Puppy died after only 36 hours of ownership

[debb]

On December 17, 2010 I bought a Yorkshire Terrier from a lady names Deborah Mace from 110 St. Rt. H Edgar Springs, Missouri 65462. I pick the puppy born August 27, 2010 at about 1:00pm in the afternoon. The puppy seemed very happy to see us hipper even. We were so excited to see her (My two daughters 5 and 10, my mom Cathy and me Debbie) we did not put her down to walk even. I gave Deborah Mace $375 cash for her puppy which she told me how lucky I was to get and that she has had a lot of call on her. Someone else was going to take her but they had changed there minds, (probably because of her leg which she told me nothing of ) I was tickled I have been looking awhile for my five year old daughter for Christmas that’s what she wanted a little girl Yorky. We have a little boy Yorkie and just Love him so much I thought it was a good time to have one more. I have drove 2 ½ hours to pick her up so we thought lets stop and buy the new puppy some food and toys on the way home so I put the little girl down and notice a limp on her back leg so I rubed her down to see if she showed any pain and she didn’t . Got back in the car about 10 min later and she had a little green diaria on the floor I clean up not thinking much yet, maybe just nerves from the long car ride. We got home and introduced her to our other dog Max, she was happy and played a little manly just wanted to be held. I tried to feed her puppy food and fresh water but no interest. Still not thinking something wrong just nerves and happy just being held by my family. I tried to call Deborah Mace That evening to ask about the limp if maybe she fell under Deborah’s care or what happened she never told or called me back yet. I had put her in a small kennel that we use to use for Max to help with potty training and a nice soft bed. My daughter wanted to sleep right next to her so I made up a bed on the floor and she loved that her Christmas puppy right next to her she was on cloud 9. Well that evening I slept on the couch next to them just in case she needed out. About 3:00 in the morning I awoke to a smell of diaria so got up cleaned up with new bedding and laid back down about 4:30 a woke from her throwing up mucus clear, now I am getting nevus, so tried to give her water and she wanted nothing to do with eating or drinking and her eyes looked sick. I tried to get her to eat some plain rice but not interested. That morning I had to go to work my mom came over to watch the kids and the new puppy and she said I will call the vet and get her in this morning Saturday December 18, 2010. Well the vet could not believe how malnutrition she looked he ran a Fecal Smear and determed she has Guardia Infection, Patella Lunation, thin underweight body sore 2/4 .My vet said due to cost and pre-existing condition I need to give back to breeder. At that point try to contact Deborah Mace at the vet office he would of like to speak to her but she is not returning call. Deborah had told us this puppy was going to be about 4 pound full grown so she was small, her hair was fluffy and could not see how thin she actually was. I found out later that these Breeders give something to the puppies to make them hipper so I am assuming that’s what she did, instead of worrying about her health and needing nutrition to save this puppy, she was just making her appearance look good so I would buy her, that’s cruel. So on my way home from work I stop and bought puppy milk, Anti Diarrhea Liquid and High Calorie Booster. In the mean time my mom was feeding her water with an eye dropper and she would not even open her mouth we had to force down the side of her little mouth. We force feed her every ½ hour switching back in forth water and milk with meds in and booster. I had emailed Deborah Mace about what was going on and told her I wanted my money back or I would contact who I need to and she just called to tell me that she told me about her leg and that this puppy was healthy (that’s what I was told she was going to say I guess these Breeder do this often) I told her I had a vet bill to prove other and that we never talked about her leg. And I would not of drove 2 1/2 hours for a puppy with Patella Luxation, Deborah just hung up on me, that told me what kind of person she was not even caring that her puppy she just sold me was very sick and being feed with a eye dropper, I have not herd from her since.
So getting back to Ruby that’s what Lea named her just like her favorite cartoon Max & Ruby. She was keeping liquids down for a little bit, put some would come right back up. I got a little more stool and a little urine and that made me think well this just might be helping until late that night she stood up to vomit again and just fell over hard, I had to hold her up just to vomit. That was it for me I was feeling like I was doing more harm so I decided to let her sleep and just watch her saying to myself maybe I got enough in her and she will feel better the next day. I woke up at 3:00 in the morning and she had passed.
So when my Girls awoke the next day I had to tell them that her Christmas present was gone. I can not believe someone could hand over a little un-nourished puppy to a little girl that she would have for maybe 38 hours. Plus the Infection could be contagious so I had to keep her away from her and my family as much as I could. Had to bleach everything in my house thinking she could have gave this to my family and Max even. What would I have done if something would happen to him, I can not even believe someone would do this to me emotionally I am a mess it’s hard for me even to write this letter with out breaking down. But I need to share my story so we can stop people like her. After looking on the web and reading other stories This needs to stop puppies do not deserve to be treated like this and I should of did my home work first not after so maybe my story will stop this from happening to you.

