12 WK old puppy died, looking for answers

[ERINSMYTH]

My 12 week old golden-poo died 18 days after we had purchased him from the petstore and no one is willing to help us figure things out. The petstore has taken no responsibility for his death since the vet did not state an exact cause of death in his report.

We had been at a friends cottage outside of Barrie and our puppy Indy started to throw up. We thought that perhaps the fact that we had been trying to change his food was the reason for this and the fact that he had been eating less. He was very lethargic and so we took him inside to sleep. Upon him awakening, he had extreme excessive amount of saliva and was seemingly trying to chew to get rid of him. He continued to vomit. We were very concerned, but again thought that it may have to do with his food.

However, laster on we took him outside to go to the bathroom and he had very loose diarrhea and vomited again. After vomiting he tried to walk, but became very uncoordinated and fell over. We immediately took him inside where he started to twitch and convulse. We called a 24hr vet clinic in Barrie and they advised us to come right away. As we got ready to leave Indy experienced a seizure. We drove about an hour to the office where they took him in right away.

He had 2 more seizures through the night and was given valium to combat the seizing. he had endless tests done over the next 8 hrs. They gave him charcoal incase he had eaten something, gave broad spectrum antibiotics, he had a very high heart rate (200-215) and they gave him various medications to try and slow it down to no avail. Indy died less than 24hrs after we took him to the vet. He had been flat out and unresponsive since 7AM.

They suspect a peracute viremia (very acute blood infection) but was parvo-negative. He had a lot of distemper symptoms and we are very confused with what has happened.

We are looking for some direction or thoughts on what may have happened as the vet left us with just an "I don't know" answer.

[cpietra16]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Unfortunately when you buy a puppy at a pet store, chances are it comes from a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. A lot of these dogs have all kinds of sicknesses. You may never know what your little one had. I'm sure someone on this board may be able to shed some light.

[Dog Dancer]

So sorry for your loss. That must have been very hard on you. RIP sweet puppy. Sadly this is not the first time we've heard these stories about pet store puppies. Most are very poorly bred and have been exposed to many diseases in their short time. I personally would continue to pursue the pet store for a refund regardless of the inconclusive vet diagnosis and then I would put the money towards rescuing/adopting a new puppy or I'd go through a qualified breeder. Pet stores unfortunately are not good news and you have learned this the hard way. For future reference, changing food should not cause this type of extreme reaction in a puppy and really should be dealt with asap.

[kathryn]

Sorry for your loss, but cpietra16 is right. When you buy a pet from a pet shop you are basically getting a 100% guarantee that that animal will be sick and came from a backyard breeder or puppy mill.

Your situation is not uncommon at all. It happens all the time with animals that come from pet shops. There really is nothing for you to do. The pet shops are not going to care. That's why many people campaign against against buying from pet shops.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/petland.htm

http://petland.pissedconsumer.com/



The moral of the story is you don't buy pets from pet shops. They come from backyard breeders and puppy mills which treat the animals terribly and do not care about their health. It's done and over with now, but it's just general knowledge that you will be screwed over if you buy from a petstore. Once this is all behind you and if you decide to get another puppy, please adopt from an animal shelter or rescue. Shelters will do health checks and vaccinations and things before the puppy even goes out the door.

You will probably never get an answer. It could have literally been anything.
sorry again for your loss

[chico2]

Erin,I am so sorry the little one died
I agree with all the others,except the Pet-Shop should definetly at least refund the money you paid.
I would also contact the Humane Society,for them to check this store out and the puppies they are selling.
If your puppy was sick,chances are the rest of the litter are too.
We had one store in Oakville that sold puppies,HS kept a close eye on them and that store is now closed(a few yrs ago).
I don't think I could just sit back and accept the fact the puppy died,with no repercussions at all.

[Diamondsmum]

I agree... breaks my heart reading this..RIP puppy

someone should be responsible.

can you not get an autopsy done?

[kandy]

I am very sorry for your loss. RIP sweet puppy.

