I purchased a yorkshire terrier for $2,006 approx 5 weeks ago (3/12/05). When i purchased her they would not accept credit cards, only cash (which should have been the first indicator of a problem).
From the time i left the parking lot (day one) she was sick (vommiting, wheezing, coughing, not eating or drinnking water). I immediatly called puppy depot to return the sick puppy (18 hours after purchase) and they stated that they do not take back puppies unless they are deemed to be unfit for sale by a liscensed veterinarian (and that she needed time to adjust to her new surroundings which may be why she was sick/depressed). I than called and made the next available appointment for the vet.in the meantime she started eating and drinking water (in moderation).
1st visit to the vet (3/15/05)- they told me she had kennel cough and mites in her ears. They cleaned out her ears and gave me antibiotic medication for the cough. The next day they called me with stool test results, which showed that she had parasites and that i needed to pick up medication for my dogs treatment. It was one of the same 2 medication's that puppy depot had given me as a precaution to parasites (although they said my dog was dewormmed and that she did not have any known parasites while she was at puppy depot). After 2 weeks of antibiotics and flagyl medications the coughing and wheezing were still there.
On my 2nd visit to the vet (4/2/05), the coughing and wheezing were still there. They than put her on 2 more antibiotics ans told me that she couldn't get her first series of shots until he was better. After 2 more weeks the coughing somewhat dissapated, but the wheezing was still there.
On my third visit the vet (4/16/05) she was given her shots, and the vet took blood for a cbc screening. I also scheduled her to get spayed 6 days from this visit.
While i was eagerly awaiting her test results i received a phone call from the vet stating that her bloodwork showed that the following tests were out of range and deemed abnormal (bun, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mcv, mchc, bun/creatinine ratio, osmolality serum, potassium and cholesterol). I was asked to bring her in early, on the day of surgery, to do more tests before we proceeded with the spaying.
That morning (the 4th visit) (4/22/05) the vet did a checkup on my dog. He heard a heart murmur and said that it sounded like one of her heart valves may be blocked. I immediatly broke down in tears. The vets assistant than preceded to take my dog (per the doctors request) down the hall to let the other vet listen to her heart. He confirmed what the first doctor said.
The spaying was cancelled. Apparently the heart problems could not be heard on my first visit because of the congestion attributable to the kennel cough. I had no idea that the shortness of breath and wheezing was anything more than a symptom caused by the kennel cough.
My dog is currently on a new medication for 10 days, at which time i have to bring her back for additional tests (ultrasound and xrays). I contacted puppy depot today to resolve this matter ammicably before i file a lawsuit.
It is no longer a matter of trying to return a sick puppy, but rather a matter of the heart whereas a family member (my dog) needs medical treatment (and who knows how much at this point).
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