Need advice-was this puppy fit for sale?

[nowellsl]

Yeah, but I dont know if allergies, falls into "sick" - does it?

The puppy doesnt have some massive infections, or something along those lines.... is "allergies" then considered a sickness?

Im not sure....

According to the vet she also has a cold. She's on antibiotics, steroids and cough medicine.

 

[minkydog]

According to the vet she also has a cold. She's on antibiotics, steroids and cough medicine.

Hmmm, that sounds like more than a cold. Antibiotics are only good for bacterial infections and steriods are pretty powerful systemic anti-inflammatories. Sounds like he may suspect bronchitis or be trying to take care of a possible long infection. Hope the puppy gets over this fast.

 

[Christine]

Honestly, at this point, I would probably keep the dog. I mean, there is no guarantee that ANY animal your DD gets is going to be "maintenance free." I bought a Jack Russell Terrier and a few weeks later she start sneezing, having runny eyes, looking sick. It turned out that she somehow, someway got a sinus infection. At first my vet thought she might have a blockage in the nasal passage since it was so small. So I had to pay for an x-ray. After that, it was antibiotics. I was out $300.

It's very likely that this puppy is just picked up something because it has been living at a pet store (not the ideal place for a puppy).

What I would do is take the vet bills back to the pet store, explain that the dog was purchased and supposed to be healthy but came home sick. At the very least, they should repay her vet bills.

Again, sending the dog back and getting another is not a guarantee. Now, I don't mean this in a snarky way, but animals can be very expensive, and your DD probably should not have one yet if she has not financial stability (I'm sure you know this). Any animal can have it's share of things. I have owned 5 dogs so far and I can't think of one that hasn't set me back even very early on. Usually some fluke of a thing.

 

[CheshireVal]

Poor puppy.

 

[nowellsl]

Honestly, at this point, I would probably keep the dog. I mean, there is no guarantee that ANY animal your DD gets is going to be "maintenance free." I bought a Jack Russell Terrier and a few weeks later she start sneezing, having runny eyes, looking sick. It turned out that she somehow, someway got a sinus infection. At first my vet thought she might have a blockage in the nasal passage since it was so small. So I had to pay for an x-ray. After that, it was antibiotics. I was out $300.

It's very likely that this puppy is just picked up something because it has been living at a pet store (not the ideal place for a puppy).

What I would do is take the vet bills back to the pet store, explain that the dog was purchased and supposed to be healthy but came home sick. At the very least, they should repay her vet bills.

Again, sending the dog back and getting another is not a guarantee. Now, I don't mean this in a snarky way, but animals can be very expensive, and your DD probably should not have one yet if she has not financial stability (I'm sure you know this). Any animal can have it's share of things. I have owned 5 dogs so far and I can't think of one that hasn't set me back even very early on. Usually some fluke of a thing.

She probably will keep the puppy - They have paid the vet bill so far. All I'm saying is that if you had known when you bought the puppy that it was sick - would you have bought it? On the other hand I don't even know if the pet store realized it was sick (even though she was sneezing when DD picked her up).
By the way, it was only in the pet store less than 24 hours. We know this for a fact!

 

[disneyaggie]

All three of my long-haired chihuahuas came from puppy mill rescues. Come to think of it, all of my dogs have been rescues.

When people keep buying them from bad breeders or pet stores, this only encourages more of this over breeding and lack of animal health care to continue. All three of my fur babies were sick when I got them. One was really ill. She is finally better, but has an enlarged heart and gets ear infections often. But she is still worth every penny I spend on her.

I have heard from a rescuer that if you MUST buy from a breeder, ONLY pick one that is certified by the USDA -- no kidding! I understand that the USDA has a division that actually goes to these certified breeders and makes constant inspections to ensure proper breeding environments are met.

But I agree -- keep the puppy -- this could easily happen again with another dog. Try a rescue group -- www.petfinder.com is really good!

Hugs to the little doggie. I hope the fur baby gets better.

