Problem with Rescue - Need Advice Please

[Teresiana]

I adopted a 15-week old Morkie pup from a rescue over the weekend. "Momo" was returned to the rescue by her previous owner. According to the rescue, the previous owners (Jeff) thought she was too anxious. She would throw a fit in her crate, constantly bark, etc. The rescue gave me what remained of her daily anti-anxiety medication. They also told me that Momo was recovering from kennel cough. She had been with her previous owners for 3 weeks.

The rescue told me that despite returning Momo, Jeff & his family had become very attached to her. They gave me little notes from Jeff about her temperament, eating habits, potty schedule, vet information, insurance information & transfer paperwork, etc. They also requested that Momo's new owners contact them with an update.

I made a Tuesday vet appt for Momo. Prior to her appt, I contacted her old vet to request her records be transferred. I also called Jeff to let him know how Momo was doing.

Through the course of getting Momo's history together, I discovered that when Jeff originally adopted her (3 wks ago), she was recovering from kennel cough. That later developed into pneumonia. She was close to death when she was hospitalized on 8/6. From 8/6 to 8/18, Jeff & his family took care of her until the rescue was able to take her to be rehomed.

After Momo's vet appt yesterday, we discovered that her white blood cell count is still high. She's still sick. We were at the vet for 3 HOURS doing various tests, an x-ray, blood work, an antibiotic injection etc. (I totally took her off the Puppy Paxil from the get go, by the way.)

My question is...should I contact the rescue & hold them responsible for any of my medical bills/adoption fee? Momo does have insurance. However, I told my vet that I wanted to be as aggressive as possible with her treatment. I need this little pup to get healthy NOW & get on with her life. So I'm pretty sure that a lot of what we had done was not "necessary", therefore would not be covered.

I do not mind spending the money on Momo. I'm not after money. I'm grateful that I have the resources to help her. I'm more concerned about the fact that the rescue organization told me NOTHING about her medical issues. Their main concern seemed to be her "anxiety". I'm also concerned for the amount of time & energy Jeff and his family put into nursing this pup back to health.

I realize that this is a rescue organization, not some BYB. All of my pets are rescues. I truly believe in what they do. I know they have limited funds & I feel guilty about asking them to pay me back. I've been thinking about contacting the rescue just to let them know what's going on & that I'm upset about it. But will they take me seriously? Or am I overreacting?

Btw, my husband is absolutely livid & wants to be reimbursed for everything. I'm trying to keep a cooler head about things.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be REALLY appreciated. I'm really torn about this whole situation & I'm not sure how to handle it.

Thanks for reading my long post.

[Lovetodream88]

I think when rescuing a dog you have to be prepared for any illnesses or any problems they might have that is the difference between getting a rescue and getting a dog from a breeder.

[Teresiana]

Yes, that does make sense. I sort of feel the same way. However, I'm upset that they kept the information about her being hospitalized from me. I need to pull out the contract to see if it says anything about cases like this. Thanks.

[nanahas3]

I would contact them and tell them the whole situation and see if they offer any help. It can't hurt.

[kjc]

So sorry your little one is still ill.

I was in a similar predicament with Tinkerbell, although she was 2.5 years old when I adopted her. I didn't know anything about Liver Shunt at that time, and she had an anal gland problem along with high liver enzymes the bloodwork they said nothing about), and had been returned to the Humane Society twice, and more than likely would have been euthanized. She also had a runny nose, which my Peek A Boo caught which then turned into pneumonia for him as he is much older. He came very close to dying, but somehow managed to recover from it.

I would at least notify the rescue to let them know your pup has pneumonia, so they can watch/treat any other dogs your pup came in contact with, as it's highly contagious.

The Humane Society never offered to help me financially. Tink's surgery ran about $3500.00 and was not successful, so she still has to take daily meds and eats a special diet. Peek A Boo's treatment was in total over $1000.00

Ethically, a rescue is only supposed to adopt out healthy animals, as I understand it. It would be a wonderful gesture on your part if you could foot the bill. I guess if that is too much of a hardship you could return him to the rescue. Just listing options here, not judging at all.

Sad thing is, it's always the pups who really do the suffering.

