I apologize for the length of this post but I would really appreciate any feedback on how to handle the following problem. 2 weeks ago I purchased a 3 year old female vizsla from a nationally reputable breeder that I have bought a dog from before. The following day Haley was shaking and scratching her ears and making a wheezing sound. I immediately called the breeder and was reassured the dog was healthy that the ear shaking was due to having her ears cleaned before I picked her up and the sound was "snurgling." Long story short I took her to my vet and cytology report was positive for fungal ear infection. A couple days later I had to take her in the middle of the night to emergency CARE because she was scratching her ear raw. I returned to my vet the following day where she was sedated to have her ears washed and checked for foreign bodies. There were no foreign bodies but I found out today she tested positive for Pseudomonas. Vet bills are up to $700 as of today. Fortunately Haley is no longer in pain.
The breeder is unwilling to offer any financial compensation for the bills and would rather barter, providing me with another dog in the future or help me breed Haley (she has 8 pts). I am not wanting to barter. To make matters worse she rudely told me I should have called her and brought the dog to her vet (2 hours away) as vets in my town are more expensive, probably taking advantage of me, and her vet could have resolved the problem more effectively!?
I love this dog and she gets along really well with my 13 yr old vizsla. I don't want to return her but I am aware of the potential complications and ongoing costs with this diagnosis.
My questions are: 1) what type of compensation would be expected from a responsible and ethical breeder under these circumstances if I choose to keep her? 2) If the breeder is unwilling to do this what are some options I can pursue other than returning Haley?
Thank you for your time, Julie
The breeder is unwilling to offer any financial compensation for the bills and would rather barter, providing me with another dog in the future or help me breed Haley (she has 8 pts). I am not wanting to barter. To make matters worse she rudely told me I should have called her and brought the dog to her vet (2 hours away) as vets in my town are more expensive, probably taking advantage of me, and her vet could have resolved the problem more effectively!?
I love this dog and she gets along really well with my 13 yr old vizsla. I don't want to return her but I am aware of the potential complications and ongoing costs with this diagnosis.
My questions are: 1) what type of compensation would be expected from a responsible and ethical breeder under these circumstances if I choose to keep her? 2) If the breeder is unwilling to do this what are some options I can pursue other than returning Haley?
Thank you for your time, Julie
Last edited: