Dog Died, Help Please!!!

davecork

Hi guys,

Just looking for a bit of info please if possible it would be graciously appreciated. Basically we bought a dog it was a thoroughbred english bulldog with all the papers etc. We had the dog 3 weeks and he died. We sent him to UCD for an autopsy and the results came back and he had hydrocephalus which is fluid in the brain and leads to other problems. It's common for dogs with this not to live past 3 months and he would have been born with it.

It is usually undetectable in a puppy unless it's an extreme form of it where the head will be deformed. The dog had all his vet checks and everything came back ok. Now the story is should we have any comeback with the breeders on this one? Seeing as we only had him 3 weeks and he came with the condition. The breeders seem to reckon that they have no liability in this issue. I find that very hard to believe. I could understand if it happened a year down the line but not so soon.

The whole incident was upsetting enough without having to down the road of having a battle with this people over it. He was an expensive dog. It would be great if someone actually knew what we are entitled or as the case may be not entitled to. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dave.

Shazanne

So very sorry to hear of the loss of your dog.
If, as you say, the illness is usually undetectable and your puppy checked out perfectly at the vet's it will be difficult to prove negligence on the part of the breeder.
However, you are being left in a very unfair situation so perhaps you should appeal to their moral side. Would they give you another puppy? Maybe that's not something you would consider though.
I personally don't think you have a legal case here as no one set out to deceive you and the puppy had no health issues when you bought him.
I do feel very sorry for you with this situation and what I have said is probably of no use to you at all.

crotalus667

Sorry for your loss , it is a case of buyer beware unless you bought the dog from the uk iirc they have a 6 week period where if the dog dies you are entilted to get your money back

morganafay

I'm really sorry that happened, it must have been awful. But I really don't think it was the breeder's fault, and there was no way for the breeder to know. It's just one of those things, and the breeder couldn't have prevented it, if the puppy had been vet checked and all.
Some breeders might give you a refund or another puppy, but I don't think they'd be obliged to
Sorry

Hermit07

I would reckon the dog would have had this conditon when you bought it and as Bulldogs cost over a thousand euro, I would be speaking again to the vet and getting it in writing that this was a conditon the dog had from birth

Any reputable breeder would come to an agreement with you. Did you buy the dog from a well known breeder? I would be pushing for them to provide you with another puppy. If you get no satisfaction from them, then I would contact the IKC and if need be a solicitor.

The breeder (if they can call themselves that) may not have been aware that the dog had a fatal conditon but they sold a dog that was not suitable for the purpose it was bought for. This is what gives breeders of pedigree dogs a bad reputation.

A reputable breeder will stand by any dogs they sell and give lifetime support which in your case was for only 3 weeks:mad:

lrushe

I am sorry you are suffering this loss and I don't mean to sound harsh but I just don't understand why people buy these expensive, often times sickly breeds but don't insist on a contract, you wouldn't pay for a car and not insist on a guarantee, an ethical breeder will gladly sign one. I signed a contract with all three of my dogs which meant I would have had a come back if anything happened to them in the first year of life. As it stands your dogs breeder is not obliged to give you your money back or replace your dog but if they are anyway good and care about their animals they might. They might also like to know what happen as it could occur again in future litters and this might put them off using your pups dam or sire again. Its a harsh lesson to learn but one you can carry forward to future dogs you buy.

morganafay

Hermit07 wrote: »

I would reckon the dog would have had this conditon when you bought it and as Bulldogs cost over a thousand euro, I would be speaking again to the vet and getting it in writing that this was a conditon the dog had from birth

Any reputable breeder would come to an agreement with you. Did you buy the dog from a well known breeder? I would be pushing for them to provide you with another puppy. If you get no satisfaction from them, then I would contact the IKC and if need be a solicitor.

The breeder (if they can call themselves that) may not have been aware that the dog had a fatal conditon but they sold a dog that was not suitable for the purpose it was bought for. This is what gives breeders of pedigree dogs a bad reputation.

A reputable breeder will stand by any dogs they sell and give lifetime support which in your case was for only 3 weeks:mad:

Actually that's a good point, the pup was sick when you got it, even if they didn't know. So maybe it is their responsibility . . . though not their fault. They did sell you a sick puppy.