 

[nowellsl]

But if you shouldn't buy from a pet store and you shouldn't buy from a breeder, who should you buy from? Aren't you taking a chance anywhere you go? I would think that buying from someone you gives a guarantee would be the way to go. I don't have any experience in buying a dog (neither does DD) At least this pet store guarantees the pups against congenital or genetic conditions for 2 years. I don't know, I just don't believe that ALL pet stores are puppy mills and ALL breeders are overbreeding. I don't know what the answer is, all I know is that if the pet store hadn't been offering a sick puppy for sale, then DD wouldn't have bought it and she wouldn't be having to make such a heartwrenching decision. Hopefully everything will be fine for her follow up visit on Monday and I'm just worrying for nothing. I'm just asking for advice because I have absolutely no experience in buying animals. My cats just found me! It just upsets me because she has saved for over a year to buy a dog, all the supplies and she does have some saved towards future vet bills. I just hope it's enough. Thanks to everyone for your insight!

 

[jim and meesie]

2nd this - nothing is perfect. I cant return my kids - they both have allergies.

I understand a child isnt a pet - but whether or not it's fit for sale? Anything could happen with any animal down the road....

A child most definitely isn't a pet but a pet can be easily as expensive as a child! First of all my kids are covered by my health insurance, my dog isn't. We got a rescue Yellow Lab (he wasn't a puppy) about 7-8 years ago. He's beautiful and loving but my husband calls him the "Million Dollar Hound". In the past two months we have spent close to $700. trying to resolve his chronic allergy/ear infection issues. This isn't even a serious illness, just gross smelly itchy infected ears. We do love him and he is part of our family but he is not cheap!

Make sure your daughter knows that her little guy will probably need doggy day care and boarding once she has a full time adult job, just like a baby!!!

 

[nowellsl]

A child most definitely isn't a pet but a pet can be easily as expensive as a child! First of all my kids are covered by my health insurance, my dog isn't. We got a rescue Yellow Lab (he wasn't a puppy) about 7-8 years ago. He's beautiful and loving but my husband calls him the "Million Dollar Hound". In the past two months we have spent close to $700. trying to resolve his chronic allergy/ear infection issues. This isn't even a serious illness, just gross smelly itchy infected ears. We do love him and he is part of our family but he is not cheap!

Make sure your daughter knows that her little guy will probably need doggy day care and boarding once she has a full time adult job, just like a baby!!!

She has thought about that actually! Luckily her grandparents live next door and will help during the day. She already works part-time and goes to school full-time so guess who gets to dog sit at night?!

 

[Crankyshank]

You can buy pets from breeders - you just need to make sure you purchase from a reputable breeder.
No reputable breeder is going to sell their dogs to a pet shop. Period. Reputable breeders want to preserve the integrity of the breed and don't sell their dogs to just anyone like a pet store does.

 

[Planogirl]

There is the rare pet shop that does not sell puppies from puppy mills. I know of one that only accepts puppies and kittens from individuals who find pregnant strays or the like but of course these aren't purebreds. At the time this shop only charged a few dollars to cover expenses with the goal being to find the animals homes not to make a profit. But then these are rare.

You truly never know though. My mother once adopted a puppy from the SPCA who turned out to have both Parvo and distemper. She tried to cure him but it was too much was the little dog to take.

 

[golfgal]

We have a rat terrier and they are prone to corn allergies. We just try to make sure she doesn't get anything with corn in it. A friend has a dog that has allergies that were undiscovered until she took her to a new groomer. They switched her dog food and I can't believe what a difference that made. She has gained weight and is very perky, she is a totally different dog. Dealing with dog allergies doesn't have to be expensive. Chances are the dog was not given good quality food. Have her take the dog to a vet and find a good dog food and see if that helps.

 

[Dznypal]

Im not a fan of getting pets from pet stores either but we fell in love with a sheltie/begal mix from a pet store and never had any helath problems until she got to be about 13 years old then she started having trouble with her back legs and even at that she lived another 2 years (ripe old age of 15 before we had to have her put down my DS went with us to the emgerency vet and even he had tears we got the dog when DS was only 5!!!

anyways last year my DH got me a kitten from the Humane society--they told us she was exposed to an upper respitory infection but showed no signs---well 2 days later she starts with the sneezing running nose and eyes--took her to the vet antibiactics--then our 4 yr old started with the same things so hes on pills not only that but he was dehydrarting he wasnt to sure of the kitten to start with and was hiding and not eating--I was really afraid I was going to find him somewhere expired!!!! so he got fixed up and finally I got him to eat by handing feeding him some moist food!!! then our other cat gets sick so shes on pills not easy to give cats pills before leaving for work .

