsible breeder they should be accomodating and help you out in some way.

Where did you find the breeder and who recommended them to you?

Found the breeder over the internet, no recommendation. We visited their kennels. Saw both parents and the rest of the litter. Everything seemed to be totally above board. IKC registered etc.

andreac

padraig.od wrote: »

Found the breeder over the internet, no recommendation. We visited their kennels. Saw both parents and the rest of the litter. Everything seemed to be totally above board. IKC registered etc.

To ne honest, IKC reg doesnt guarantee healthy pups or a good breeder. What do you mean by registered breeder??

Unless the breeder was recommended through the internet, say by a forum like this, then the breeder could be potentially a bad one, hence why the pup is sick.
I would ring the breeder and explain whats happened and if they are responsible then they will help you out.

When you went to visit them, had they many breeds of dogs or any other litters?
What were the conditions where the pups were kept like?

padraig.od

andreac wrote: »

To ne honest, IKC reg doesnt guarantee healthy pups or a good breeder.

Unless the breeder was recommended through the internet, say by a forum like this, then the breeder could be potentially a bad one, hence why the pup is sick.
I would ring the breeder and explain whats happened and if they are responsible then they will help you out.

When you went to visit them, had they many breeds of dogs or any other litters?
What were the conditions where the pups were kept like?

Yeah when you put it like that they should help pay for the bills. It will prove them responsible/irresponsible. I'll give them a call tonight.

The breeder had another pair of dogs of a different breed also. We've bought blind before from a different breeder we found online so we weren't cautious about buying blind again I suppose. The pups were in a shed, it was warm, a little cramped maybe but then it was a large litter. All seemed pretty healthy and well fed.

andreac

padraig.od wrote: »

Yeah when you put it like that they should help pay for the bills. It will prove them responsible/irresponsible. I'll give them a call tonight.

The breeder had another pair of dogs of a different breed also. We've bought blind before from a different breeder we found online so we weren't cautious about buying blind again I suppose. The pups were in a shed, it was warm, a little cramped maybe but then it was a large litter. All seemed pretty healthy and well fed.

What kind of dog is it? Did you get all the paperwork from the breeder? Has it had all its vaccinations etc?

Tbh, the shed really isnt the best place to raise a litter of pups but if the pups looked healthy and bright and the area was clean then i suppose its not the worst.

padraig.od

andreac wrote: »

What kind of dog is it? Did you get all the paperwork from the breeder? Has it had all its vaccinations etc?

Tbh, the shed really isnt the best place to raise a litter of pups but if the pups looked healthy and bright and the area was clean then i suppose its not the worst.

I don't really want to say breeds etc or go into the situation any further in case I identify the breeder (or myself) before I get to talk to them myself. They could be perfectly happy to refund the vet bills, or at least contribute.

Thanks for your help and advice, I'll talk to them tonight and see what they have to say for themselves.

lrushe

padraig.od wrote: »

Saw both parents and the rest of the litter. Everything seemed to be totally above board.

padraig.od wrote: »

The breeder had another pair of dogs of a different breed also.

Generally speaking most reputable breeders don't keep both the mother and father on site as most reputable breeders only breed to improve the breed and would rarely find themselves in a situation were they had a bitch and a dog who compliamented each other well enough to breed, they usually have to look further afield to find a suitable stud. Having both parents on site is usually (though there are exceptions to the rule) a sign of a byb.

padraig.od

Whats a byb?

andreac

padraig.od wrote: »

Whats a byb?

Back yard breeder.

lrushe

It stands for backyard breeder. It's basically someone who breeds for profit or the misguided notion that their dog should br bred without research or health checks etc. These people either through greed or ignorance can often produce sickly pups.

tk123

padraig.od wrote: »

Hi,
The illnesses were relatively minor but the trip to the vet & the drugs to treat him were very expensive (> 50 < 100).

To be honest we're just relieved that the pup will be OK and we're really happy with him in general... but I'm smarting from the price of the vet bills on top of what we paid for a pedigree dog.

OP I hope the puppy gets better soon!! Vets bills add up - especially for pups because they can been eejits lol - I would strongly advise you to think about pet insurance if you haven't got it already. Our bills would have been over €1k if we didn't have it - most of that was before his first birthday!