I talked with the breeder today and of course she is willing to replace the puppy. She does have a good reputation in the area (I also talked to her vet when I was looking for puppies). I asked her to talk with her husband about a major discount on the pending female rather than replacing him. She is willing to work something out with me. The replacement would be from a different litter, same sire different dame. I had also planned on getting a female from this second litter. I am thinking about this offer: buy the female at full price, replace my male (Scooter) with another male, and basically buy Scooter back for $200. So I would end up keeping Scooter for $200 and receive a male replacement. I hate the thought of returning him because I don't know where he could get a better home than with us. My home environment is pretty quiet and stress-free so he wouldn't be over stimulated, etc. I'm willing to be sure that he gets good vet care and take him to the vet cardiologist for an ultrasound/ECHO, etc. But I would like to end up with 2 healthy dogs from the begining.
BTW, my vet said that Scooter has a 20-50% chance that he will out grow the murmur but that he most likely would not live the long life that our others did. We go back in 2 weeks for another check. |