Paisley's health contract-can I expect help from breeder?
 

I have been working on gathering information on Paisley's liver shunt. And took out my healthy contract to look at. Can you read it and see if I can expect any help from the breeder. Is it correct to say that her liver shunt is a "life threatening congenital defect"? It is in the time frame of less than a year.

I emailed the breeder yesterday afternoon updating her on Paisley being diagnosed with a liver shunt and have not heard anything back from her. I want to give her more time to respond, but I am looking for some type of reassurance that she will be doing her part to make sure she is not knowingly producing liver shunt puppies.

Here is part of the contract. Thanks.

"Puppies are sold with a guarantee against 10 days, no death from the date of shipping, and against life threatening congenital defect for one year from date of shipping. No other conditions are covered. Breeder is in no way responsible for any expenses (medical or otherwise) incurred by Buyer in regard to said puppy. No guarantees are made to the disposition, conformation, size or breeding capability of the puppy, and are sold as pet quality, unless otherwise specified. If within the first year, this puppy dies from a congenital defect, Breeder will replace puppy under the following conditions: In case of death requiring replacement, such replacement will be provided if an autopsy is performed by a licensed Vet and all paperwork from this Vet is forwarded to our Vet. Our Vet will ask to speak to this Vet if this occurs. The puppy’s microchip number must be a part of this report. The Buyer is responsible for the cost of any test or diagnostics performed in the case of sudden death or illness. We will not issue any cash refund. Exchange will be for puppy of same or superior value, when available. All shipping costs are at Buyer’s expense. It is mutually understood and agreed that any litigation regarding this puppy shall be brought about in the state and county of the Breeder. "

I'm sorry about your baby :( I definitely consider liver shunt life-threatening. If not fixed, it can be fatal. And if not fatal, it can cause aweful symptoms and secondary problems.

This is why I do NOT agree with health guarantees only including "life threatening" hereditary defects. Using the term "life threatening" gives the contract a loophole... I hope your breeder does the right thing.

Looks like the breeder is only going to give a replacement puppy if the first one dies and is in no way responsible for vet expenses. Hopefully they will make some sort of allowances or re-imbursements of some kind.

Yes, a liver shunt is definitely a life threatening congenital condition. This is a good example of why it is so important to follow Dr. Center's recommendation and have a bile acids test done before bringing any Yorkie puppy home from the breeder.

The problem with your health guarantee is the breeder is not responsible for any vet bills including tests done to determine the condition. The only thing you are entitled to is a replacement puppy which is emotionally next to impossible, I'm sure.

There is no clause in any health contract that binds a breeder to retiring any dogs who pass on genetic conditions. This is what determines how ethical/responsible a breeder is. Some voluntarily step up and cover vet bills and remove the parents from their breeding program. Others simply keep on producing puppies and pass the problems onto unsuspecting buyers with a clause in their contract freeing them from financial responsibility. :mad:

Actually the way it's worded....it sounds like she wouldn't even offer to replace a puppy unless the first one died. I agree it doesn't sound too promising, but I hope your breeder shows some compassion and offers you some type of compensation other than a replacement puppy.

I agree with everyone else — sounds like she'll only replace the pup if it passes away within the first year. It even states that there will be no cash refunds and that the buyer is responsible for any tests/diagnostics. Also, I'm not positive, but I don't believe that liver shunts are always congenital (I've been researching them as well for myself as Ruthie has recently been diagnosed with LS). She may feels she has no responsibility in this situation because many dogs live a long life with a liver shunt.

I think it really depends on your relationship with your breeder — some are more compassionate than others.

Good luck with your situation — Hopefully she can help you out, maybe even a partial refund to help out with the bills.

Thank you.
 

Thank you all for reading the contract over with me. I thought the same. I do hope that she contacts me soon or I will try again. My family just loves Paisley and we want her to be healthy and happy with us for a long time.

I have read so much about yorkies and liver shunts in the past month. Is is common for people who buy yorkies to have them BAT before purchasing them?

I am sorry to hear about Ruthie. Where are you in the process of treatment for her?

I am truly sorry to hear about Ruthie:(

She is doing so well on her medication and low protein diet that we are just going to monitor her for a while and do blood work every couple months to keep an eye on things. She's 2 and had never shown any 'major' symptoms (definitely nothing neurological) and is very happy right now. So, for now, we are opting to put off surgery for as long as possible — especially since she is so small and the surgery is so risky. In the meantime, I'm researching and have already figured out a 'gameplan' for next steps (ie, more testing to try to pinpoint what it is — if it's MVD or indeed a shunt, etc.) :)

No, most don't have them BAT ever...most pet owners have no idea about liver shunt and BAT before bringing their puppy home. I myself didn't know much about it before getting Lacy..not until I read forums and studied more about the breed. I wish more pet owners would educate themselves on the breed and their health problems before buying so they can more carefully choose who they buy from. I always recommend that ALL yorkies be BAT as a puppy.

There may be Laws in your state though that say she may be liable for something... :(

update
 

I heard back from the Paisley's breeder last night. She offered to exchange Paisley for another puppy or refund our purchasing price to help with the surgery cost. She also is going to remove the parents from her breeding program as a result of Paisley and another litter mate.

Of course, we will take the refund to help pay for the surgery. And I am satisfied with her response. She came across as genuine.

I have also spoken to a Vet at the University of Tennessee regarding Paisley's surgery. I just need to set the date and of course gather up the funds.

I'm glad that all went well and that she will be refunding your purchase price!! I hope she really does spay/neuter the breeding pair that produced liver shunt pups.
UT is the best and cheapest place that I know of if she has an extrahepatic shunt. You can't beat $1600-$1800 which includes everything from all the testing that needs to be done like a scintigraphy and pre-op care to the actual surgery and post-op care.
Has she had a Protein C test yet?

That's great! :thumbup: to your breeder for doing the right thing. She did exactly what she should have done: offer to replace the puppy (which no one does...), refund the purchase price of the puppy, and remove the parents from being bred. I'm glad there are breeders that do the right thing!

Good Luck with your babies treatment. I hope everything goes smootly and she's able to recover and live out her life as a healthy, happy dog :)

What great news!!!! Best of luck with the surgery!!!!

I am so glad Paisley's breeder is being responsible. So a littermate has a shunt, too?

I am thrilled you are going to U of Tennessee. They are one of the top vet schools in the country for liver shunts. It was their study that determined that Yorkies are 36 times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined.

I've looked everywhere
 

and still can't find how much 36 times more actually is in actual numbers---If all the others get liver shunt 1 time in 1000 dogs, then that would mean Yorkies get it 36 times in 1000, and although that's al lot, I wouldn't say up nights fretting over it. If, however, it's 1 in 100 of all dogs getting it, that would mean 36 in 100 Yorkies, and wow, that would mean more than 1/3 of all Yorkies get it and Yorkie breeding should definitely be discontinued. So, it is extremely important when something is 36 times more likely to happen, we need the rest of the numbers in order to make any decisions on that information.

You can probably contact the University of Tennessee to get the actual study from them.

The University of Tennessee - College of Veterinary Medicine - Portosystemic Shunts

FYI, Dr. Center from Cornell recently got a grant from the AKC to look for genetic markers for a liver shunt. It would be incredible tool to finally be able to test before breeding rather than relying on BAT testing puppies before they go to their new homes when they may already be affected.

Great News and best of luck to the baby!