[rubymoon2072]

i think thats a good idea read the contract and see what the fine print says. they may not have know the extensive history but being the previous owner wanted to remain in the loop on everything i truly wonder if that is the case. just because it is a rescue doenst mean they do everything by the book. theres bad and good just like in breeder scenarios. i wish you luck and most importantly hope momo gets fully recovered asap.

[Teresiana]

Originally Posted by kjc

I would at least notify the rescue to let them know your pup has pneumonia, so they can watch/treat any other dogs your pup came in contact with, as it's highly contagious.

Ethically, a rescue is only supposed to adopt out healthy animals, as I understand it. It would be a wonderful gesture on your part if you could foot the bill. I guess if that is too much of a hardship you could return him to the rescue. Just listing options here, not judging at all.

Sad thing is, it's always the pups who really do the suffering.

Returning this poor little pup to the rescue is definitely not an option for us. She's been through enough. Although, I could see how someone might choose to do that. At this point, I'm more concerned about her health & well-being rather than my ethics & principles. You're absolutely right when you say that it's the pups who do the suffering.

Your idea about contacting the rescue to let them know about the pneumonia is brilliant. That way I could let them know that Momo is contagious & at the time same make them aware that I don't agree with how they handled the situation. It might not come across as me trying to be argumentative if I approach them that way. Thank you for that suggestion.

I'm planning on thinking this through at least until tomorrow. I'd rather not react too quickly & make this more of a mess than it already is. Thanks!

[Teresiana]

Originally Posted by rubymoon2072

i think thats a good idea read the contract and see what the fine print says. they may not have know the extensive history but being the previous owner wanted to remain in the loop on everything i truly wonder if that is the case. just because it is a rescue doenst mean they do everything by the book. theres bad and good just like in breeder scenarios. i wish you luck and most importantly hope momo gets fully recovered asap.

Thanks Rubymoon The rescue actually did know about the pneumonia. They also knew she was hospitalized & nearly died. I also gave them the benefit of the doubt at first. But after speaking to the previous owners & their vet, I put it all together. The funny thing is, when I took Momo on adoption day, the woman I have been working with at the rescue went on & on about how the owners were a little "off". She even said "I think the anti-anxiety medication is more for the wife than for the puppy." I can only imagine what a difficult 3-weeks the owners had when their newly adopted 4 lb. pup nearly died! Now that I know about the whole situation, I really can't believe she would say something like that to me! And you're right...there are good & bad rescues. However, I got my Yoshi from the same rescue so I assumed we had a better relationship. I guess you never know....

[Teegy]

The question that this raises to me is (and the reason I choose not to rescue) besides the lack of information you were given, were you prepared to deal with her medical bills at the time you first took her on?
I would query the rescue and hold them accountable for not providing a proper medical history, whether they assist with the bills depends on the kind of contract you have with them and how reputable they are.
All I can think is that this poor thing has had such a sh**ty life to date, wouldn't it be nice if you can make Momo happy for the rest of it's life.

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by Teresiana

Returning this poor little pup to the rescue is definitely not an option for us. She's been through enough. Although, I could see how someone might choose to do that. At this point, I'm more concerned about her health & well-being rather than my ethics & principles. You're absolutely right when you say that it's the pups who do the suffering.

you rock!!!

[TxVicki]

I would talk with the Rescue about her. This is my opinion only on the previous owner, I don't see where they need to be kept up to date about her. They turned her over to a Rescue Group as an owner turn in, so they gave up all rights to her by doing this.

I am sorry your baby is sick. I will certainly say prayers that she will be feeling better soon.

[Teresiana]

Originally Posted by TxVicki

This is my opinion only on the previous owner, I don't see where they need to be kept up to date about her. They turned her over to a Rescue Group as an owner turn in, so they gave up all rights to her by doing this.

That's a really good point. You're absolutely right.

[Teresiana]

Originally Posted by Teegy

The question that this raises to me is (and the reason I choose not to rescue) besides the lack of information you were given, were you prepared to deal with her medical bills at the time you first took her on?
I would query the rescue and hold them accountable for not providing a proper medical history, whether they assist with the bills depends on the kind of contract you have with them and how reputable they are.
All I can think is that this poor thing has had such a sh**ty life to date, wouldn't it be nice if you can make Momo happy for the rest of it's life.

