Kidney failure can be brought on by food problems. LP can be genetic and or caused by injury as well as collapsed trachea. A broke leg is obvious. Parasites complication soon after the arrival to a new home, well that's obvious. Open fontanels, can be genetic, however it can be that is identified in one single tiny in a litter.

It all goes back to building a trust between buyer and breeder. I don't sell pups to people I don't trust & have a good relationship, as I don't expect them to buy a pup from me if they don't have complete faith in me.

Thank you for this...Yes he is losing protein.....I just haven't brought myself to the point of going through all of these questions with his vet right now because of his of his prognosis clear.....I just don't know the when....That is probably why she said she felt it was genetic.....I didn't take that as an absolute diagnosis......

Today I checked out my one year health guarantee (I'm well past that) and it stated it does not cover "LP, trachea problems, Legg Perthes, liver shunt and hernias".... wow, what's left......I also went to her site today and I saw some things that left me with some concerns......I am just feeling so sad and upset by all of this, I'm tearing up just trying to type this up.......I'll tell her in my own time....maybe....

Thank you again.....

Wow! What did your guarantee cover?

That's what I thought looking at it...What is left?!!.....All it says it covers is "congenital defects"......When I bought Jack he was my first yorkie, and that was five years ago. I found this site a couple of months later........ If I knew then what I know now........:(

Looking at the contract it says it covers (not that it matters at this point)....

......."any debilitating genetic/congenital defect ( a defect that would prohibit the animal from leading a normal pet life)....:confused:

I did contact the breeder with the following email:

*****,

Could you please send me a copy of the copy of a contract of the purchase of Cooper? In the folder we took home there is a copy of the health certificate and AKC information,, vaccination information, etc. There is no contract or anything that covers your one year health warranty.

If you could fax it, my number is **********or mail it ****************.
Cooper is doing well, but as of the end of May our out of pocket cost on vet bills are $238.35 for the intial visit with the limp. A follow up two weeks later was $52.00. The surgery to remove the femoral head was $1,024.13. All of this was incurred within two months of owning the dog. We have done everything possible to give this puppy the best quality of life. You as the breeder bear some responsibility in this as well.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,
**** ********


Here is their reply and I am so angry. Words can't describe my anger right now. Take note of the last paragraph.


Hello,

we are glad that Cooper is doing well...Dr. **** had told us that he was doing well when we saw him last week..

our one year health guarantee is Fl. Law:

puppy is covered for one year for congenital or hereditary diseases that are life threatening to the puppy.

we are sorry that you have incurred this expense, our guarantee is based on Fl Law and that is as far as our responsibility goes. as a new owner you take on the responsibility of the puppy. we are sorry that he had this problem but it is not anything that was foreseeable and this is not a problem that we have ever had in the 15 years that we have been breeding Yorkshire Terriers. we would not have ever sold you a puppy that we did not think that was 100% sound. you were present when Cooper received his Health Cert. and there were no problems found at that time. but as a new puppy owner you take on the responsibility of the puppy's health not covered in the guarantee. We talked to Dr. Allen and he said that it wasn't life threatening to the puppy. therefore the responsibility is yours.

We are Sorry but we hope you understand.

i wish you had just retunred him to us before surgery that way we could have found him a home willing to take on this responsibility and then you wouldn't feel bad about your out of pocket cost. you were never stuck with Cooper we would have taken him back but from your emails we thought you didn't have a problem with this and you wanted to take care of Cooper.

God Bless,
**** *** ******
I am beyond livid that they'd imply that I'm not taking care of this dog.

I replied with this:

We have taken on the responsibility. I take offense to that last comment. We have done nothing but do right by this dog. Hide behind your "life threatening" clause. It's not life threatening but it's crippling and painful if left untreated. Your nothing more than backyard breeders. You never offered to take the dog back and even if you had I wouldn't give him back. Take my picture and my comments off your website. I have nothing good to say about you and would never recommend you to anyone else. You didn't have to insult us at the end of your reply. We have been very good to your (OUR) dog and will continue to do so.

BTW, Dr, **** hasn't seen him since his surgery, he wasn't there when he was sick the day after and he wasn't there when he had his stitches out. He just called my husband and told him the problem was genetic. That's the last I've heard from him and the dog is still not using his leg. Your response is truly insulting. We are very offended by your last paragraph. If that's what's in your contract then so be it, but you need not imply that we don't care about our dog. That's truly disappointing.

I hope you do a breed review; this seems to sometimes work in getting breeders to face their responsibilities.

I'm sorry Nancy, but what is that and what does it entail? I'm ready to do whatever at this point. I'm so offended.

And I have the other emails if anyone thinks that I was complaining to them about the dog. I can't remember the last time I've been so angry.

I sent this on 5/15:

I'm sorry to send this so late, but Dr.**** said I should drop you a note. Cooper has Legg-Perthes and he's having surgery to fix it when I'm back in town with him after this week. It started out as a limp and I took him in after 3 days to see another vet that was there on Saturday (he was off that day). She took x-rays and couldn't find anything, just said his hip might look a little thicker than normal and to bring him back in a month. I took him back today to see Dr. ****. He was much more thorough and the x-ray showed some worsening.

I feel weird sending you this because we don't know that this didn't come from some sort of injury. He said that he would drop you a note also, and that your dogs are some of the healthiest he's dealt with. He said that pathology could tell if it was genetic or an injury and that would be helpful for you to know for your next pups.

All that said, we just adore this little boy and we're doing what we can to make him all better so he can be a playful guy again and not have any pain. I'm not complaining to you about him at all, please don't think that.

I'll keep you posted and please feel free to contact me.

Thanks!