I called and we did get back for the pills but not for the 3 vet visits.

I was surprised that since they knew she was exposed they could give her something before adopting her out. either that or keeping them longer before letting them leave just3 or 4 days could make such a differnce.

to the OP it sounds at least that the pet shop is working with your DD which is great.

pixie dust to you all and keep us posted everythign will turn out fine

 

[phillybeth]

No, the puppy should not have even been bred. Puppies from a pet shop, due to most being bred in unsanitary, uncontrolled puppy mills - with no thought to responsible breeding,- have an extrodinarily high chance of chronic disease. Plus, they are usually more expensive than going through a reputable breeder.

If your daughter can get her money back - run quickly back to the pet shop. And then contact the national chihuahua society for references to reputable breeders who put the health and genetics of the dog above profits.

http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.com/


I am sorry you got a sick puppy, and it will be hard to return. But that is exactly what pet shops are banking on. They can sell sick puppies and few return them because their hearts are already invested.

Exactly what she said.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

anyways last year my DH got me a kitten from the Humane society--they told us she was exposed to an upper respitory infection but showed no signs---well 2 days later she starts with the sneezing running nose and eyes--took her to the vet antibiactics--then our 4 yr old started with the same things so hes on pills not only that but he was dehydrarting he wasnt to sure of the kitten to start with and was hiding and not eating--I was really afraid I was going to find him somewhere expired!!!! so he got fixed up and finally I got him to eat by handing feeding him some moist food!!! then our other cat gets sick so shes on pills not easy to give cats pills before leaving for work .

I called and we did get back for the pills but not for the 3 vet visits.

I was surprised that since they knew she was exposed they could give her something before adopting her out. either that or keeping them longer before letting them leave just3 or 4 days could make such a differnce.

That's why we kept our 2 kittens apart from our existing cats for a week. We didn't want them passing any viruses to our cats. Turns out the kittens had fleas so it's a good thing they weren't together. And then on day 7 they started sneezing so we had to keep them apart for another week. We had nose drops for the kittens and have them Lysine to help them with the cold (also gave it to our cats as a preventative). We didn't need antibiotic.

So even if the shelter had of kept your kitten for longer might not have made a difference. In that amount of time your kitten might have showed signs of the cold, but also might have been exposed to a different virus.

 

[Taylor]

I definitely agree that the key is buying from a reputable breeder. We started to visit our breeder months before the puppies were even born. We were genuinely impressed by the deep devotion and love we could see from our breeder for the animals she raised. I know that our breeder would have never even considered selling us a dog if she didn't believe we were "Fit Parents".

 

[Jynohn]

I have heard from a rescuer that if you MUST buy from a breeder, ONLY pick one that is certified by the USDA -- no kidding! I understand that the USDA has a division that actually goes to these certified breeders and makes constant inspections to ensure proper breeding environments are met.

I know I'm late in replying to this thread but just read this and I have to comment. I don't mean to sound preachy, but I'm afraid this rescuer gave you very bad information. USDA certified breeders are in most cases puppy mills in every sense of the word. A breeder has to have a significant amount of litters per year to be USDA certified and no reputable breeder would have enough litters to qualify. A good breeder only has a few litters per year at the very most because they are more focused on improving the breed then they are in just churning out puppies. A properly raised litter takes tons of time and money and reputable breeders will only have as many litters as they can responsibly raise and find loving homes for. Certainly not the vast numbers that USDA breeders produce. I just thought it was important to make that distinction.

To the OP, I hope your daughter has found a solution to her dilemma and that the puppy is now healthy and happy.

And to Taylor, I've been meaning to tell you for some time that I am in love with your Dane puppy!
I have a blue Great Dane named Cricket and she's the love of my life. Looks like you found yourself a keeper!

Jynohn

 

[nowellsl]

She seems to be doing fine now. No more swelling episodes. She's such a cute smart little puppy! Guess she's not going anywhere now, we're too attached to her! Thanks for the concern! I'm glad it turned out all right.

 

[robinb]

Thanks for the update! I'm glad the puppy is doing better. I hope she continues to be healthy .