Thanks, Debbie Moss
12-21-2010

[Rhetts_mama]

So sorry that you had to go through this, especially at Christmas.

[Perrella]

I'm so very sorry for the loss of your little one. RIP sweet Ruby.

[Woogie Man]

It's heartbreaking to read your story. I'm so sorry this happened to your family. There is no way that pup should have placed in such a condition. You did everything you could for her. It's tragic to hear about that little angel...RIP Ruby.

I have no experience with giardia, but do know that it's easily passed from one dog to another. You may want to check with your vet about this and see if he wants to treat Max based on his exposure to it. If Ruby wasn't all over the house, you may have gotten rid of it with the bleaching, but I would call the vet anyway.

I don't think there's a puppy lemon law in Missouri, so not sure what legal recourse you may have. A vet's statement that she wasn't fit for sale and the paperwork with the date of transfer of ownership is your best evidence if you pursue this.

Thank You for alerting everyone here about this horrible breeder. Happy to see you here at YorkieTalk. Wish it was under better circumstances that you found this site, but please, stick around. There are lots of friendly, knowledgeable folks here that love talking Yorkies.

[Gatord]

I am sorry for your loss. I am glad to hear this Ruby's last days was with a loving and caring person and not with this evil person who sold her to you.

RIP Ruby

[Sammy Mommy]

I am so sorry for your loss. You did the very best for Ruby. Rest in Peace, Ruby.

[francis53]

So sorry to hear this, how heartbreaking for you all. Thanks for sharing your story and shame on this breeder to do this to your family and the poor puppy.

[debb]

Thank you all, I have learned a lot from all of this and it is amazing what you can learn about a breeder on the net if everyone does there home work on just the phone number they give you. My girls are doing better than me I am losing alot of hair over being stressed out but getting better. I am very lucky to have my 2 year old Yorkie Max he is the best !!! We will wait awhile for a new puppy time will tell.
Thanks Again Debb

[Ivy1]

I am so heartbroken for you and Ruby (may she RIP) Did This breeder at least give you a health guarantee, 48 hours also for a well visit to the vets? Again I am so sorry, your poor daughter, If I was a breeder with pups I would give you 1 for Xmas. God bless you!

Ivy

[Darlene68]

I am so sorry you and your daughter lost the little puppy, that is so sad

[yorkieusa]

I'm so sorry. She has been at that for a long time. Read on...

NBC 6 has uncovered unhappy customers who say their dogs are sick or genetically defective.


Wizard of Claws, based in Pembroke Pines, claims it sells only the best of the best dogs. That's why they go for up to $10,000 each.

So, NBC 6 wanted to find out why some customers say their dogs are getting sick, or dying, soon after they buy them.

NBC 6 went undercover inside what critics call a puppy mill -- factories where illness and in-breeding can be problems. From this very place came Nacho.

But after arriving at his new home, his owners, who paid $5,000, say Nacho became gravely ill and was diagnosed with internal parasites, severe arthritis, dislocation of his kneecap and more.

"I cried. I really cried," "V" said (name removed per individual's request). "I understood at this time why he was so sick. It really broke my heart."

"V" hand fed Nacho for months, and "V" claims she even contracted the parasite from Nacho.

"For three weeks, I had to take antibiotics," "V" said.

The family bought Nacho from Wizard of Claws in Pembroke Pines, which boasts top quality purebreds, trendy teacup-sized puppies, celebrity clients and happy, healthy dogs.

But an NBC 6 investigation uncovered where some of those dogs actually come from.

They are the kind of places that the Humane Society of the United States says breeds dogs with an elevated risk of congenital defects like other dogs sold by Wizard of Claws:

# Terminator and Parker: Both were diagnosed with knee defects called patellar luxation.

# Lily: a liver problem called Porto systemic shunt.

# Piglet: a skin disease called congenital canine lamellar ichthyosis.

# Indiana had hip dysplasia.

"Are you selling defective dogs?" NBC 6's Jeff Burnside asked Jim Anderson, who operates Wizard of Claws.

"No. Absolutely not."

Anderson and his sales team emphasize his dogs come from select private breeders he's known for years, including some who raise puppies in their homes.

"We buy these dogs strictly off breeders that my boss had done business with," one of the salesmen said when NBC 6 went into the store. "Their dogs are from breeders. They're not from puppy mills."

"We buy the best of the best. We buy the premium," Anderson told NBC 6.

But NBC 6 traced dog after dog that Anderson purchased on Internet auctions, sort of an eBay for dogs.

