new puppy ,, sick long post sorry
 

Good morning all.. i am writing this on pens and needles.. i made the mistake of getting a yorkie from a pet store at the mall.. I have always wanted a yorkie and i was roped in. I got her dec 10. at first she checked out well, then on dec 23 started getting a cold.. took her to the vet 24 and they said URI gave her abx. on the morning of 26 i found her having a seizure. first i thought it was hypoglycemia.. treated. after an hour later another seizure.. took her to the vet.. blood sugar normal.. they said watch her.. by 430 another.. this time they admitted her...and they gave me the news that if she doesn't improve she would have to put down.. as they saw her have more seizures thursday night and fri am and the dr said that it even looked like she was temporarily blind.. at this point the pet store offered to pay all the bills..i got a call monday am saying that she was ready to go home.. that the liver shunt was negative (blood test.. no imaging done) and they are waiting on distemper...i get results today.. she is home with me and is not the same dog as before.. hopefully she will get her spunk back. we have a boston terrier puppy who we got at the same time and so far no symptoms with her.. i am a nervous wreck...they still don't know why she had the seizures.. any advice? sorry for the long post.

So sorry to hear about your baby!!:mad: I'm not experienced in this, so can't give you any advice. Hope that some one else will chime in with some though. Just wanted to say that I will be sending positive thoughts your way and hope that you get an answer to what is the matter with your baby, that she heals fully and gets back to her spunky self. BTW I didn't find your post too long... you needed to give the background and your detailed situation, which may seem long to you.

As difficult as this advice will be to follow...I'd return her to the pet store. So sorry she's sick

I agree about returning her to the store. As much as you love her and want to save her you will probably spend thousands of dollars for a few months or years of having her. She came from a puppy mill and you were duped. As heartbreaking as it is please return her.

I am with this one

report the pet store too

It sounds to me like it could be hydrocephalus (water on the brain). I know it would be very hard but unless you are prepared for much heartache in the future I to would ask for my money back from the pet store. Unfortunately if that is what is causing her seizures she most likely wont live very long.

Is she off the antibiotic? This is something I always question when a dog starts to seize while on a antibiotic or other new med that it has been put on.

My son almost had his beautiful dog put down because of seizures it started to have after being put on an antibiotic. After multiple trips to the vet and even going to Cornell Veterinary College we looked up the medication on the internet and found that one of the side effects that it could possibly produce was seizures and yet no one suggested taking him off the medication! Once he stopped giving the dog the medication the seizures stopped. My son was about to have Bear put down because he could not bare seeing him suffer anymore. It took Bear a couple of weeks to totally recover but he is fine now. I hope the same for your little one.

Bear also seemed to lose his sight for a while and had a multitude of other strange side effects.

While I am totally against buying a pup from a pet store/puppy mill I hope the little one will recover from this event.

Always question you vet. They are not gods and do make mistakes and can overlook even obvious issues. I hope your little guy will be doing better soon

I'm so sorry about your yorkie. I hope everything works out for the best. It's really easy to get attached to these sweet babies.

very sorry you have had to endure this experience sending prayers for the lil one.

I agree. My dr knows I'm allergic to Bactrim, it's written in red across all my charts, and the pharmacy knows as well, however I recently picked up a prescription and took it home and almost took it before I realized the bottle said "substituted for Bactrim". I took it back to the pharmacy and asked them who was responsible for almost killing me, them or the dr?? The dr had written it and they filled it....

I wouldn't be satisfied with no diagnosis. I wonder about the antibiotics, too?

What antibiotic wad it? Still on it? If not still on it, when did e come oof of it and when was last seizure? Depending on those answers, I might consult a vet school.

Personally, and this is just MY opinion, I would never take her back to the pet store. I would blame myself for buying from a pet store and figure it was my price to pay, by not researching pet store pets. Plus, I would not be able to sleep at night wondering what became of the pup.

NOT saying what I would do is "the right thing" at all. Just saying what I would do. But definitely want a diagnosis and a "look-see" at the abx role..

Hope they can find out what's wrong with ur baby, I could not send the baby back either, I wud worry what wud happen to her aswell , keep us updated on her x

I had never heard that about antibiotics, thanks for sharing!!!

This IS the BEST advice..... It'll be difficult to accept at first.... but it is the right thing to do.... Consult with your vet about long term prognosis.... future complications are probable instead of just possible. Vets may tend to try and soften what is likely to happen... ask them to be painfully honest... they might comply.