As the others have said, this happens all too often with pet store puppies. Puppy millers breed dogs for the profit, and do not spend money on food or decent shelter, let alone vet care or vaccinations either for the breeding stock, or their offspring. While I would definitely pursue a refund from the pet store, I would also report them to the better business bureau and the local SPCA. The pet store will likely not do anything unless they gave you a written health guarantee, and even then the small print will likely be some clause that relieves them of any responsibility.

[ERINSMYTH]

When Indy passed, the vet advised us that the chances of us finding something out from an autopsy were very slight, since he thought that it was something neurological. We decided to go with his advice. Of course, had we known at the time that this would happen we would have. The petstore had told us that if there were any issues that there would be no problem...

[kandy]

The pet store is going to say whatever it needs to say to make the sale - it's a cash crop for them, nothing more, nothing less. No more important to them than the bag of dog biscuits on the next shelf.

[ERINSMYTH]

My husband and I are so happy that he was taken to a good home for the time that he did have, and we wouldn't give that up for anything.

We were thinking about contacting Dale Goldhawk to see if he would fight for what was right. Its not about money, but about making people realize that they cannot do this to people and puppies.

Thanks for the support and kind words...

[Dog Dancer]

You are right Erinsmyth, at least Indy got to pass in a loving home. So many don't. Is that Indy's pic in your avitar? He looked so sweet. Please do look into a rescue or spca for your next pup, there are an awful lot of labrador and poodle cross type dogs out there for adoption.

[jessi76]

personally i think you should get the word out that this store sells sick puppies. Send a letter to your local paper about it. Negative exposure is a sure fire way to prevent this from happening again, and possibly having the shop shut down.

i'm so sorry for you. it's never easy to lose a pet, let alone a puppy, no matter where he/she comes from. Please stay on this site with us though, learn the truth about pet stores and puppy mills, and consider opening your heart again, to a shelter or rescue pup in desperate need of a loving home like yours. Dog Dancer is right, there are so many golden/poodle mixes in need of loving homes.

[JennieV]

I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your puppy. Its not right and you should fight for it.
Is the pet store a small one or is it a part of a chain? Either way, I am sure you can write a letter to the head office or the owners, describing the situation and threatening public exposure...Maybe if they realize it will potentially cost them clients and loss of business, they will reimburse you. Also, if they do reimburse you just to "shut you up", they will think twice before buying from that same Back yard breeder again, since they lost money on it.

Again, my deepest sympathy on the untimely loss of your sweet puppy.

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by jessi76

personally i think you should get the word out that this store sells sick puppies. Send a letter to your local paper about it. Negative exposure is a sure fire way to prevent this from happening again, and possibly having the shop shut down.

i'm so sorry for you. it's never easy to lose a pet, let alone a puppy, no matter where he/she comes from. Please stay on this site with us though, learn the truth about pet stores and puppy mills, and consider opening your heart again, to a shelter or rescue pup in desperate need of a loving home like yours. Dog Dancer is right, there are so many golden/poodle mixes in need of loving homes.

Good advice. I personally would scream bloody murder. I also would be poping in and out of that establishment just to let them know that you are watching.

Rescue/shelters are full of dogs that are from Petstores. They misrepresent breeds, hide illnesses, do not evaluate behaviour and soak you dry. They do not provide adequate information to the consumer.

Please go to a rescue or shelter. There you will have all of the above and a health guarantee for approx. 30 days.

I am so sorry for your lose. I hope you get justice.

[ERINSMYTH]

My husband and I have read your posts and it has re-energized our fight! We are going to file a notice with both the Humane Society and the BBB to let them know what has happened. As well, I think we are going to contact a local news source abut this to see if some bad publicity can change their minds! We want to show them that they can just walk away from things like this!

We believe that we were good "puppy" parents and that there are other dogs out there that need good homes and so we are going to go ahead and get another dog, but it for sure will be either from a shelter/rescue/breeder.

