I have my 7 month old beagle scheduled to be neutered at a free mobile spay/neuter clinic. Had to cut down on costs, ever since we got him from a shelter in Missouri, (he’s flown here to Los Angeles) we’ve been to the vet 3 to 5 times already. He suffered from Conjunctivitis, needs dental work because he has Gingivitis. He had yeast infection in his ears. He was on antibitotics because of UTI.
What exactly is your complaint? Did you expect your rescued dog to be in perfect health?
Good for you for getting a dog through rescue, but it sounds as though you didn’t research the breed before adopting. It is a courtesy, not a requirement for the rescue group to educate you.
Dogs need a dental cleaning at least once a year, some dogs need it twice. It should be expected within a few months of adopting any dog.
Ear infections are extremely common in beagles because they have long floppy ears. Ear cleaning and treatment should also be an expected expense.
Rescue groups are run by volunteers, not vets. They often have to guess at a dogs age, which can be difficult after a certain age and can be made more difficult by poor dental health. I doubt they tried to fool you into adopting a dog that was 6 months by saying he was 4 months.
Vet exams are paid for by donations and adoption fees. There are hundreds of ailments dogs can suffer from. Every dog cannot be checked out for everything. There is no way to prove they knew the extent of his health issues at the time of adoption.
Breed rescue groups are usually not purebred exclusive. They will most often accept mixed breeds. Just because they have “puggles” absolutely does not mean they are backyard breeders.
Perhaps you should have thought out adoption more carefully, taking health and finances to your decision.
Our vet bill is running high. The shelter we got him from fooled us. Didn’t even send his immunization records to show that he was up to date with shots when we were promised that all his records will be included. On the site, she told us he’s 4 months old but when we got him, health certificate and the vet says he’s 6 months old probably older. I want to take steps against that rescue group. They should disclose any illness any dog they “rescue” have. Whenever I check on their site now, I begin to wonder if they are backyard breeders since every dog they rescue are beagles, puggles, boggles.
Amanda B
Recommended Reading
That’s a toughie. Missouri is a huge puppymill state and largely unregulated. Unfortunately they probably are a puppymill or broker.
There is not a whole lot you can do. There isn’t a national organization other than the USDA and even then it’s iffy at best.
These people make it very hard for the rest of us that run reputable rescues. I guess your best bet is not to get puppies off the internet and deal with a local, reputable shelter or rescue group.
You can make a report to the USDA, who should regulate this rescue/shelter. Unfortunately, the USDA in Missouri really SUCKS, hence the fact that Missouri is the number one state for puppy mills.
I’m sorry about your dog, but nothing can be guaranteed when you get a pet, even one from a breeder. I’m certain they did not guarantee you a dog that was going to be problem free, and you probably signed something stating that any further medical costs would have to be paid by you, the adoptor.
Also, a 6-month old puppy should not have gingivitis, or need dental work! His adult teeth have just come in! Did he have some retained baby teeth?
Yeast infections are very very common, especially in Missouri. It is most likely not, however, something that he picked up while with this rescue/shelter. Same with the UTI. Now if those were issues that he had before you adopted him, yes, the rescue should have had those things taken care of before you took the animal or at least warned you of it.
The Humane Society of Missouri also does investigations for the entire state, but it sounds like your issue should be reported to the USDA.
Other than that, I would just bad-mouth the place so word gets out & no one goes there anymore!
http://www.usda.gov
http://www.hsmo.org
I would just look up the humane society in the town that they live in. Talk to them so they can get some one to go and take a look. Make sure to call them back to do a follow up. You could also find a animal lover that is on the net in the same area to just go and take a look. I hope it all turns out ok with your dog. You must also know that some times rescues don’t do anything other then place the animal. They will not give shots and all the other things. Make sure to look at all your paper work that way you will know what they did or did not do. I’m not sure about the one that you went with. But is it a shelter that deals with all dogs or just the ones that you put down?
Dogs are organic beings that get sick just like children do. If you can’t deal with the minor medical problems that your dog has, you probably shouldn’t have a dog.
Shelters often guess the age of the animals they adopt out since the animals can not talk and tell them the exact date of their births.
Now if we’re talking about a breeder, that’s a different story.
unfortunaly a lot of “rescues” are actually glorified puppy mills or motivated by profit..
Although guessing age is just that a guess and can vary a bit,, and illness after shipping is always possible, esp in younger dogs because of stress… although the resuce should be able to support you in some fashon.. the good ones do anyway..
would love to see the site..
Most states require registerd non profit status.. 403b
Most states require doumentation and health certificate by a vet no more than 14 days before transfer..
Most airlines require health certificate..
check out the ASPCA website.. they have several links to area shelters/investigators that may help along with a way to make a complaint..
Would love to see the site though..
Amanda
What was the site in question?
Just as shelters do background checks on potential owners, people looking for pets should also check the shelters they’re adopting from. Did you actually visit the shelter in question before you adopted?
And while they might be backyard breeders, it’s more likely they’re simply a breed-specific rescue group.
As for the health problems, they may not have been aware of them. In large shelters, with few staff, things like UTI’s are unlikely to be picked up and aging of puppies can never be exact.