Follow up
 

Thanks for all the answers


I am not taking her back. I do feel its my price for getting her there. BUT I am not having to pay the 1000 dollar vet bill. The pet store is. And the are still guaranteeing her for a year. So I am taking an emotional gamble. If she has another attack or gets sick again I can still give her up. I would feel like a horrible person if i did it now. I am taking her to another vet who is a personal friend out of the area for a recheck. All tests came back negative. As for the abc she is still on the same one. It's a waiting game. I ran into one of the vet techs out shopping today and she called her the miracle dog. So here's hoping and praying. Will update with her progress :)

Oh, I'm so glad! Considering that you've been bonding with her since Dec 10, and she with you, I think you are doing the right thing. It sounds to me like you are her only chance at a decent life, and I want to thank you for not rushing to return her.

I'd feel the same way! I couldn't take her back. It's disappointing that your first little yorkie is sick but you may be her only chance!

What a sad situation full of difficult choices and lots of feelings. Considering that you did already purchase her and you do already have her and yo are going t choose to keep her- I hope everything goes well and that she will be okay . Best wishes.

I do wish you the best, crossing my fingers.......

Hello KBug88 from a fellow Va. Yorkie Talker!
 

Yes, I can empathize with your situation! Two weeks ago I saw the cutest 2 Yorkie puppies at our pet store in their own glass pen, and I held the little female. A very healthy looking pair! Then, the day after Christmas, I stopped by the pet store for some doggie food. An elderly lady was buying the same female...I think there was a %-Off Sale going on! Well, the poor pup did not look well anymore. She looked as if she had some mucus on her eyes and looked very "down", not the same perky little girl at all! I think she's caught something right there at the store! Although they make everybody use hand cleansers, everybody wants to go hold the puppies! I think it is too hard on the little Yorkies! They are not like the bigger, tougher boxer or collie puppies. It made me feel really sad, the pup looked so worn-out!! I pray this elderly woman has had a Yorkie in the past--this lady looked about 68-70 years old! You know Yorkies can be a bit of a challenge to housebreak, especially for an elderly novice owner. I also hope the woman DOES take her new pup for the "vet check-up" which goes with all purchases from this shop. I am glad to hear your little girl is doing better! And, I'm also happy you are getting a vet whom you know 're-check her' to give his opinion. I hope it was a medicine reaction. Taffy had a bad reaction to a multi-worm pill that had a new med (for him) in it for 'tapeworms'! He had vomitting, shakes, and diaherria. Emergency Care Vet was busy with a car accident dog, but the nurse had me take him outside in the sun (was not Hot) and get water down him. After 1/2 hour, Taffy was acting much better and walking around. Now, it's on his chart that he can't take the tapeworm med any more! Scared us all!
LOL, Sue & Taffy

Thank you all. Tonight she is acting almost like her pre sick days. I am cautiously optimistic and will continue to be until I have some defenitive answers. I am a hospice RN and Itis my job to be with people get emotionally attached until God calls them home. If Ivy begins to show signs of pain and it is obvious she will not hae a quality of life I will with the drs decision do what is right. Until then she will get lots of love.

Im sorry about your baby, hope she is better soon

I happy you not going to take her. That's good that the pet store is help you out. And it is very good to know that it is not something that the pet store did. I hope she get better soon. ;)

I am sorry to hear your puppy is sick. They become part of the family and it is so hard! I just went through the same situation - against my better judgment I bought a sick puppy also and he was returned to the store. I paid $1200 for him and had over $500 in vet bills. My $1200 was returned after I reported the store to the attorney general. It is unfortunate that pet stores are allowed to do what they do. I now have found a breeder locally who just bred female for the first time and have picked out a most adorable puppy! Can't wait to bring him home with my other two yorkies!

You are an angel to do the work that you do!!:)
Ivy is in the best hands possible. I certainly hope that she will continue to heal and shower you with loads of kisses for keeping and loving her!! :aimeeyork

Praying for your little girl....

I'm glad to hear you are going to keep the pup with the option of returning her later if things don't turn out well. I am also happy to hear that the pet store is stepping up and paying for her bills. Since you don't know what happened yet...it's really hard to say whether it's a one time deal or this is something that's going to effect her for the rest of her life.

If she does turn out to be healthy enough to thrive after this episode and you do decide you are in it for the long haul, you may want to look into getting pet insurance. A lot of pet store pups come from puppy mills where they breed anything, regardless of the dogs health.... and it can get passed down genetically where the pups have with a whole slew of problems on down the line. The earlier in life you get it, the better, because the insurance will not cover pre-existing conditions.

