Puppy store sold me a really sick dog

[Flirt_7569]

I live in Arizona, I bought a yorkie pup from a pet store, I know now that it wasn't a good idea to get a dog from there but it is too late. When I first bought her, I took her to the vet in the first few days, which is a requirement of theirs that I fulfilled. When I got the results back, she had two types of parasites, weeks later after those got better, I found out that she had roundworm. I got her medicine and that cleared up. BUT NOW.... I have had her for about 1 year and the vet says that she needs surgery on her back leg because her kneecap will not stay in place, a GENETIC condition (Bilateral patellar luxation), and it will cost about $2,500. She had this problem when I bought her, but the store insisted that it was no big deal, as it was only a grade 1. Now it is at a grade 3, and it only goes up to a grade 4 before her leg becomes limp! She is not even a year and a half old! The vet also said that there are signs of this same problem showing up in her other leg. They should not have even been breeding dogs with this type of medical condition! My warranty says that they will not help with medical procedures, but if I prove my case that they may give me store credit, what the hell am I going to do with store credit, and that is only if they don't screw me out of that! Someone please give me advice on what to do, if I even have any options!

[Flirt_7569]

I fully plan on getting these procedures done, but I feel like the store should help me.

[Blue Meanie]

Bilateral patellar luxation

Did you ask the Vet about this condition when you brought the puppy in for it's examination?

[armywife21289]

Ok I had the same problem I had to pay for the procedure and then sue the store They ended up paying me 3/4 of what I paid back. But in all actuality you have to prove they did you wrong if you love the dog then go for it. I lost mine he was too sick for the surgery he needed we got it done and he didnt make it threw yet i still had to pay for the vet bill.

[JETX]

Originally Posted by Flirt_7569

Someone please give me advice on what to do, if I even have any options!

Of course we can't tell you whether to proceed with your dog treatment or not, that is YOUR decision.

However, as for the possible liability of the seller.... you need to get ALL of your records together, including WRITTEN statements from your vet as to the pre-existing condition, the sellers claim that "it was only a grade 1" (to show they knew)... anything that would show that they knew, or should have known, of this condition and that they should be liable.

The problem you have is that most (all?) states recognize pets as 'property' and the sellers only liability would be up to the cost of the 'property', likely not the full amount of the treatment.

[ariastar]

Even if a condition is primarily genetic, this doesn't mean the parents or grandparents developed the condition. You'll have to prove that the store knowingly sold you a sick dog without telling you. The point of that vet check within 48/72 hours is to verify that there are no serious conditions with the dog. Worms and such are so common that you can't complain about that.

Now the problem you may have is that the store disclosed to you this condition, and you still accepted the dog. So you weren't led to believe the pup had no pre-existing conditions. You knew this pup already had the condition.

Next time avoid a pet store. Those dogs come from mills. Look for a private breeder who doesn't cage the animals and keeps the pups with their mothers at least 12 weeks (a puppy should NOT EVER EVER EVER be separated before 12 weeks!!) and vets and vaxes the pups. These are the breeders who will actually give two ****s about the quality of the pups and their health. Yes, I am one such breeder. I hate mill-breeders who are out to profit heavily on sick dogs.

Anyway, you can try to sue, and to tell the judge you knew the dog had a condition, but the most you can collect is the price you paid for the dog.

[ecmst12]

You just said you knew about the condition when you bought the puppy. Therefore you have no case. Of course it got worse over time. Did you research the condition on your own before deciding to get the puppy? Or did you just take the store's word that it was "no big deal"?

[JETX]

There is no obligation for the OP to do ANY research or to have any 'special' knowledge. They can simply rely on the sellers statement that the "store insisted that it was no big deal, as it was only a grade 1.".
If she has that in writing, that is all that would be needed to show that she was relying on their claim.

[Flirt_7569]

Thanks for all the replies, I kept all my paperwork and I have the sheet given to me by the pet store stating "This pet was examined by a licensed veterinarian and at the time of the examination, the pet listed had no apparent hereditary or congenital condition that will adversely affect the health of the pet". Then it lists some conditions next to check boxes and Open Fontanelle and Bilateral patellar luxation are checked as simply noted.

I did ask another vet within the first 48 hours after the purchase and they said it was nothing to worry about,but my current vet says that this condition always gradually gets worse until the leg becomes lame and that I should not breed this dog because it is a GENETIC condition. BTW I do already have her spayed. I am really appreciating everyone's input, thanks!

[Flirt_7569]

Sorry to hear about your dog armywife, I couldn't even imagine going through all that. The warranty company for my dog got back to me and said that normally they wouldn't cover patellar luxation but because of the severity of her condition, they offered me a store credit for $2000, the price of my dog. The store credit really isn't going to help my dog, so I haven't accepted it yet because I'm thinking about contacting a lawyer first, to see if I would have a case against them.

[ariastar]

Originally Posted by Flirt_7569

Thanks for all the replies, I kept all my paperwork and I have the sheet given to me by the pet store stating "This pet was examined by a licensed veterinarian and at the time of the examination, the pet listed had no apparent hereditary or congenital condition that will adversely affect the health of the pet". Then it lists some conditions next to check boxes and Open Fontanelle and Bilateral patellar luxation are checked as simply noted.

I did ask another vet within the first 48 hours after the purchase and they said it was nothing to worry about,but my current vet says that this condition always gradually gets worse until the leg becomes lame and that I should not breed this dog because it is a GENETIC condition. BTW I do already have her spayed. I am really appreciating everyone's input, thanks!

You may have a very hard time with this. The paperwork you got had these two conditions noted, and you had another vet examine the dog as well, and that vet concurred with the assessment. It took at least a third vet to get a diagnosis of a degenerative condition. It might not be reasonable to expect a vet store to get three vet opinions.