Problem with Rescue - Need Advice Please
 

I adopted a 15-week old Morkie pup from a rescue over the weekend. "Momo" was returned to the rescue by her previous owner. According to the rescue, the previous owners (Jeff) thought she was too anxious. She would throw a fit in her crate, constantly bark, etc. The rescue gave me what remained of her daily anti-anxiety medication. They also told me that Momo was recovering from kennel cough. She had been with her previous owners for 3 weeks.

The rescue told me that despite returning Momo, Jeff & his family had become very attached to her. They gave me little notes from Jeff about her temperament, eating habits, potty schedule, vet information, insurance information & transfer paperwork, etc. They also requested that Momo's new owners contact them with an update.

I made a Tuesday vet appt for Momo. Prior to her appt, I contacted her old vet to request her records be transferred. I also called Jeff to let him know how Momo was doing.

Through the course of getting Momo's history together, I discovered that when Jeff originally adopted her (3 wks ago), she was recovering from kennel cough. That later developed into pneumonia. She was close to death when she was hospitalized on 8/6. From 8/6 to 8/18, Jeff & his family took care of her until the rescue was able to take her to be rehomed.

After Momo's vet appt yesterday, we discovered that her white blood cell count is still high. She's still sick. We were at the vet for 3 HOURS doing various tests, an x-ray, blood work, an antibiotic injection etc. (I totally took her off the Puppy Paxil from the get go, by the way.)

My question is...should I contact the rescue & hold them responsible for any of my medical bills/adoption fee? Momo does have insurance. However, I told my vet that I wanted to be as aggressive as possible with her treatment. I need this little pup to get healthy NOW & get on with her life. So I'm pretty sure that a lot of what we had done was not "necessary", therefore would not be covered.

I do not mind spending the money on Momo. I'm not after money. I'm grateful that I have the resources to help her. I'm more concerned about the fact that the rescue organization told me NOTHING about her medical issues. Their main concern seemed to be her "anxiety". I'm also concerned for the amount of time & energy Jeff and his family put into nursing this pup back to health.

I realize that this is a rescue organization, not some BYB. All of my pets are rescues. I truly believe in what they do. I know they have limited funds & I feel guilty about asking them to pay me back. I've been thinking about contacting the rescue just to let them know what's going on & that I'm upset about it. But will they take me seriously? Or am I overreacting?

Btw, my husband is absolutely livid & wants to be reimbursed for everything. I'm trying to keep a cooler head about things.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions would be REALLY appreciated. I'm really torn about this whole situation & I'm not sure how to handle it.

Thanks for reading my long post.

I think when rescuing a dog you have to be prepared for any illnesses or any problems they might have that is the difference between getting a rescue and getting a dog from a breeder.

Yes, that does make sense. I sort of feel the same way. However, I'm upset that they kept the information about her being hospitalized from me. I need to pull out the contract to see if it says anything about cases like this. Thanks.

I would contact them and tell them the whole situation and see if they offer any help. It can't hurt.

So sorry your little one is still ill.

I was in a similar predicament with Tinkerbell, although she was 2.5 years old when I adopted her. I didn't know anything about Liver Shunt at that time, and she had an anal gland problem along with high liver enzymes the bloodwork they said nothing about), and had been returned to the Humane Society twice, and more than likely would have been euthanized. She also had a runny nose, which my Peek A Boo caught which then turned into pneumonia for him as he is much older. He came very close to dying, but somehow managed to recover from it.

I would at least notify the rescue to let them know your pup has pneumonia, so they can watch/treat any other dogs your pup came in contact with, as it's highly contagious.

The Humane Society never offered to help me financially. Tink's surgery ran about $3500.00 and was not successful, so she still has to take daily meds and eats a special diet. Peek A Boo's treatment was in total over $1000.00

Ethically, a rescue is only supposed to adopt out healthy animals, as I understand it. It would be a wonderful gesture on your part if you could foot the bill. I guess if that is too much of a hardship you could return him to the rescue. Just listing options here, not judging at all.

