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Originally Posted by NicoleNYC  Well the good thing is Deb Siller's has a 5 year guarantee against defects and you can at that point either get another dog (not sure how anyone could do that) or she will refund up to the full price of the dog. |
Yes, I agree, the rest of her contract seems ok to me. But, I take issue with paragraph #1. Mostly because of the Leggs Perthes limitation since I have had experience with this. This is a very painful condition that will eventually cause my dog to go completely lame and require the head of his femur at the ball joint of his hip to need to be cut off. He will then have to hobble around for about 3 or 4 months while he heals scar tissue to create a false joint. Since the surgery can't be done until he goes lame (because he is already an adult), I have to wait. Sitting by and paying for consults w/ an orthopedic specialist every 6 months to assess my dog's gait, stature, movement, and objective measure of necropsy of his bone (dying of the bone) is emotionally draining. It's not fair to a dog who already has epilepsy. The cost of surgery for LCP is about $3,000 to $4,000 in the northeast when done by an ACVS surgeon.
I have to also say that the first paragraph only covering high grade LPs up to a year bothers me some as well. High grade LPs are almost NEVER the result of trauma, they are due to poor confirmation of the dog, which is a genetic issue. LP is a known genetic condition. Surgery can involve cutting deep into the tibial groove of the bone and making a wedge to take it out. Recovery is about 3 months, with full recovery taking longer. The price on that surgery is about $3,000 in the northeast, done by an ACVS surgeon when all is said and done.
With all this said, if I was interested in a breeder's dog, I would state and explain my issues with the contract. A reasonable breeder might consider this food for thought and would even edit the contract. I feel I am giving a dog the absolute best care that I can and remaining committed to my dogs NO MATTER WHAT. A reputable breeder would be trying to buy me as much as I would try to buy them.