Lizzi has been doing so well that we brought her with us this weekend to our trailer in Bellville, Tx. This was her first 2 hr. road trip and her first time out of our yard and she's loving it and being surprisingly good! It's so good to see her enjoying life like a healthy puppy.
I'm glad to hear Lizzi has improved to the point where she could take a trip with you. I have followed this thread but not responded because I didn't have anything to contribute that others hadn't said.
I do have one question, though. What does her breeder think about all this?
Here's to many more camping trips for little Lizzi.
Samantha (the poster)
Tim, spouse and driver of the Corgi-Bus
Beth, Buddy, and Pippin - Pembroke Welsh Corgis
1988 Bounder Ford 460
I do have one question, though. What does her breeder think about all this?
I can't speak for Lizzi, but we did contact the original breeder of Abby (who also has the liver shunt), and she just won't believe that this is genetic. She's basically a Backyard Breeder, who may say that she's got the breed's best interest at heart, but it is obvious (with her dog having a litter every 6 months) that she's in it for the money. Will she stop breeding her now, that one of her puppies had problems (Abby also has a severe underbite!)...only time will tell. We keep track, watching the PuppyFind sites for new puppies. The breeder that we actually bought Abby from (who was swapping dogs with the original breeder) won't even answer our e-mail. Maybe she's out of town, but.....
We won't be buying from either of these breeders every again. We just didn't know. We felt that a breeder who has 1-2 dogs, and breeds in their home is so much better than a Puppy Mill. Well, it is, but that doesn't mean that the small time breeder has any knowledge of genetics, or the breed's problems. They have an AKC registered dog, and breed to another AKC dog...."so it must be OK"....well, it's not.
And don't even get me started on buying dogs from pet stores......
We could go on for hours on this topic. Claudia really goes "OFF" on it. We thought we did everything right, and still got screwed!
And for the record, these "Health Warranty's" are basic B.S.!! Who's going to return a dog, unless it actually dies? And then, the breeder will probably tell you that you should have returned it sooner! These dogs become family....we stick with family. Abby will be going for tests, and we'll dish out almost $1000 that we really don't have, but we'll do it. We've only had her about 4-months, but she's one of our loves!!
Be careful where you buy your puppy....this will be a part of your family for over a decade...you want it to be healthy and happy.
Bill, Claudia, Sophie & Abby
DH Bill / DW Claudia / DD Jenn / DS Chris The Paps! Sophie, Abby, Brandy, Kahlie and Annie
2000 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C, Ford V-10
Purchased April Fools Day, 2008 The Pets
You're right about those breeder contracts. After you have spent $500., visited 2 vets, and bring them a very sick puppy...they will give your ANOTHER sick puppy!!! AAARRRRRGH!!!
It is so sad and difficult to see one of out babies sick. Keep us posted.
Don't confuse a "health warranty" with a breeder's contract.
The health warranties given out by pet stores and some backyard breeders are just that....give them back a sick puppy and they'll give you another one. Knowing that nobody is going to surrender a sick little guy they've grown to love, it's a slick business move. It makes them appear to stand by their animals, when they know that in reality they will rarely if ever have to make good on the "warranty"
A contract with a responsible breeder is a very different thing. Such a contract would certainly spell out the breeder's promise to place a puppy free from genetic-related health problems. It also would spell out the new owner's responsibilities in regards to the new puppy's health. And even without a contract, no responsible breeder would ever, under any circumstances, continue to breed dogs who are passing on any genetic health issues., and would want to know about the problem immediately. I'm not sure if the portal shunt falls in this category or not, but even if it doesn't, a responsible breeder wants to know what's going on with the puppies they have placed. They may even have contacts with a veterinary surgeon, etc. And, if it IS a genetic issue, I would expect a responsible breeder to, at the very least, pay for part of the surgery, if the contract promised a puppy free of genetic issues and the new owners held up their responsibilities.
Oh, and PapPappy, you're right. If this lady is breeding her dog every 6 months, she is far from "out to improve the breed". A responsible breeder may have more than 1-2 dogs, but is not going to have 1-2 litters per year, no matter how many dogs they have.
A responsible breeder does research into the stud she breeds to, and breeds her/his females only about 3 times tops. Our dog Hannah was the breeding mother of our dog Koko and she was retired and came to live with us after 2 litters and she was 7 years old - 2 litters in 7 years!! It is not good for the breed to have weakened and overbred dogs.
I contacted Lizzi's breeder when she first developed fever and 5 days later when she nearly died of toxins. She was stunned and said that she'd never had any other problems. She is a lawyer, judge, professor and professional breeder of miniature cattle and horses. Both Lizzi's parents greeted us when we arrived and they were beautiful, healthy working dogs on the ranch. The breeder's been very kind through all of this and said if we lost Lizzi that she would "save" us a pup from another female. We spent 3 mo. picking out this perfect puppy and drove 2 hrs. to pick her up. We thought we'd done everything we could to insure a healthy puppy. I probably love her even more because I've had to fight so hard to keep her alive but it has been an expensive, emotional journey. Our other dog is a rescue, part Aussie who is 10 and healthy as a horse,,,,,and almost as big! We are so crazy about her that we wanted an Aussie again and couldn't find a young one to rescue but that is what I'll do next time.
Even the best of breeding choices can result in a pup that has a bad condition. One of Koko's littermates had bilateral hip displasia too bad to keep going. And she came from good breeding with the parents both certified in hip shoulder and eyes for no transferable defects. Koko has had no hereditary problems show in her 9 years.
I hope you do not have to take the breeder up on the other pup. Lets be positive toward getting Lizzi better. Best of everything to her.
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We thought we did everything right, and still got screwed!