Sad thing is, it's always the pups who really do the suffering.

i think thats a good idea read the contract and see what the fine print says. they may not have know the extensive history but being the previous owner wanted to remain in the loop on everything i truly wonder if that is the case. just because it is a rescue doenst mean they do everything by the book. theres bad and good just like in breeder scenarios. i wish you luck and most importantly hope momo gets fully recovered asap.

Returning this poor little pup to the rescue is definitely not an option for us. She's been through enough. Although, I could see how someone might choose to do that. At this point, I'm more concerned about her health & well-being rather than my ethics & principles. You're absolutely right when you say that it's the pups who do the suffering.

Your idea about contacting the rescue to let them know about the pneumonia is brilliant. That way I could let them know that Momo is contagious & at the time same make them aware that I don't agree with how they handled the situation. It might not come across as me trying to be argumentative if I approach them that way. Thank you for that suggestion.

I'm planning on thinking this through at least until tomorrow. I'd rather not react too quickly & make this more of a mess than it already is. Thanks!

Thanks Rubymoon :) The rescue actually did know about the pneumonia. They also knew she was hospitalized & nearly died. I also gave them the benefit of the doubt at first. But after speaking to the previous owners & their vet, I put it all together. The funny thing is, when I took Momo on adoption day, the woman I have been working with at the rescue went on & on about how the owners were a little "off". She even said "I think the anti-anxiety medication is more for the wife than for the puppy." I can only imagine what a difficult 3-weeks the owners had when their newly adopted 4 lb. pup nearly died! Now that I know about the whole situation, I really can't believe she would say something like that to me! And you're right...there are good & bad rescues. However, I got my Yoshi from the same rescue so I assumed we had a better relationship. I guess you never know....

The question that this raises to me is (and the reason I choose not to rescue) besides the lack of information you were given, were you prepared to deal with her medical bills at the time you first took her on?
I would query the rescue and hold them accountable for not providing a proper medical history, whether they assist with the bills depends on the kind of contract you have with them and how reputable they are.
All I can think is that this poor thing has had such a sh**ty life to date, wouldn't it be nice if you can make Momo happy for the rest of it's life.

you rock!!!

I would talk with the Rescue about her. This is my opinion only on the previous owner, I don't see where they need to be kept up to date about her. They turned her over to a Rescue Group as an owner turn in, so they gave up all rights to her by doing this.

I am sorry your baby is sick. I will certainly say prayers that she will be feeling better soon.

That's a really good point. You're absolutely right.

I wouldn't say I was totally prepared to deal with medical bills right away. Although, I think that any responsible pet owner needs to be prepared to deal with medical emergencies. That being said, I wasn't expecting to have to shell out the cash quite so quickly. But it happens. And I'm fortunate that at the time that Momo needed treatment, I had the available resources.

I'm not really upset about the money. I'm more upset that I wasn't told about Momo's medical history. I don't expect to be reimbursed for medical bills. I honestly feel awkward about asking them to. However, I do want them to know that it's NOT COOL to keep important medical history, especially when a near-death event is involved, from a new pet owner. And I want them to take me seriously. I'm not sure if asking them for money would make them realize that this is no joke. I really don't know how to approach them about this???

I think they're afraid that the new owner would reject the pet, but if they take them home the rescue thinks the new owner will get attached and decide to keep the new pet anyway?

I actually walked away from adopting Tinkerbell, not bc of her medical issues (which I knew nothing about) but bc she was the only dog I ever met than never gave me a second look.

We were doing the initial 'meet and greet', and all she did was look towards the driveway like she was looking for someone else. I told them not to hold her for us, if someone came in that really wanted her to proceed with them, but if not, then I would take her.

That night at home, I decided to go get her the next day anyway, if she was still there. She was, and she was still more interested in the driveway than us, but we took her home anyway. We went straight to my vet, who recognized her, and they pulled her previous records and transferred her info and we went from there.

