# show breeder sold me puppy that has ear mites and umbilical hernia



## sherrihollander (Feb 16, 2020)

Hi all,
I'm wondering if you could give me your opinions- I just just got an adorable 16 week old Maltese puppy and when I took him to the vet within 48 hours of getting him the vet told me he had ear mites and an umbilical hernia- neither of which were disclosed to me beforehand. The breeder had told me that he had an ear infection but that it was all gone. The breeder I got him from is a very reputable show breeder and I have a contract with her that says the puppy is "guaranteed to be healthy and of sound temperament for the first 48 hours after delivery" and "Additionally, seller guarantees for a period of two years the puppy's health will be free of all hereditary defect that could shorten its life as long as premium quality food is given"

What should I do? Should the breeder pay for the treatments since these are things my puppy had and she didn't disclose? 

I called the breeder to talk about it and how expensive the treatment for the ear mites would be and the breeder's response to me was very short basically saying I'm not paying for anything and when I told her the vet told me the puppy has an umbilical hernia, she said she knew that but didn't think it was a big deal since it can be dealt with when he is neutered, while that is true, it means that when I get him neutered it will cost me even more money.
If the breeder doesn't want to do anything to make this right, do I have any recourse? Please let me know your thoughts.
Thank you,
Sherri


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh shoot! Very sorry to hear this. I think the breeder should pay the extra for the umbilical hernia part of the surgery and for the ear mite treatment, for sure. That would be the right thing to do. However, it is rare for breeders to take responsiblity, in my experience. One of my poodles has an autoimmune disease and has had several seizures and the breeder is in denial about it, and the other came with an ear infection and I had to pay for treatment. Both very reputable show breeders. Anyhow, I would do everything you can to get her to pay if you love the puppy and don't want to return him, but if she doesn't take responsibility, I would just suck it up and pay for these expenses and if anyone asks you about the breeder, I would share your story as a warning about them.


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## sherrihollander (Feb 16, 2020)

Thanks for getting back to me. It has been a nightmare. I am trying to at least get her to cover some portion of my expenses but she thinks my vet is wrong about the diagnoses even though I sent her the vet report and an image from the microscopic examination my vet did which clearly shows a bug. So frustrating because treating mites is very difficult and can require several rounds of medications and vet visits which are quite pricey. Had I known the dog had ear mites and the umbilical hernia I would have passed on him, especially since I never got to meet him, I only saw him on facetime. Now I am completely in love with him and would never return him.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

I can imagine what a pain it would be to go through the expense and stress of treatment.  I can certainlly see why you are in love with him, though--he is really super sweet and adorable looking.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, unfortunately I had a similar issue with my tiny little Yorkie Puppy when I purchased her in October of last year. The Breeder (a very reputable one at that) told me that the Puppy had a Grade 1 Luxating Patella and had already reduced the price of her. I asked my Vet about that and he assured me that it should not be an issue. When I picked her up the day after seeing her the Breeder gave me all of the Papers from her Vet. Four days later, Laci was examined by my Vet and said that she had a Grade 2 Luxating Patella. Long story short the Breeder reimbursed me another $200. Unfortunately, Laci has a Grade 4 Luxating that was discovered when she had her spaying in January. So far, she is doing great and does not seem to be bothered by it at all. However, I was quite disappointed with the Breeder but would never give Laci back. She weighs 2.7 pounds and runs all over the place. I do feel for you and can sympathize with you and hope that those ear mites do clear up and the surgery takes care of the other medical issue.


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## hayley's mom (Aug 11, 2018)

sherrihollander said:


> Hi all,
> I'm wondering if you could give me your opinions- I just just got an adorable 16 week old Maltese puppy and when I took him to the vet within 48 hours of getting him the vet told me he had ear mites and an umbilical hernia- neither of which were disclosed to me beforehand. The breeder had told me that he had an ear infection but that it was all gone. The breeder I got him from is a very reputable show breeder and I have a contract with her that says the puppy is "guaranteed to be healthy and of sound temperament for the first 48 hours after delivery" and "Additionally, seller guarantees for a period of two years the puppy's health will be free of all hereditary defect that could shorten its life as long as premium quality food is given"
> 
> What should I do? Should the breeder pay for the treatments since these are things my puppy had and she didn't disclose?
> ...





sherrihollander said:


> Hi all,
> I'm wondering if you could give me your opinions- I just just got an adorable 16 week old Maltese puppy and when I took him to the vet within 48 hours of getting him the vet told me he had ear mites and an umbilical hernia- neither of which were disclosed to me beforehand. The breeder had told me that he had an ear infection but that it was all gone. The breeder I got him from is a very reputable show breeder and I have a contract with her that says the puppy is "guaranteed to be healthy and of sound temperament for the first 48 hours after delivery" and "Additionally, seller guarantees for a period of two years the puppy's health will be free of all hereditary defect that could shorten its life as long as premium quality food is given"
> 
> What should I do? Should the breeder pay for the treatments since these are things my puppy had and she didn't disclose?
> ...


