new pup with parasite/worms

Question
Just got a new brittany yesterday from a breeder out of state.  I spent $729 total to pay for her and ship her via air. The dogs appearance is not a problem, but her health is.  She was extremely lethargic(odd for a 7 1/2 wk old) so I took her to the vet today.  She has coxidia (a diahrea causing parasite), hook worm, a respiratory infection, and a ton of fleas.   (spent over $100 at the vet with meds etc.) My question to you as a breeder is .... Is the breeder responsible for paying for those vet expenses.  I'm new to the whole breeder world and I dont know the proper etiquette on who is responsible.  I would like to keep this dog (I DONT WANT TO TRADE HER), but I just dont think its fair to be paying all these bills the day I get her.  As a breeder, what is your opinion? thanks jennifer tulsa

Answer
Hi Jennifer-
I'm so sorry to hear of the disappointment in getting a new pup that you anxiously await for.  In every aspect of this...it is the breeders responsibility to cover those expenses...written health guarantee or not.  Also, didn't the breeder have any paper work sent with the pup stating that it was just to the vet, had been checked out within 10 days and was cleared of any health issues?  It's a Federal violation for them to not have had that done...as it is to ship any pup under the age of 8 weeks.  I would certainly get in touch with the breeder, send them copies of the vet bills, and ask for reimbursement for them.  If your payment hasn't cleared yet, STOP IT!  I had the same thing happen to me when I got my new GSP...worms so bad the vet didn't think he would've lived for another week!  I called the breeder that night, told him I put a stop payment on the check and wasn't sending him any more money (I bought the pup for $450 and the vet bills were way more than that, not to mention the fact that his life expectancy is shortened now because of them).  Oddly enough, the breeder wasn't surprised about it and gladly returned the check to me, making me think that he knew the issue all the while.  Definately get in touch with them and express your issues.  Don't forget to mention that word of mouth is the best source of advertisement and you'd be more than happy to tell others about the quality of dogs that they breed. Sorry to be so rude about it, but it really irks me that anyone with any source of decency would even consider sending off a pup in that state of health.  If you have any problems with them, get back in touch with me and I'll help you out some more.

Hopefully, your new pup will recover (hookworms and coccidia are fairly common in pups) and will give you many many years of happiness.

Best of luck to you-
Patty Lemke
Country-Side Breeders
www.country-sidebreeders.com