I purchased a chinese shar-pei puppy (Zeus) from "Puppy & Kitty Nursery" in December of 1998. He was fine until May when he suffered a ruptured Cruciate as a result of having a luxating patella.
He required surgery which cost $2964. I was told at that time that his other leg had a luxating patella and would probably require surgery. He also has mild hip dysplasia.
These are all hereditary conditions which can be ruled out before buying the puppy by researching the health of the parents. Unfortunately I was a very uniformed consumer at the time and taken in by all the cute puppies running around the store.
This hereditary and congentital defects were discovered after the "one year extended warranty" against such defects had expired. I never contacted the store for a refund for this reason. Maybe I should have, but according to the contract I signed they are not required to do anything.
Since then other hereditary medical problems have surfaced. Zeus suffers from a condition known as Familial Shar-Pei Fever which until we finally diagnosed it cause him to spend a week in the hospital every month on IV fluids. So far in treating Zeus's hereditary illness' we have spent over $10,000 dollars.
I continue to do research looking for alternative medicines and trying to find something to keep him healthy. He is 3 years old now and I love him as much as I would love my own child. He has suffered a great deal but he seems healthy for the moment.
If I had any idea what I was getting into the day I walked into that store I would have run the other way as fast as I could. The fact is they don't know the history of the dogs they are selling and it could take a couple of years for health problems to show up. Buy then you are in love with your dog and would do whatever it takes to keep him healthy.
As far as "The Puppy & Kitty Nursery" go I don't expect to recover any money for Zeus's medical expenses but it would be nice to get a refund.
Kimberly
St. Petersburg, Florida
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