There are puppy lemon laws in some states and AMA breeders sign a code of ethics - we bought a $6,000 - 6 month old puppy from a top AMA breeder and the puppy was deaf - the breeder had her for 6 months and didn’t even notice - it’s still unbelievable to me this could happen - however we had to have a BAER hearing test done to prove the puppy was deaf and indeed she was 100% deaf from birth and we got a full refund - at 18 months she developed the fatal neurological disease GME and died after 3-1/2 years of treatment which cost between $50,000-60,000 - so you already have proof of the ear mites so you should get reimbursed for all costs associated with that condition - if she won’t reimburse you - report her to the AKC and AMA if she is a member - and on the umbilical hernia - that is just plain fraud since she knew yet never disclosed it so she should pay for any additional costs associated with that as well


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## Paula1 (May 11, 2020)

hayley's mom said:


> There are puppy lemon laws in some states and AMA breeders sign a code of ethics - we bought a $6,000 - 6 month old puppy from a top AMA breeder and the puppy was deaf - the breeder had her for 6 months and didn’t even notice - it’s still unbelievable to me this could happen - however we had to have a BAER hearing test done to prove the puppy was deaf and indeed she was 100% deaf from birth and we got a full refund - at 18 months she developed the fatal neurological disease GME and died after 3-1/2 years of treatment which cost between $50,000-60,000 - so you already have proof of the ear mites so you should get reimbursed for all costs associated with that condition - if she won’t reimburse you - report her to the AKC and AMA if she is a member - and on the umbilical hernia - that is just plain fraud since she knew yet never disclosed it so she should pay for any additional costs associated with that as well


So sad to hear these stories!!! Our Papillon breeder claimed our dog was AKC , would weigh 5-6 pounds and gave a 1 year health warranty. Right before his first birthday he was diagnosed with luxating patellar and his weight was 11 pounds. We contacted her right away and she said his knees were bad because we over fed him. (The vet says not true). Needless to say, we were unable to reach her again and she never did anything about it. We also found out he was not AKC registered.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

hayley's mom said:


> There are puppy lemon laws in some states and AMA breeders sign a code of ethics - we bought a $6,000 - 6 month old puppy from a top AMA breeder and the puppy was deaf - the breeder had her for 6 months and didn’t even notice - it’s still unbelievable to me this could happen - however we had to have a BAER hearing test done to prove the puppy was deaf and indeed she was 100% deaf from birth and we got a full refund - at 18 months she developed the fatal neurological disease GME and died after 3-1/2 years of treatment which cost between $50,000-60,000 - so you already have proof of the ear mites so you should get reimbursed for all costs associated with that condition - if she won’t reimburse you - report her to the AKC and AMA if she is a member - and on the umbilical hernia - that is just plain fraud since she knew yet never disclosed it so she should pay for any additional costs associated with that as well


So awful  I am devastated for you. I sent you a private message.



Paula1 said:


> So sad to hear these stories!!! Our Papillon breeder claimed our dog was AKC , would weigh 5-6 pounds and gave a 1 year health warranty. Right before his first birthday he was diagnosed with luxating patellar and his weight was 11 pounds. We contacted her right away and she said his knees were bad because we over fed him. (The vet says not true). Needless to say, we were unable to reach her again and she never did anything about it. We also found out he was not AKC registered.


Ugh, clearly it was nothing you did. How terrible for the breeder to blame you. Unfortunately, AKC registration is not a standard of any sort of quality in a dog or the breeding operation; my mother was sold an AKC puppy mill dog disguised as being from a reputable breeder. It makes me sick.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Haley's mom had such good advice. I'm curious how this has turned out, Sherri?


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## Paula1 (May 11, 2020)

zooeysmom said:


> So awful  I am devastated for you. I sent you a private message.
> 
> 
> 
> Ugh, clearly it was nothing you did. How terrible for the breeder to blame you. Unfortunately, AKC registration is not a standard of any sort of quality in a dog or the breeding operation; my mother was sold an AKC puppy mill dog disguised as being from a reputable breeder. It makes me sick.


It’s unfortunate, you just don’t know who to trust. We lost our Maltese on April 11 and hope to find another one in the future. I will check with this group for suggestions when we are ready.


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## Chvilla1 (Mar 20, 2020)

I am so sad you are having to experience this but the thing that makes me happy is it seems that you really love him and that means he’s going to get all the love and care he needs to be well. I hope all the advice here helps you to come to some satisfactory solution. I wish the best for both of you.


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