What's a good health guarantee?

I've been seaching through breeder websites lately because someday I'd like to get another boston, but from a good breeder this time. I know what health clearances to look for, but I've never had any experience with health guarantees. For those who got their dog from a good breeder, what kind of health guarantee did you get?

anything over 2 years that does not require you to give the dog back and that gives you up to the purchase price or another puppy. some breeders breed so little that the money back deal is the only way to go but some do not offer that you have to be a bit flexible regarding guarantees. i got no guarantees on my last show dog purchase but the breed as a whole has few health issues and the breeder had four generations living at her house and in other parts of the country with no issues. i trusted her and went with it. the guarantee should only be for issues that will affect the dogs normal behavior and ability to live a normal life. the best thing to do is to go to the parent club , boston club of america? not sure, and study the health issue and what the club recommends testing for. find a breeder from that site or an affiliate club (some good breeders may be members of the affiliate club but not yet a member of the parent club) and just start gettign to knwo them and their dogs and breeding practices. most of all take your time when you get in a hurry is when you will buy the wrong dog from the wrong breeder. i have had people wait over a year for one of my dogs but to them it was worth it.




good luck on your search





sheepjoke

Sheepjoke.. what breed are you part of? I think that what's written above is a pretty good starting place. Most dogs and kennels I've looked semi seriously at had a 2-3 year health guarantee.. 5 is the max often. So many environmental factors come into play that you can't prove everything is genetics after around that. I also wouldn't be willing to give up a dog after 2-3 years and would want the contract to offer another dog in future, or money back towards medical bills.
A one year health guarantee I'd run from. Way too many of those out there..

The place where I'm getting my puppy does a health guarentee against HD till the dogs 2nd birthday. Or suffers loss of eyesight or has Collie Eye Anomaly a month after it's 5th birthday. The breeder will refund you the puppies purchase price or give you another puppy for free.

Riots Guarunteed free of any genetic health issues up to 5yrs old. I think that is an awesome guaruntee!! Hes also guarunteed to be sound and sane. IF something should happen there is the "exchange" option available.

Even if something were to come up (which technically the only thing that could come up now would be eye issues as hes had just about all his health testing to be done.) I could never give him up! hehe

I think these three things are most important:

• A certain amount of time (usually 48-72 hrs) to get the puppy to a vet of the buyer's choice for a full exam. This will help check for congenital (from birth) defects etc. If any are found then the pup can be returned for full refund/replacement.
  
• At least a 2 year health guarantee against debilitating genetic (inherited) disease.
  
• If the puppy ever develops the above then you can get another puppy free of charge or have the purchase price refunded. I personally think it should be the buyer's choice if they want to keep the dog and it should in no way affect the "replacement" puppy or refund.

Reading this makes me wonder why the heck a person would buy from a pet shop that has a 2 month health guarantee with no mention of GENETIC issues and pay thousands of bucks for something like that. I don't get it. Some people

So is more important the genetic guarantee?


For how much time is fair a health guarantee agaist diseases like distemper and parvo? my aunt buy a shar pei years ago and he was incubating distemper, and he died he was a puppy mill dog.

My cousing buy another pei in the street :yikes: and he had a severe stomash infection. so I'm very scared of virus and infections.

Show pug explains it perfectly.

Yes, its better to get a guarantee on genetic diseases. The puppies you see at the pet shops only have guarantees that the puppy isn't sick with infections at the time you buy it. Well, for the pet shop in my town anyway. My mom bought a pup from a pet shop and her dog started going blind and def by the time it turned 4.

great points, showpug

yes, a 72+ hour contagious disease and bad temperament guarantee is also a good thing to have.



sheepjoke

Thanks for the replies everyone! This has been a really helpful thread.

Having the vet exam when you first purchase the puppy is in place to have it checked for congenital (from birth) and communicable (contaigious i.e. parvo, distemper) disease. I think anything up to a week is fine, but breeders can't go much longer than that as with communicable disease, it is possible for the new owner to take the puppy to an un-safe place and it pick up parvo etc. and then the new owner could try to blame the breeder.