This is Tink at the HS: and Tink now:

Attachment 373804 Attachment 373805

Tinkerbell is stunning! It's funny how things work out, isn't it? I keep telling myself that for some reason, Momo was meant to be with us. I know there's drama involved. But for some reason, it just feels "right".

kjc, I wanted to let you know that I took your advice about telling the rescue about the pneumonia & gave them the heads up about keeping an eye on any dogs that Momo may have been in contact with. I also let them know that I was a little upset that they didn't fill me in on Momo's medical history. I tried really hard to be as nice as I could about it. I REALLY didn't want to start a fight. Plus, I hadn't heard the rescue's side of the story. Guess what? IT WORKED!

We were on the phone for about 30 minutes & we ended up having a GREAT conversation. Now I know their side of the story & I feel so much better!!! I don't feel like they didn't tell me about Momo on purpose. I think they were trying to handle a sticky situation as professionally as they could. All that matters now, is that Momo is on her way to being a healthy puppy. We have her medical history & as far as I'm concerned, the case is closed. I didn't even bring up money. Like I said before, money was never the main concern. I was just dumbfounded by the fact that they didn't mention the pneumonia & hospitalization. Now I know why & it's time to move on.

As far as the previous owners are concerned, TxVicki hit the nail on the head when she made me realize that they did in fact lose their rights to any "updates" when they surrendered Momo to a rescue. So I wrote them a short email thanking them for their help during the transition (they turned over Momo's insurance to me) & I said goodbye.

I had the opportunity to exhale for about 15 minutes. My vet just called. Chest x-rays still show pneumonia & her stool sample came up positive for Giardia. I'll be swinging by my vet's office tomorrow morning to pick up medication for all of my 3 dogs :(

But I'm pretty sure the worst is over. Tomorrow is another day. THANK YOU all so much for your advice & suggestions! I have no idea what I would do without my YT friends ;)

This is good! It can take up to a month or more for pneumonia to clear from the lungs (from day 1 of medication). Sucks that your other pups now need meds too. Might want to let the Rescue know about the Giardia too.... Good Luck and keep updating....:D

All I have to add to this thread is what a LUCKY, LUCKY baby she is to have found you. I think the love she will give you in return will be worth so much more than the reimbursment the rescue may have given you...you are certainly an Angel to have taken this baby in!

Thank you! That actually made my eyes a little watery. That's very sweet of you to say. And yes, my whole family is looking forward to lots of lovin' from our little Momo in the years to come!

Yes, my vet told me that it could take a while for the pneumonia to clear up. I didn't realize that until now & I was really concerned with her coughing. But apparently, that's normal. I just sent the rescue a quick email about the Giardia. I didn't even think about that. Thanks!

What vet would allow a 15 week old puppy to be put on an antianxiety drug?

Very unusual for a dog under 6 months and rare even then.

No when you adopr you assume all medical costs, they should have shared ALL information they had and been upfront though if they were aware.

I would not reconend this rescue cobsidering their choices in care and procedure.

I see you did talk to the rescue and seem satisfied with the results. I was absolutely going to recommend both verbal and written contact with the head director of the rescue. He/she may not know what happened. Why this happened and who made the choice to place a dog that was STILL sick should be addressed and a protocol put in place so this does not happen again. Our rescue would never intentionally place a dog with pneumonia. As far as the costs, I don't know what your contract says. I am glad you could afford the needed care. God Bless You.

Honestly, a valid rescue should not be adopting out sick puppies or dogs to anyone. A rescue should have the dogs they take in vet checked before they go handing out puppies and dogs to the public. If your puppy was sick there is a good chance that the whole compound is now sick and should be closed down until all the animals are well. Kennel cough is very contagious and it particularly harmful to puppies and dogs that are in a debilitated condition.Some rescues have various people working there and some may be better than others at their jobs. Perhaps they need a good training program for their people and a vet to check out these dogs and make sure they are healthy and vaccinated before they let them go to a new home.

