This dear little fellow came home with my son and his wife on Saturday evening...a Boston Terrier. They drove from Toronto to Cambridge to pick him up at what they thought was the breeder's home. He was fine when they arrived home and we all gathered to welcome him. He was a delightful little thing, happy to meet everyone and very loving. Glenn gave him his meal and he gobbled it down along with a few laps of water. He seemed fine. We all fell in love with him at first sight. The vomiting and diarrhea began next morning. It wasn't very bad so they packed him up and came over to my house for dinner as previously planned. As the afternoon went on I wondered why he slept so much. The few times he got up he had diaharrea and went back to sleep. Then he began to vomit again. Glenn and Grace offered water which he didn't want, then Grace dropped water in his mouth with her finger. Vomiting and diarrhea, both with blood, continued during the night. Next morning Glenn took him to the vet who thought he probably had parasites. They took a stool sample and sent him home with medicine. The puppy didn't improve with the medicine, he became more listless; the diarrhea and vomiting with blood continued. With all the vomiting it is likely the he didn't absorb any of the drugs. Back at the vet again this morning, the puppy may have parvo-virus. Glenn could not hold back tears at the vet...he cannot afford the test ($700) and was very upset he might have to put the dog down. The vet said not to give up hope and sent him home after two injections. They took a stool sample and are testing that. ($200) If the dog has this virus the treatment is thousands of dollars and offers a 50% chance he will live. They signed a paper when they took the dog, from what they thought was the breeder, saying they understood the breeder was not responsible if anything was wrong with the dog other than congenital defects. The dog was very sick within 24 hours, with what has to be a previously existing condition that is highly contagious and they are not responsible? Glenn had called to let the "breeder" know the dog was very sick. Grace called again today to tell them she wanted her money back and reimbursement for the medical expenses. She found out these people are not the breeders, they are a transfer house (what is that?) and the dog comes from a breeder in London Ontario. Sounds like a puppy mill to me. What a nightmare this has become. I am thinking they should go back to Cambridge, demand a refund and medical expenses and if they do not get it, go to the police and CTV and Global news. They might be interested in visiting this "breeder" in London. The puppy is even worse this evening.
4 comments:
What a sad story Heather. He's so cute. My daughter just lost a dog she took from someone because it was sick and she thought she could nurse it back to health. It had all the same symptoms. It's good to share such stories to make people more aware.
Blessings, Coleen
Aww - I'm so sorry. Parvo is a horrible disease, poor little guy. Please encourage your son to prosecute these people, they should never be allowed to touch another animal.
Yes, it sure has been a sad story. My son tried to enlist the help of the local animal shelter or SPCA or something like that, but they could do nothing. Her apartment is clean and there are only a few puppies at a time in there. She is a puppy broker and gets her dogs from puppy mills but that isn't illegal. The police can do nothing either.
Next he served her with a summons to appear in small claims court but when he got there the judge recommended he not prosecute but take a few hundred dollars instead so he agreed to that. The woman did not pay in 30 days so he is now has the option to take her to court for the full amount of his losses. He knows she won't pay even if he wins, but that is the only option he has. At least he is a bother to her.
It seems the woman who sold him the dog is untouchable and she is still in business.
Because it was Parvo virus, he had to clean his apartment and then could not have another dog in the house for 6 months because the virus is so contagious.
It has been a terrible and hard lesson for him. At the end of this story, he will be very careful where he buys his next puppy.
I take it from your response that the puppy did not survive. :-( This is so, so sad. They are so susceptible at that age and we are responsible for them. Grrrr! I hate people like that. Please have your son go to a local shelter to adopt his next dog or a rescue group.
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