[Rhetts_mama]

Sorry to hear about the pups. It's always sad when they can't be saved.

I'm going to be a wet blanket here, but you say you have been a respected breeder for 17 years, yet you knowingly purchased from someone who does not do genetic testing. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

As for whether you will win in court or not, that depends on your contract. You would have to prove she sold you a dog with known defects in it's line. Again, because you say you have been breeding for a long time, I assume this is something you would have investigated prior to purchasing. I would also have to assume that you took it upon your self to have your stud completely vetted and tested prior to using him, and therefore, there was nothing apparently wrong with him.

You are also going to have to prove that the defect came solely from the stud's line. That's going to be pretty hard to do because there are polygenic causes of PDA's.

Again, it comes down to who knew what when. If she knew there were defects in the line, then you might win. If she had no way of knowing, then you might be out the money you spent on the stud. It all comes down to what's spelled out in your contract.