[Love4himies]

So sorry to hear about your puppy


Please keep in mind that not all pet stores sell BYB puppies/kittens, there are some such as Petsmart, Petcetera, Pet Value, Global/Ryan's, just to name a few who adopt on behalf of local humane societies, no profit to the store.

[Melinda]

please keep in mind that your loved puppy did not die in vain, you had your eyes opened to puppymill/pet store dogs, you'll now educate others with what you've learned, you'll fight for your pups story to be told and lastly, you'll be opening your home and heart to another stray/rescued pup....god bless you .*hugs to you and your family*

run to the bridge painfree Indy where you'll be met by friends .

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by Melinda

please keep in mind that your loved puppy did not die in vain, you had your eyes opened to puppymill/pet store dogs, you'll now educate others with what you've learned, you'll fight for your pups story to be told and lastly, you'll be opening your home and heart to another stray/rescued pup....god bless you .*hugs to you and your family*

run to the bridge painfree Indy where you'll be met by friends .

My exact thoughts Melinda. This is almost the way I started many years ago...

And good for you for not taking this!

[Diamondsmum]

I totally agree Erin,, keep the fight going.

We are currently looking for a 2nd puppy to keep Diamond company & since joining here, we too will be looking at rescue/SPCA for one.


you go girl!

[julster]

Oh, Erin....what a roller coaster ride you've been on....I'm so sorry for your loss. What a little sweetie!

I agree with the others. Pound puppies will show you love and thankfulness beyond compare!

Good luck with your fight....go get 'em girl!

[BenMax]

If you get another pup - please ensure that you thoroughly disinfect all previous puppy areas with vircon if possible. Viruses can remain airborne for a while. Please consult with your vet on his/her views.

[kandy]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Please keep in mind that not all pet stores sell BYB puppies/kittens, there are some such as Petsmart, Petcetera, Pet Value, Global/Ryan's, just to name a few who adopt on behalf of local humane societies, no profit to the store.

I believe the key word here is 'sell'. If a pet store is selling puppies or kittens, chances are very high that they are from a mill or byb. If the petstore is allowing shelters or rescue organizations to showcase adoptable animals, that is a whole different thing.

[Guinness' mom]

My heart goes out to you Erinsmyth... Indy....
My first dog was purchased in a very weak moment in a puppy store....But Dylan was lucky as were we, he was a healthy normal dog. And I really was not educated about the horrors of puppy mills etc. So please do not feel bad about that. I'm sure most here just hear lots of horror stories every day here and are very passionate about their fur babies!!!!!
I so agree that you should FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT put an add in the local newspaper BAD MOUTH THEM TILL THE COWS COME HOME!!!!!! Whatever it takes and I am sure you will get some satisfaction.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by kandy

I believe the key word here is 'sell'. If a pet store is selling puppies or kittens, chances are very high that they are from a mill or byb. If the petstore is allowing shelters or rescue organizations to showcase adoptable animals, that is a whole different thing.

I just wanted to be clear that not all cats/dogs in pet stores are BYB/Mills.

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

I just wanted to be clear that not all cats/dogs in pet stores are BYB/Mills.

Here we have JE mondu that lets rescues adopt from their locations. There is no profit to the establishment. I believe here, wherever no pets are sold, shelters and rescues are welcomed to introduce themselves and take applicants for adoptable pets. It is a great way to educate the public at the same time. A win-win situation.

[sunmamma]

I'm so sorry for your loss!

[chico2]

Erin,I am so glad you and your husband will pursue this further,that way the very short life of your little one,might help others in a similar situation.
Also by getting a needy shelter-puppy,you will keep up little Indys legacy.

[Nicker]

I think Dale Goldhawk sounds like a good idea. It would stir up some wide spread publicity and could be used to educate people about pet store puppies in general. Goldhawk Fights Back I assume is aired nation wide since I see you are in Ontario and I am in Alberta and we both know who he is.

I really sorry about your loss.

[rainbow]

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your puppy.

Glad that you and your hubby are going to pursue this further and get as much publicity as you can. Good luck and please keep us updated.