Legislation around breeding - Please read especially if you're in PA

[cesar49]

Originally Posted by jadecomputergal

The kennel owners are innundating their Representatives with call, letters, and e-mails, and they're also being backed by the PA Professional Dog Breeders Association and the PA Veterinary Medical Association. (Considering that vets take an oath similar to the Hippocratic Oath, I can't quite figure that one out.)

they shouldnt get away with this

[cesar49]

They've added staff and made a commitment to inspect all the licensed kennels twice a year. There were 4,413 citations issued in 2007 and 305 kennel licenses terminated. There would have been more if the current PA dogs laws weren't so lax. For example, the current laws don't require that a dog ever be taken out of its cage in its entire life


i hope this new law passes quickly to free those poor animals.
305 kennels terminated is progress.. thanks for helping..
do the lobbyists pay off any politicians? because they need to be sent to jail if they are..

[Marina]

Originally Posted by jadecomputergal

I've never bought a dog in a pet store,
but I thought they gave guarantees.

Did you report the vet?

I bought her from a fairly large pet store... 40-50 puppies on display. She was the first one I held and I didnt let her go till we got home. She looked so sad and frightened of the other dog in her cage. The health guarantee did not include any of the things she had except a bacterial infection that was giving her diarrhea and is apparently very common in pet shop puppies. I cant remember what it was called.
She also had ringworm, ear mites, upper respiratory infection and some other infection... the pet store said the contract i signed did not hold them responsible for any of those things and they offered to let me pick another dog... since this was THE DAY AFTER I BROUGHT HER HOME!!!
I fell in love with her overnight and dont regret my decision. Not too many people around here know not to buy from pet stores.. I think its because there arent that many breeders in NYC. Ive been trying my best to educate everyone I know, send emails with puppy mill videos, etc. Its harder than I thought.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by jadecomputergal

I've never bought a dog in a pet store, but I thought they gave guarantees.

Did you report the vet?

The guarantees don't last for very long, maybe six months. Even if there is a year guarantee, the problem is that pet store/puppy mill puppies are so poorly bred that they usually have serious health issues later on. They carry what I call "genetic time bombs", genes for inherited conditions that may not surface for years.

My Lady is a rescue, but is originally from either a pet shop or backyard breeder. She was perfectly healthy for four years and then she started getting one genetic problem after the other. I currently spend over $300 a month on medications alone and her vet bills are unbelievable. I estimate with no emergencies, just meds and routine vet visits to monitor her conditions, it costs me $5,000 a year to keep her alive. She usually has at least one illness every year, so add another $1,000 to that - best case.

So guarantees on poorly bred puppies are worthless.

[Judy in Waco]

I agree with Ladymom, from what I've read, puppy mills rarely (read never) test for genetic disorders or conditions that may not show up for years. That's one of the reasons so many people are pushing to require such testing.

Unfortunately, puppies are big business, and are thought of by most as a commodity, not living creatures.

[jadecomputergal]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

The guarantees don't last for very long, maybe six months. Even if there is a year guarantee, the problem is that pet store/puppy mill puppies are so poorly bred that they usually have serious health issues later on. They carry what I call "genetic time bombs", genes for inherited conditions that may not surface for years.

My Lady is a rescue, but is originally from either a pet shop or backyard breeder. She was perfectly healthy for four years and then she started getting one genetic problem after the other. I currently spend over $300 a month on medications alone and her vet bills are unbelievable. I estimate with no emergencies, just meds and routine vet visits to monitor her conditions, it costs me $5,000 a year to keep her alive. She usually has at least one illness every year, so add another $1,000 to that - best case.

So guarantees on poorly bred puppies are worthless.

So do you have pet insurance? I've looked around at the various companies and haven't been able to decide whether to buy it or not.

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by jadecomputergal

So do you have pet insurance? I've looked around at the various companies and haven't been able to decide whether to buy it or not.

Most pet insurance doesn't cover genetic conditions.

My advice to anyone with a poorly bred puppy is to set up a bank account now and add to it monthly. Don't touch the money unless it's an emergency so it can build up for later on.

That's actually great advice for anyone with a dog. Veterinary care is expensive and emergencies always seem to happen at the worst possible times financially. What I did with the wonderful vet I have been with for years is send them the $35 I would pay for pet insurance every month to build up a spending account much like what I have through work. You don't want it to be huge amount like you would have in a savings account, but it's fabulous to have about $500 with them to cover an emergency or a bill that was a little more than you expected.

[jadecomputergal]

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Most pet insurance doesn't cover genetic conditions.

My advice to anyone with a poorly bred puppy is to set up a bank account now and add to it monthly. Don't touch the money unless it's an emergency so it can build up for later on.

That's actually great advice for anyone with a dog. Veterinary care is expensive and emergencies always seem to happen at the worst possible times financially. What I did with the wonderful vet I have been with for years is send them the $35 I would pay for pet insurance every month to build up a spending account much like what I have through work. You don't want it to be huge amount like you would have in a savings account, but it's fabulous to have about $500 with them to cover an emergency or a bill that was a little more than you expected.

Kind of like and FSA or an HSA for humans

[Judy in Waco]

That's what we do also. We call it Gizzy's account. When I did the research on pet insurance, the numbers just didn't add up. Most of the expensive issues that yorkies are prone to aren't covered at all, and there's a maximum per year most will pay out, and it's not very high.

The bank account is the best way to go. Plus, someone told me about care credit. I didn't know you could apply for it ahead of time and it's there if you ever need it.