I wouldn't say I was totally prepared to deal with medical bills right away. Although, I think that any responsible pet owner needs to be prepared to deal with medical emergencies. That being said, I wasn't expecting to have to shell out the cash quite so quickly. But it happens. And I'm fortunate that at the time that Momo needed treatment, I had the available resources.

I'm not really upset about the money. I'm more upset that I wasn't told about Momo's medical history. I don't expect to be reimbursed for medical bills. I honestly feel awkward about asking them to. However, I do want them to know that it's NOT COOL to keep important medical history, especially when a near-death event is involved, from a new pet owner. And I want them to take me seriously. I'm not sure if asking them for money would make them realize that this is no joke. I really don't know how to approach them about this???

[kjc]

Originally Posted by Teresiana

I wouldn't say I was totally prepared to deal with medical bills right away. Although, I think that any responsible pet owner needs to be prepared to deal with medical emergencies. That being said, I wasn't expecting to have to shell out the cash quite so quickly. But it happens. And I'm fortunate that at the time that Momo needed treatment, I had the available resources.

I'm not really upset about the money. I'm more upset that I wasn't told about Momo's medical history. I don't expect to be reimbursed for medical bills. I honestly feel awkward about asking them to. However, I do want them to know that it's NOT COOL to keep important medical history, especially when a near-death event is involved, from a new pet owner. And I want them to take me seriously. I'm not sure if asking them for money would make them realize that this is no joke. I really don't know how to approach them about this???

I think they're afraid that the new owner would reject the pet, but if they take them home the rescue thinks the new owner will get attached and decide to keep the new pet anyway?

I actually walked away from adopting Tinkerbell, not bc of her medical issues (which I knew nothing about) but bc she was the only dog I ever met than never gave me a second look.

We were doing the initial 'meet and greet', and all she did was look towards the driveway like she was looking for someone else. I told them not to hold her for us, if someone came in that really wanted her to proceed with them, but if not, then I would take her.

That night at home, I decided to go get her the next day anyway, if she was still there. She was, and she was still more interested in the driveway than us, but we took her home anyway. We went straight to my vet, who recognized her, and they pulled her previous records and transferred her info and we went from there.

This is Tink at the HS: and Tink now:

[Teresiana]

Tinkerbell is stunning! It's funny how things work out, isn't it? I keep telling myself that for some reason, Momo was meant to be with us. I know there's drama involved. But for some reason, it just feels "right".

kjc, I wanted to let you know that I took your advice about telling the rescue about the pneumonia & gave them the heads up about keeping an eye on any dogs that Momo may have been in contact with. I also let them know that I was a little upset that they didn't fill me in on Momo's medical history. I tried really hard to be as nice as I could about it. I REALLY didn't want to start a fight. Plus, I hadn't heard the rescue's side of the story. Guess what? IT WORKED!

We were on the phone for about 30 minutes & we ended up having a GREAT conversation. Now I know their side of the story & I feel so much better!!! I don't feel like they didn't tell me about Momo on purpose. I think they were trying to handle a sticky situation as professionally as they could. All that matters now, is that Momo is on her way to being a healthy puppy. We have her medical history & as far as I'm concerned, the case is closed. I didn't even bring up money. Like I said before, money was never the main concern. I was just dumbfounded by the fact that they didn't mention the pneumonia & hospitalization. Now I know why & it's time to move on.

As far as the previous owners are concerned, TxVicki hit the nail on the head when she made me realize that they did in fact lose their rights to any "updates" when they surrendered Momo to a rescue. So I wrote them a short email thanking them for their help during the transition (they turned over Momo's insurance to me) & I said goodbye.

I had the opportunity to exhale for about 15 minutes. My vet just called. Chest x-rays still show pneumonia & her stool sample came up positive for Giardia. I'll be swinging by my vet's office tomorrow morning to pick up medication for all of my 3 dogs

But I'm pretty sure the worst is over. Tomorrow is another day. THANK YOU all so much for your advice & suggestions! I have no idea what I would do without my YT friends