Like my friend got a kitten from a rescue, and it got really sick and she spent a fortune on vet's bills and it turned out it had FeLV, but I think that the rescue paid her vet's bill then because they had given her a sick cat, though they obviously didn't know it was sick when they gave it to her. (Though maybe that was the rescue's fault since this cat was in a foster home with loads of other cats and I'd bet none of them were vaccinated or tested for it . . . )

dolphin city

don't mean to upset you but wasn't there something on tv about this not so long ago - about some breeders knowing that the animals have this but they breed them anyway and sell them off knowing what is going to happen - they collect their money and cry innocent when the dog dies. I definitely saw a programme on it - but not sure if it was in Ireland or England - buyer beware - make sure you buy from a reputable company/person.

Dude111

Im very sorry to hear this my friend

I hope your family can recover and try to be happy.... Just know you didnt do anything to cause this!!

Sigma Force

Agree with Shazanne.

But if the breeder has any decency they would refund you at least part of the money.

EGAR

Brachycephalic breeds such as English Bulldog, Pug, French Bulldog are very prone to this condition, any cat or dog can get it but the above breeds and several toy breeds (Chihuahua, Maltese, Yorkie) it is fairly common.

Since it is a congenital condition, i.e. present before or at birth, you bought "damaged goods" and you would have a case in the small claims court.

However, it also depends where you bough the dog, UK or Ireland, as different laws exist.

mymo

When you got the pup and its papers there should have been a card for 6 weeks free pet insurance, did you get this/send this off?
Every IKC registered pup gets this with their papers. I don't know if they'd cover this but worth a try.
Really any decent breeder would have at least offered another pup or money back as this is a condition they're born with, so he had this when you purchased him. Whether it was undetectable or not he died from what is essentially a birth defect.

goat2

i do not breed or sell dogs, but i do own dogs,
but if that were the case and i were the seller
out of having a bit of humanity i would return money
as i can emagine you are broken hearted, in that three weeks you would have bonded with pet, bought beds, toys, food, and made shure it was happy, hand rearing it.

red herring

RIP Doggy.

fend

Hi Dave,

So so sorry to hear your story. What a terrible shock this must have been for you and your family.

I think getting a solicitor would be advisable. But before that, have a read of the Sale of Goods Act:

"When you buy goods from a retailer, you make a contract with him. He agrees to provide certain goods to you for a certain price. If your purchase [The puppy] turns out to be faulty, the retailer, not the manufacturer [The puppy's mother], is responsible to you and must sort out your complaint. You are entitled to a refund, a replacement or a repair."

Obviously a repair in this case is out of the question, but I still think you stand a good chance of getting a refund or replacement.

Regardless or not if it was 3hours, 3 days or 3 weeks, this "fault", [the birth defect] was caused whilst in the breeders hands. For an item of this price, I would expect the breeder to make all checks to be made before I buy the product.
Especially if they want to call themselves breeders. They should be aware things like this that may occur.

I would seriously consider speaking to a solicitor. If not for a refund, at least for principal. A dogs life was lost here, and some cowboys have got over €1000 of your money.

Also, keep track of dates, documents, anything that may be relevant about this case. Anything that came back from UCD, vets etc. Record everything.

lrushe

fend wrote: »

Hi Dave,

So so sorry to hear your story. What a terrible shock this must have been for you and your family.

I think getting a solicitor would be advisable. But before that, have a read of the Sale of Goods Act:

"When you buy goods from a retailer, you make a contract with him. He agrees to provide certain goods to you for a certain price. If your purchase [The puppy] turns out to be faulty, the retailer, not the manufacturer [The puppy's mother], is responsible to you and must sort out your complaint. You are entitled to a refund, a replacement or a repair."

Obviously a repair in this case is out of the question, but I still think you stand a good chance of getting a refund or replacement.

Regardless or not if it was 3hours, 3 days or 3 weeks, this "fault", [the birth defect] was caused whilst in the breeders hands. For an item of this price, I would expect the breeder to make all checks to be made before I buy the product.
Especially if they want to call themselves breeders. They should be aware things like this that may occur.

I would seriously consider speaking to a solicitor. If not for a refund, at least for principal. A dogs life was lost here, and some cowboys have got over €1000 of your money.

Also, keep track of dates, documents, anything that may be relevant about this case. Anything that came back from UCD, vets etc. Record everything.

Unfortunately if were as easy as this Puppy Farms wouldn't be as profitable as they are. When it comes to animals there is always a grey area, unfortunately the law puts more value on a washing machine than an animals' life.

SuperSean11

Lots of info on this website
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/hydrocephalus-in-dogs/page1.aspx