I know of GREAT vets in Chesapeake if you need them. They are specialists if you need them let me know.

sad news
 

I really appreciate all of your kind words and advice.. Ivy had three more grand mal seizures today. after consulting with the family friend who is a respected vet and taking her to the ER. and talking to the er dr for over an hour , we are going to help Ivy find a new home. They said that she is really sick and if she makes it then she is going to need to go to a home that can handle a special need puppy. I can't stand the idea of not knowing where she is but I am a nurse and work 12 hour shifts 3 days in a row. My family is in and out but with what the Dr. has said she needs to be with someone who can watch out for her, baby her and medicate when needed. I felt like my heart was ripping out of my chest and even now i am second guessing myself. My head knows that she needs more attention than i can give her... so this will be my last post for now.. Maybe later i will try again with a RESPECTED breeder!!! and do lots of homework.. love and kiss on your babies!!
:animal-pa:animal-pa

check with some of the breeders on line & ask staff @ the breeder, too.
 

There are always some breeders on line at Yorkie Talk who have puppies for sale periodically. After the terrible ordeal you have been through, I am sure the staff would reccomend someone close to your area who would have show and "pet quality" Yorkies. If you want just a good, healthy pet Yorkie and not a "show dog", the breeder should have some pups for "home pets". What you are looking for is good temperament and intelligence, too! Some dogs of any breed can look wonderful, but are do not focus on their owners.
My friend used to breed Yorkies, but the city ordinances changed, and she was only allowed 4 dogs at any one time! I wanted a dog that could go through basic obedience class, and she had 2 pups from the same smart father, but her smaller 5-pound momma dog, nicknamed "Never". Anyway, one of the sire's other pups with Jane's large 8 pound female as its mother had won its first obedience title, "Champion Dog" and was working on his CDX title next. His photos were in a Yorkie magazine that Janie proudly showed me...he was flying over a hurdle w/ a wooden dumbell in his mouth. He was also @ 8 pounds as the buyer requested.
Anyway, my pup, Taffy was the bigger of these 2 pups. His brother was much smaller and there was already a $50.00 deposit put on him. He was too hyper for me and very yippy. Taffy was Jane's husband's favorite, he played and would follow him around their house. After seceral visits, Taff was attaching himself to me and would sleep in my lap after play while his brother would growl and bark at every noise. Jane showed me Taff's teeth..she said loved his "head & ears", but he had a tiny underbite. "He's a lovely boy, but those teeth make him only pet quality. You may have to get lower front teeth removed, if the lower ones block the upper ones from closing when his baby teeth come out!" She had been giving him his puppy shots at her home and finished them up for me. The local vet, Dr. Brown, had done the early puppy checks & worked on all her pups for several years. I had to "promise in writing" to neuter him, since she said his pups could have the same underbite problem...so I signed paperwork to promise get him "fixed" when he was @ 9-10 months old. Since we'd been friends for 7 years, she gave me quite a big "frienship discount", because she knew my husband was " a big cat lover" and he fuss & would "try to make me return Taff if his price was $800 or more". So, Taff was basically almost a "gift"! He has been a great little dog and reminds Jane now of his great-great-great grandma who was a State Champion--she has pictures of her, one is on a satin pillow with her prize ribbon pinned to the pillow. Taffy had turned her lovely silver-grey body with a golden blonde head and legs -- had fine silky hair, like his mother & his champion great,etc..grandma. Now, Taffy's little brother stayed darker, and was "quite a handful"...His owners said he would chase the husband's big dog! Anyway, pups' temperaments are different just like people! So, I would visit with the puppies if possible before you select one. A good breeder should not let them go to new homes until they are 12-14 weeks old either, as they can get blood sugar drops from the shock of leaving their old surroundings if they are too young! Taffy was 13 weeks old & he never had problems, but Jane gave me some Nutragel vitamin paste just in case. He was very attached to me from day one. My husband at first "ignored the pup completely", since I never "asked him" if we should get the puppy. (You can guess why I didn't bother t ask.) Well, guess who is Taffy's best play-pal now! Ha! Taff loves him, too! Mike taught him to "howl" for baseball home runs and football touchdowns when they watch sports--so funny!!
Best wishes in your search for a happy, healthy puppy! LOL, Sue & Taffy
**Ask the staff of Yorkie Talk who has good intelligent, healthy dogs!!**