sick puppy

rachel4 · Feb 17, 2006

Hi. I live in Illinois. I bought a 12 wk old Boston Terrier puppy from a breeder awhile ago. A few days after I brought him home (and was completely in love with him

) he started coughing up mucus and became listless. My vet said he had pneumonia

, and had had it for "awhile, much longer than a week." He was really upset and suggested I sue this breeder, and he found out she was administering vet meds w/o a vet license, which he said is illegal.
She won't help pay vet bills or anything, and I REFUSE to give the pup back (she'd let him die for sure, I have no doubt she cares more about money than any of the puppies she "breeds")

In Illinois, is there a puppy lemon law? Do I have any recourse? Or is too late b/c this happened a few months ago (the puppy is thriving now

. I'm extremely thankful he is alive and well now, but I'm still angry at this dishonest breeder

.
thanks
rachel

racer72 · Feb 18, 2006

Dogs are property just like many other consumer items such as cars and boats. You should have had the dog checked out by a vet prior to purchasing it. Unless the seller offered some kind of guarantee, the bills are yours. You could sue and here is what you would be looking at:
Gather everything you need to file a lawsuit.
File lawsuit then wait for up to 3 years for the case to be heard.
Win the lawsuit and spend 5 years trying to collect while the defendant continues to do what they have been doing.
Lose the lawsuit and watch the defendant continue to do what they have been doing.

seniorjudge · Feb 18, 2006

rachel4 said:
Hi. I live in Illinois. I bought a 12 wk old Boston Terrier puppy from a breeder awhile ago. A few days after I brought him home (and was completely in love with him ) he started coughing up mucus and became listless. My vet said he had pneumonia , and had had it for "awhile, much longer than a week." He was really upset and suggested I sue this breeder, and he found out she was administering vet meds w/o a vet license, which he said is illegal.
She won't help pay vet bills or anything, and I REFUSE to give the pup back (she'd let him die for sure, I have no doubt she cares more about money than any of the puppies she "breeds")

In Illinois, is there a puppy lemon law? Do I have any recourse? Or is too late b/c this happened a few months ago (the puppy is thriving now. I'm extremely thankful he is alive and well now, but I'm still angry at this dishonest breeder .
thanks
rachel

...He was really upset and suggested I sue this breeder....

Do you go to a lawyer for veterinary advice?

rachel4 · Feb 18, 2006

seniorjudge said:
...He was really upset and suggested I sue this breeder....

Do you go to a lawyer for veterinary advice?

Sure, if he knew stuff about veterinary medicine, why not? (just joking, your Sr. Judgeship

Of course not, and I know what you're getting at

I just wanted to point out how sick my doggie was--so sick that a vet who was seeing my puppy for the first time, suggested I take legal action.
Are u implying this vet didn't know what he was talking about?
In any case, I don't see how your question helps me...and isn't that what these forums are supposed to be about?

rachel4 · Feb 18, 2006

racer72 said:
Dogs are property just like many other consumer items such as cars and boats. You should have had the dog checked out by a vet prior to purchasing it. Unless the seller offered some kind of guarantee, the bills are yours. You could sue and here is what you would be looking at:
Gather everything you need to file a lawsuit.
File lawsuit then wait for up to 3 years for the case to be heard.
Win the lawsuit and spend 5 years trying to collect while the defendant continues to do what they have been doing.
Lose the lawsuit and watch the defendant continue to do what they have been doing.

Thanks racer. I just hate the thought of this woman getting away with mistreating other animals and taking advantage of other gullible people like me

seniorjudge · Feb 18, 2006

rachel4 said:
Sure, if he knew stuff about veterinary medicine, why not? (just joking, your Sr. Judgeship

Of course not, and I know what you're getting at
I just wanted to point out how sick my doggie was--so sick that a vet who was seeing my puppy for the first time, suggested I take legal action.
Are u implying this vet didn't know what he was talking about?
In any case, I don't see how your question helps me...and isn't that what these forums are supposed to be about?

A few days after I brought him home (and was completely in love with him ) he started coughing up mucus and became listless.

