I purchased a dog from Dawn on 1/21/06. This dog seemed fine when she came home. She did get car sick on the drive home. After a day or two I noticed she had a slight cough. I took the dog to the vet right away and she was started on antibiotics and a dewormer. About a week later the cough was still there and not improving so I took her back to the vet. Another dewormer was prescribed as she was still on her antibiotics. This didn't work either. A few days later I took her back and we did chest xrays which confirmed she has a collapsing trachea in her chest. This is a weakness in the rings of the trachea that many small dogs are prone to and many breeders try to breed away from. It means a lifetime of coughing fits and bronchitis and vet visits. Eventually she may need surgery or to be put down.
I contacted Dawn that day to tell her of this problem and she became completely defensive. She has told me the problem is caused by me and my vet not doing enough. She states we should have put the dog on steriods and human antibiotics and then the trachea would never have collapsed. She has sent me emails that personally attack me and do not take any responsibility for the problem. She insists that all chihuahuas and poms have soft tracheas and they will collapse if a cough is not taken care of. However, my dog was on antibiotics within days of coming home.
I have since spoken to other breeders and the vet and they all agree that NOT all chihuahuas and pomeranians have this problem and when this happens they do not breed those dogs again. Dawn has told me that two of her studs (RaiseN and Jeremiah) and a couple of her females have collapsing tracheas and she still breeds them as she doesn't feel a cough is a big deal. She must not realize or care about the long term damage to the dogs other organs or the pain the dog is in when coughing all the time.
I have decided to keep this dog mainly because she has been so hateful that I don't want to go back to her place of business and see her again. I have grown so attached to this dog in the three weeks that I have had her that I will just keep her and love her until she is too uncomfortable.
But I would never buy a dog from this breeder again.
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