Also, problems like conjuctivitis are rapid-onset, so chances are he was in good health when they shipped him.
He would have to have proof of vaccination to cross state lines. The paperwork probably got lost in the shuffle.
the only way anyone can do anything is if some law was broken & since you have never been there, you would have no way of knowing about conditions there. Keep in mind that you are talking about the puppymill capitol of the world.
The dog would have HAD to have a current health certificate signed by a licensed veternarian just prior to flying so your chances of proving he had any problems would be slim to none.
Probably the best you can hope for is a complaint to the BBB in what ever town they are in.
No reputable rescue would have ever left this dog leave not neutered!!
Moral of the story – NEVER ever buy a dog when you cant see it first & see the conditions where it leaves
THAT IS NOT A RESCUE GROUP! It’s just a backyard breeder or puppymill that is selling puppies over the internet. Geez just a glimpse of the site tells you that. You were suckered in. DO NOT ever buy a puppy over the internet or a pet store.
I understand your anger and frustration but let’s try to look on the positive side. Buddy was lucky to find such loving and responsible people!! Imagine if you hadn’t gone through this miserable experience – he would have fallen into the hands of people who would not have bothered to follow through as you good persons did so it may be a blessing in disguise! I know it is a blessing for Buddy.
These may help: http://www.carecredit.com and http://www.imom.org
I use CareCredit myself and found it very helpful when I had multiple vet visits for my cats who came down with kidney failure and lymphoma, one right after the other. Though they have crossed over and I’m still paying the vet bills, I thank heaven it made it possible to do much more for them.
All I have to say is this- while there are some terrific groups doing good work ‘importing’ puppies from one high kill state to another to find them homes, it’s always risky. too many are unethical like the one you went through. I hope others considering adopting ‘imported’ animals from out of area shelters learn from your mistake and adopt locally instead- far less risky.
Well.. He is a rescue. Maybe they aren’t 100% positive how old he is.. You could have several people taking care of him, all making their own estimates when it comes to age. Vets go by teeth usually, who knows how the shelters estimate age…
I have to think tho, you rescued the dog.. He was obviously dropped off by someone or given up, found, saved from a puppymill?! Who knows.. When you take on a dog from the shelter, there are no guarantees to health, no idea what he might come down with, or what kind of health problems might come up in the future..
It’s kind of like buying a used bike.. Looks great, you got a good deal on it, but you aren’t going to get the warranty you would if you bought i brand new.. And you can be guaranteed that you will need new tires, and the bell likely doesn’t work, and the seat might be loose..
You can’t go after a shelter because a dog that was rescued had problems.. He might have been fine while at the shelter, but once he flew to your place, the stress brought out these issues. They maybe didn’t see any health problems… Gingivitis.. It’s not an immediate concern, I would think it would be something that the shelter would leave for the new owner.. The thing is, shelters run on very little money… They do what they can to get each dog up and going.. They can’t bring them back to mint maybe, but at least do what they can to get them healthy enough to go to new homes.. It’s the risk you take..
What is the name of this place?? Got a link we could look at?
Edit : I am surprised that this place ships their puppies at all. I mean they saved the dogs so they know that the dogs need to be in good homes. I am surprised that they would risk sending a puppy off to an unknown person, not able to do a homecheck etc.. Very suspicious.
CALL THE POLICE!!! is it a puppy mill?
I can understand your frustration. Have you tried to contact the shelter about the medical issues with your dog? In most cases, a shelter will take the dog back if you are unwilling to keep it with illnesses. You do need to understand that with the volume of dogs going through rescue shelters, and the total lack of funds to do everything that is needed for a rescued dog, sometimes things are missed. Every dog probably gets a wellness exam, a heartworm test and spayed or neutered. Age is always a guess or an opinion between vets if there are no papers. Your adoption papers should have included a requirement to take the dog to a vet within a week of adoption. Did you do that? The bottom line here is these shelters are doing the best they can based on donations and volunteer work. They don’t have unlimited funds. You may want to start donating time or $$ to animal welfare, or get involved with your local shelters to find out how it works. It is up to you if you want to keep your dog or not, but don’t blame the shelter because he is ill. They were only trying to save a life the best way they could.
Hello..WOW pretty bad for sure…would be nice if they were shut down…I’d do a search for the nearest animal protection agency near you …the vet might know of where too, beings you’re there alot it seems … it’s not going to do you any good, but they do need to be reported, investigated or shut down …when you file the complaint, also include their web site … I for one just don’t believe in online dogs, unless I know personally who I’m dealing with, Net Puppy Mills is a whole new way to exploit animals
TC
Sorry this happened to you. It is unethical for them to have done this to you and the dog. How come you had to get a dog from such a far away place? It will be difficult to get satisfaction in this situation. First report them to the Better Business Bureau in Mo. Your local BBB can get the number for you. Is the shelter licensed? Certified? Is it the humane society??? Do not let this drop even though it will be much effort on your part.
Reputable rescues will do their best to give you as much information as they have about health, immunization, age, temperament, etc.
One question that I would ask if whether or not they have dogs of all ages, or just puppies. If the latter, I would suspect they could be a BYB or puppymill. Do they have a website? That listing could be helpful. How did you come in contact with this person?