Desperate Advice Needed on Puppy Purchase.

Pollycat

I hope this pup recovers and the OP can give it a good, loving home.
I really do.

I know the OP has had some flak (imho flak that is totally deserved) on this thread about the way this pup was purchased and the OP's financial situation but if this had been posted on the Pet board, she would have received far, far worse comments than she has on here.

philatio

I've seen this time and time again.
I can guarantee the outcome here. The OP will dump the pup at some rescue centre then a few months later she'll be looking for another new dog again.

Shocking.

NotRichAtAll

MamaMoo wrote: »

For those interested...
Don't the poor pups looks sad
http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/937000-2-happy-girls-only-woodstock.html

Poor pups look almost suicidal not 1 sparkle in their faces and certainly not socialised in my opinion.

Despite what a lot of people have spat at me, I know I haven't done the wrong thing in getting our pup AWAY from a bad person and a awful situation!

how the hell can you possibly say this when you purchased the pup almost via mail order? if your that concerned about the pups have you called the rspca and told them of your concerns for the other pups you left to suffer at the hands of this "awful person" a few posts back you were going to return the pup you are such a hypocrite (probably spelt wrong but i don't care) do the right thing and give the pup to responsible person, your not a pet person, this post of yours proves that.

thorsoak

Anxious15 wrote: »

Thank you Hoof Hearted.
Despite what a lot of people have spat at me, I know I haven't done the wrong thing in getting our pup AWAY from a bad person and a awful situation!
I have also taken him back to the vets (saw a different vet this time, much more thorough to be fair) this evening, he has to remain on Chicken & Rice (Royal Canin cans!!) for 5 days! If he shows no improvement he will have to be sedated and x-rayed to see if there is anything there.
I have since spoken to Consumer Direct AND I can claim the vet fees back from the person who bred, if she can't show he was vet checked previous to leaving!

I've read this thread with utter incredulity - that someone can be so stupid as to do this! You say you are a dog-lover - have you not read about PUPPY FARMERS? They use Gumtree to sell their products (and I use the word deliberately) - they don't even have to breed them themselves - they smuggle them in from Eastern Europe/Wales/Ireland - and sell them to suckers like you who do not insist upon seeing the pups with their mother (you don't have to see them with both parents - good breeders will go to the other end of the country to get a suitable mate for breeding). And of course, they are only too willing to deliver to you - so they can give you any old address as the home address.

And don't you realise that you aren't "rescuing" this pup - you are financing the greedy breeder's operation!

Just don't get me started on whether or not you can afford the pup ....

Johnny_Dangerously

I think it's fair to say that the owner has been told the error of their ways and won't be doing it again. Not quite sure about the comments on how sad those puppies look etc. I think there is some projection going on there. If I showed pictures of my boxer when he was a pup he'd look like one of the saddest puppies ever.

The the OP. My advice here would be as follows:


1 - carry on working to ensure the pup is healthy. A puppy having poop problems doesn't equal death or signify anything long term. It's quite normal. Parvo's been ruled out which is a great start
2 - look into how buying the dog may impact your Bankruptcy status. Find our exactly where you stand on that.
3 - Do some budgeting. Assuming you already are already as declaring bankruptcy, and your on MSE. Work out how you are going to pay long term. I have detailed costs from my two dogs if you need and can provide them to you. My advice, budget on £2000 per year to cover all dog costs, assuming you don't have any long term health conditions, but if you have pet insurance that should help cap any huge cost spikes you have depending on cover.
4-depending on the outcome of all of the above, think seriously about rehoming. If the dog is young, healthy and happy, it should be easy to find it a new home through a good rehoming centre. Plenty of owners love GSDs, and I don't think he'll take long to rehome. At a young age he won't be too settled which will make it easier for him. If you genuinely think you can keep him, then do your best. But be honest with yourself. Cost is a real factor here. You need to be able to commit long term, or have someone in your family who is willing to support long term.

And don't beat yourself up too much. You've been naive not evil.

pinkteapot

Johnny_Dangerously wrote: »

3 - Do some budgeting. Assuming you already are already as declaring bankruptcy, and your on MSE. Work out how you are going to pay long term. I have detailed costs from my two dogs if you need and can provide them to you. My advice, budget on £2000 per year to cover all dog costs, assuming you don't have any long term health conditions, but if you have pet insurance that should help cap any huge cost spikes you have depending on cover.

This. OP - be realistic, right now. Even the healthiest of animals can need unexpected veterinary care (you made a comment earlier saying that you don't expect to have to take a healthy young puppy to the vet). If you won't be able to provide that, please give him up now. Puppies are easily re-homeable - older dogs less so.

Hermione_Granger

pinkteapot wrote: »

This. OP - be realistic, right now. Even the healthiest of animals can need unexpected veterinary care.

I have a 10 year old GSD and about 5 years ago she was diagnosed with Pannus. (A fairly common eye problem with this breed).
Despite having good pet insurance, I would estimate that over the past 5 years I have probably paid somewhere in the region of £1000 for this condition alone and since I've had my dog, probably the same again for vaccinations, worming and various unexpected trips to the vet.


Pannus is only one of a few conditions that is fairly common with GSD's so even if you have good pet insurance, you should make sure that you have ample funds in reserve to cover unexpected veterinary bills.

Feral_Moon

If you can't afford vet fees then how do you plan to pay for the basics such as vaccinations, worming, de-fleeing and neutering. Then there's the costs of puppy training and obedience classes. Any responsible own of a breed such as a GSD will attend these basic classes at the very least. This isn't a breed of dog to take on lightly. I should know as I've owned several now. Then there's insurance. My current 1yo GSD costs us £40 a month for a decent policy.

I don't know much (anything) about bankruptcy but I wouldn't have thought they'd allow you to cover the cost of an animal. I've just checked my accounts and have spent somewhere in the region of £2200 in the past 10 months on our latest puppy. And we haven't even had the expense of neutering him yet! Can you honestly afford that sort of expenditure?

SeduLOUs

My dog cut his paw on a piece of glass in the park recently on a Sunday, and despite being insured we had to cough up the £400 emergency vet fees and reclaim the money back (a lot of vets won't allow you to just hand over insurance documents anymore as the system has been abused to death).

I've heard horror stories of poor dogs suffering unnecesarily with broken limbs because the owners had to wait until payday or just didn't have the money.

Even insurance has its limits. My friend's dog somehow managed to swallow a large stone. A few days later she had maxed out her insurance claim and came out with a £1000 additional bill and a dead dog. She didn't care at the time how much it cost, she was willing to do whatever it took to try to save him - you don't have the same luxury.

Owning a pet without an appropriate emergency fund is just cruel and disgusting. The best advice is to give the dog to someone who can afford to look after it properly, and reconsider your pet position when your finances are better and you've got the time to research it properly instead of just buying a cute animal on a whim.

Hoof_Hearted

The OP's family made a mistake. !!!!!! don't keep rubbing her nose in it...