Sent 5/24Hi,

Cooper is out of his surgery and waking up in recovery now. Dr. Allen said he was doing fine. I'll be able to pick him up tomorrow afternoon. Just letting you know
Hi,

Cooper is out of his surgery and waking up in recovery now. Dr. **** said he was doing fine. I'll be able to pick him up tomorrow afternoon. Just letting you know.

Their reply:
THANKS FOR LETTING US KNOW..HE WILL BE IN OUR PRAYERS.

GOD BLESS,

I have a ziplock bag of cookies that only a dog would eat. I have a freezer full of containers with rice, peas and lentils that I mix with his food. Yeah, I should have given him back to find a home where someone would be willing to accept the costs.

Here's the breeder review forum, Breeder, Vet, & Groomer Reviews - YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community just list their names and your experience with them. I think a good breeder would be willing to pay for surgery, up to the purchase price. When more breeders start taking financial responsibility, more breeders will stop and think about breeding as a way to earn an income. By listing the breeders name, or kennel name if they have one, you are helping educate others of the risks of buying from backyard breeders. People need to start understanding that many breeders' health guarantees are worthless.

Thank you Nancy. I'm doing that right now. I just checked their website and they kept his picture up, took my comments down and gave him the name of "Blue Boy". Blue is what they called him before.

I'm sorry to go on and on, but I'm so offended. I intend on calling out the vet on Tuesday. Every email will be printed out and presented to him. He's not the only vet in Ocala or surrounding areas.

Go to the breeder review section and post your review of said breeder. Also, add links to this thread, so others can read.

Thank you Mardelin. I just posted the link to this thread on the review section.

I apologize for my rant last night. I expected them to bring up the "life threatening" clause just not the other comments. Sorry again. :)

No need to apologize. In your situation you are entitled. You've learned a hard lesson. But, I know that you love your baby, just because you've proceeded with his care, regardless of your disreputable breeder.

By the way I'm using a feature in your breeder review that is in the YT forum. It's called tag. Making that thread viewable to those on the internet that are looking for a breeder.

I have no problem with that. Thanks.

This from Florida Law
Pet Law 828.29



(5) If, within 14 days following the sale by a pet dealer of an animal subject to this section, a licensed veterinarian of the consumer's choosing certifies that, at the time of the sale, the animal was unfit for purchase due to illness or disease, the presence of symptoms of a contagious or infectious disease, or the presence of internal or external parasites, excluding fleas and ticks; or if, within 1 year following the sale of an animal subject to this section, a licensed veterinarian of the consumer's choosing certifies such animal to be unfit for purchase due to a congenital or hereditary disorder which adversely affects the health of the animal; or if, within 1 year following the sale of an animal subject to this section, the breed, sex, or health of such animal is found to have been misrepresented to the consumer, the pet dealer shall afford the consumer the right to choose one of the following options:
(a) The right to return the animal and receive a refund of the purchase price, including the sales tax, and reimbursement for reasonable veterinary costs directly related to the veterinarian's examination and certification that the dog or cat is unfit for purchase pursuant to this section and directly related to necessary emergency services and treatment undertaken to relieve suffering;
(b) The right to return the animal and receive an exchange dog or cat of the consumer's choice of equivalent value, and reimbursement for reasonable veterinary costs directly related to the veterinarian's examination and certification that the dog or cat is unfit for purchase pursuant to this section and directly related to necessary emergency services and treatment undertaken to relieve suffering; or
(c) The right to retain the animal and receive reimbursement for reasonable veterinary costs for necessary services and treatment related to the attempt to cure or curing of the dog or cat.
Reimbursement for veterinary costs may not exceed the purchase price of the animal. The cost of veterinary services is reasonable if comparable to the cost of similar services rendered by other licensed veterinarians in proximity to the treating veterinarian and the services rendered are appropriate for the certification by the veterinarian.


I don't see the phrase "life threatening" anywhere there. It clearly says adversly effects the health of the animal.

You got it and the law is on your side. I suggest you e-mail this to your breeder along with vet bills......Wait for a response or inform her you are planning on taking this a step further.

You go girl , get that letter from your vet, send that letter via registered mail along with relevant sections of the act, and ask for what you want. A refund of all vet bills paid vs a vs the Leggs Perthe. Close the letter with something like: I expect re-imbursement within ...21 days of the attached bills, non-compliance on your part, will necessitate further steps on my part.

My husband and I are going to see the vet Tuesday. He's as upset over this as I am.

This concerns me:
(8) The refund or exchange required by subsection (5) or subsection (6) shall be made by the pet dealer not later than 10 business days following receipt of a signed veterinary certification as required in subsection (5) or subsection (6). The consumer must notify the pet dealer within 2 business days after the veterinarian's determination that the animal is unfit. The written certification of unfitness must be presented to the pet dealer not later than 3 business days following receipt thereof by the consumer.

I don't have any certification, just the call from the vet. I notified her via email on the 15th when he was diagnosed. The vet did also. Is this time limitation a problem?

Wow! My contract is pretty darn strict as far as contracts go but this one is just about at the stage where it is yelling at the buyer "RUN"...
I've sat here and read this whole thread and must say that if someone handed me a contract like this to sign I would hand it back and say no thank you. After reading all of this I get the impression that this supposid breeder has had problems before and is making all of these loop holes to try and keep from having to accept any guilt should problems come up in future litters.
I'm sorry you are having all of these problems and I wish nothing but the best for you and your puppy. Some people just shouldn't have animals

Okay I've read this 4 times... Alright you have not yet a signed vet certificate - but I think your vet would do one. The consumer that is you must notify etc... after the vet's determination that the animal is unfit. Well you don't yet have the certificate so. you are not lapsed in the two days. Look at what constitutes presented to the pet dealer - hand delivered, registered mail, fax? what is valid.

Hope this helps - also your vet should be able to help out in this situation as to how to proceed.