NBC 6 cameras rolled as a van packed with tiny puppies -- there were at least 32 -- were delivered to the backdoor of Wizard of Claws from Missouri, 1,300 miles away.

"Let me show you some video," Burnside said to Anderson during the interview.

NBC 6 traveled to Edgar Springs, in rural Missouri.

Using hidden cameras, NBC 6 went into a dog breeding operation called Puppy Trax. We traced 50 of Anderson's purchases to Puppy Trax, including dogs that later became sick, and one died, although it's impossible to pinpoint where they got sick.

Burnside was shown dogs in cages and cowering dogs in a wooden hutch.

"The baby Yorkie is five. That's a good price," Puppy Trax owner Debbie Mace said to Burnside, pointing to two dogs for sale.

"These two are breeding stock. They look terrified of people," Burnside said as he observed two dogs in cages. "The water bowl ... is frozen over from the temperatures in the teens last night. There's no visible sign of any kind of heating element back there. They're shaking right now and the morning sun has already been up for an hour or two."

Mace says blue barrels keep the dogs warm enough.

"They should clearly be reported and it's someone I would not buy a dog from," Anderson told NBC 6 after watching the video.

"Shouldn't you know, though, the facilities that you buy a lot of dogs from, such as Puppy Trax?" Burnside asked Anderson.

"Shouldn't you know where you bought them shoes from?" Anderson said.

Puppy Trax was cited by Missouri for not fully sheltering dogs from weather and was suspended by the America Kennel Club for submitting "false" records about breeds.

"Can we sit down and do an interview with you guys?" Burnside said to Mace when he returned to Puppy Trax after going undercover.

"You (get) out of here or I'll call 911," Mace said.

"I'm sure there are substandard facilities that I've purchased from. Not puppy mills," Anderson said. "Look in the dictionary. Look very carefully in the dictionary."

"Well, let's use your own definition of a puppy mill," Burnside said to Anderson.

On the Wizard of Claws Web site is a long description of a puppy mill describing precisely what NBC 6 saw.

"Isn't it a fact that you are buying dogs from puppy mills?" Burnside asked Anderson.

"Not with my belief. No," Anderson said.

"But you're implying to your customers you do know where your dogs are coming from."

"I'm not implying to my customers," Anderson said. "Most customers don't really ask, most don't really care."

NBC 6 also went undercover to another Wizard of Claws supplier, Lanelle Eclair's breeding operation in Oklahoma. It's been repeatedly cited by a federal inspector.

"She tells me do something, I do it. Most of the time, she writes me up for some little something," Eclair told Burnside.

Violations include "adequate vet care", and cages that need to be "sanitized" and "repaired," some so small, big dogs "could not stand" up, according to federal inspection records.

"Have you ever been there?" Burnside asked Anderson.

"No. Absolutely not," Anderson said.

"How do you know that it meets your exceptionally high standards?" Burnside said.

"I don't. I don't," Anderson said.

"Would you call that a puppy mill?"

"I'd refer to that as a puppy mill. I would call that a puppy mill. I didn't know she had that many dogs. I clearly didn't know she had that many dogs," Anderson said.

Burnside showed the video to Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, the world's largest animal welfare group.

"If it looks like a puppy mill, smells like a puppy mill, sounds like a puppy mill, it sure is a puppy mill," Pacelle said.

Pacelle knows. He testified before Congress about puppy mills.

"What we saw in your video were dogs that were too frightened to come, or that were just manic or just wanting human attention, repetitive motion, and they're at the point of even going a little bit mad," Pacelle said.

"In fact, there's a direct line from puppy mills to Wizard of Claws," Pacelle said. "So, the public is being hoodwinked. And they're being told one thing when the reality is something starkly different."

Anderson says, among the thousands of dogs he sells, he has many happy customers and pays vet bills, and has given refunds. His former long-time vet, Dr. Jan Bellows, says the exam for a health certificate does not necessarily catch all illnesses or genetic defects.

Reporter Jeff Burnside, Investigative Producer Scott Zamost, photographers Pedro Cancio and Robert Hernandez
Air Date: Feb. 8, 2006

Puppy Heartbreak Part III

[yorkieusa]

duplicate post

[107barney]

I'm sorry about your dog. I know Deborah Mace's operation all too well. She was the puppy miller who bred the parents of my Daisy, a very sick dog for the last 10 years. my girl has been one of the lucky ones. I'm so sorry.

[FlDebra]

So sorry you and your family had to suffer such a loss at Christmas! These horrid puppymillers need to be stopped. Continue to spread the word as you have here, to hopefully prevent others from going through this.

[Doodlebug]

Your story is so sad. I am sorry this happened to you. Those people who sold you the puppy didn't have a heart. What a shame there are such cruel people in the world.