Here is the weakness in your case. You have no way of proving that the dog was sick when you got him. There is no way that any doctor (human or animal) can pinpoint when the patient got pneumonia.

rmet4nzkx · Feb 18, 2006

Was your puppy vaccinated for kennel cough prior to transfering the puppy over to you? Perhaps luvumms will respond they had a similar problem.

weenor · Feb 18, 2006

rmet4nzkx said:
Was your puppy vaccinated for kennel cough prior to transfering the puppy over to you? Perhaps luvumms will respond they had a similar problem.

Yep and OP will get about as far with her claims.

seniorjudge · Feb 18, 2006

rmet4nzkx said:
Was your puppy vaccinated for kennel cough prior to transfering the puppy over to you? Perhaps luvumms will respond they had a similar problem.

In any case, I don't see how your question helps me...and isn't that what these forums are supposed to be about?

Doc, she's already made up her mind. She doesn't want questions. She just wants answers to support what she thought before she posted.

justalayman · Feb 19, 2006

rachel4 said:
She won't help pay vet bills or anything, and I REFUSE to give the pup back (she'd let him die for sure, I have no doubt she cares more about money than any of the puppies she "breeds")

You never mentioned any guarantee or agreement that would allow you to make a claim against the seller for vet bills. Animals do get sick and that is a part of owning them. Unless the seller stated a "no illness" guarantee why should they have to pay.

The second part that presents a problem is you are not willing to give the animal back. Is it possible the seller offered to take the dog back to avoid the bills and you refused. If so, the bills are yours, by your choice.

It sounds like your vet needs to contact the appropriate authorities regarding the dispensing of vet meds w/o a license if that is illegal. If the breeder is in fact breaking the law, this would seem to be your best recourse in preventing the breeder from continuing as they are.

rachel4 · Feb 19, 2006

gotcha..

seniorjudge said:
A few days after I brought him home (and was completely in love with him ) he started coughing up mucus and became listless.

Here is the weakness in your case. You have no way of proving that the dog was sick when you got him. There is no way that any doctor (human or animal) can pinpoint when the patient got pneumonia.

Are you in the medical field also? (Didn't think so...

) In fact, it would be easy to prove that my pup was sick before I brought him home. My vet showed me the Xrays which showed extensive consolidation in the lungs. He said this proved the pneumonia was there for several weeks or more, and definitely not something new.
He only appeared better when I took him home because she had been illegally treating him with nebulizers (and lord knows what else) to clear the congestion temporarily.

My pup is 100% recovered now

,after the proper vet care, antibiotics, and TLC.

justalayman · Feb 19, 2006

rachel4 said:
Are you in the medical field also? (Didn't think so...) In fact, it would be easy to prove that my pup was sick before I brought him home. My vet showed me the Xrays which showed extensive consolidation in the lungs. He said this proved the pneumonia was there for several weeks or more, and definitely not something new.
He only appeared better when I took him home because she had been illegally treating him with nebulizers (and lord knows what else) to clear the congestion temporarily.

My pup is 100% recovered now ,after the proper vet care, antibiotics, and TLC.

Even if the dog was sick when sold does not make the seller liable by itself. You still have not answered if there was any guarantee/warrantee with the dog.

Why do you feel the treatment with nebulizers was incorrect? Are you now saying you are a vet? Here again you give incomplete info and expect an answer to be above reproach.

rachel4 · Feb 19, 2006

seniorjudge said:
In any case, I don't see how your question helps me...and isn't that what these forums are supposed to be about?

Doc, she's already made up her mind. She doesn't want questions. She just wants answers to support what she thought before she posted.

What are you talking about? Some of you regulars (and psychics) in here seem more interested in outwitting each other more than anything else

Sr judge's comment was unnecessary is all I meant by my question.

rachel4 · Feb 19, 2006

rmet4nzkx said:
Was your puppy vaccinated for kennel cough prior to transfering the puppy over to you? Perhaps luvumms will respond they had a similar problem.

Well, the "breeder" stated he was up to date with all shots, including parvo. But she turned out to be a liar, so who knows?
My vet and I had to assume he had not been vaccinated for ANYTHING, and went from there.

rachel4 · Feb 19, 2006

weenor said:
Yep and OP will get about as far with her claims.

Ya lost me.

sick puppy

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