Years ago our family adopted an adorable little puppy from a "rescue." We soon found out the little thing had distemper. We got it to the vet the same day we adopted it and despite all efforts it died a miserable death. Not a happy experience. The rescue offered to give us another puppy or our money back. Needless to say we wanted our money back. The place should have been shut down until the situation was under control. Our next experience was with a shelter and also ended badly. We purchased a purebred dog after that though my heart had always been in rescue. With children we just could not take anymore chances of heartbreak.

A poorly run rescue can do more harm than good in some cases.

First of all, you are so wonderful to take Momo, and she is adorable!! I am so so sorry that you have had to go through this right off of the bat! I am glad that you feel better after speaking with the rescue, but I also don't blame you for being upset that they didn't fully disclose her medical history and all that was still currently going on! I am surprised that they wouldn't.....especially when it involves things that are a risk to your other dogs as well.

But I am so happy that she is with you and your family now!! I'm sorry it has started like this, but she is lucky to be with your family!!

I couldn't agree with more with the others who have commented. I am glad you contacted the rescue...had to do that once myself for the same reasons, and are satisfied with their explanation. Regardless, it is my opinion that they should have been more up front with you considering they knew they were adopting out a sick puppy. Courtesy is courtesy, and if they had been up front with you, you might still have/probably would have taken Momo anyway BUT KNOWING she needed medical attention immediately and what kind.

As for the previous owners...it is nice they gave you the insurance information...perhaps the word "nice" should be "appropriate" considering the circumstances. But beyond the 'final transfer of ownership' of Momo from them back to the rescue, I cannot see that they are owed anything more...and certainly not from you.

I'd express my horror at such a tiny puppy being on anti-anxiety meds but there are just no words fit to print in this forum...:eek::confused::(:mad:...that aptly describe my thoughts on the matter...:rolleyes:;):p:D...and thank you for taking her off Puppy Paxil.

Congratulations...and welcome to YT! I really do think Momo is better off in your loving care. I hope Momo recovers quickly from her illness, and am sending best wishes and healing thoughts for her speedy recovery. Thank you for giving her your best...and a truly loving furever home. I believe you will have loads of fun with Momo!

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Update-Problem with Rescue Pup
 

I just wanted to post an update about the issue I had with a rescue I recently adopted from. The 12 week old Morkie I adopted was sick when I received her. I adopted her after she was returned to the rescue by the first family who adopted her. The rescue organization didn't notify me that she was sick & hospitalized with pneumonia a few weeks before I brought her home. I adopted my first Yorkie from this rescue & had no problems with that adoption.

To make a really long story short, Momo my Morkie is now a healthy puppy :) I spent WEEKS (and lots of $) going back & forth from the vet. She was hospitalized for a day due to her lingering respiratory infection. She also had Giardia. We had genetic/liver/kidney testing done, put her on medication, probiotics, etc. I also got insurance for her...she had a rough start in life & I want to be safe in case she develops health problems down the road. She looks so much better now than when she first came home. I have some recent pics of her in my album: http://goo.gl/p3vYQ. Our family is looking forward to making her first Christmas really special :)

I did speak with the owners of the rescue & told them that I was not pleased that they didn't disclose important health information to me. However, I didn't push it with them. I figured that they had good intentions...after all, they were running a rescue operation & they weren't doing it for a financial profit.

As it turns out, the rescue was shut down about a month ago after a history of complaints about sick dogs & reports of dogs being kept in unsanitary conditions. Here's a link to an article & photos: 63 dogs seized from Adopt a Lab rescue in Indiana - Kansas City animal rescue | Examiner.com

I probably should have done more research about the rescue before I adopted from them. But I'm just happy that everything turned out okay for my little Momo.

The End :)

One More Thing...
 

Here's a link to the long-winded response from the rescue:

Adopt A Lab - Helping Labrador Retrievers Find Their Forever Homes

Oh my goodness! I am stunned by this "rescue". I guess I'm just naive. I am so happy Momo found YOU and is being taken care of now. I just looked at her pic and she's just precious!

Thank you :) I was naive as well. I've decided to work with a breeder when I get my next pup.

Oh wow shocking about the rescue. Your Momo is precious so glad she is doing better