Yorkie Pups
By RockeyS
@RockeyS (16)
United States
October 2, 2008 10:51am CST
we purchased a female Yorkie pup,about 9 months ago,from a reputable breeder.As it would turn out the little one had liver shunts. After thousands of dollars we found out that a simple blood test can id this problem. (the test cost only about 60 dollars). I think the breeders should have this test completed prior to the purchase of Yorkies. when we talked to the breeder,they wanted to have the pup returned and give us another,so she could put her down. We didn't do this but the surgery did cost us a couple thousand dollars, I believe that breeders need to have this as part of the adoption process..what do you think is this worth the exta 60 bucks???
2 responses
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
2 Oct 08
I do think that the breeder had a responsibility to do the necessary tests to ensure that the pup they were selling was healthy. On the other hand, it depends how common a complaint it is with that breed. If liver shunts is a fairly common thing and something that many buyers would have reason to be concerned about, then the $60 or so would be money well spent (from the breeder's point of view). If, on the other hand, it were a fairly rare condition and there were no history of it in the pedigree, there might be less incentive.
At least the breeder gave you the option to return the pup (and whatever you think about the pup being put down, that would have been the economic solution from the breeder's point of view). The sequence of events isn't entirely clear from what you write but it seems that you may have chosen to have the surgery done before you talked to the breeder. If you chose to have it done after the breeder's offer, of course, then that was entirely your decision.
It has to be remembered that a breeder is in the business to make money. They may have their own pets (who may, indeed, be the parents of the dogs they sell) but to a breeder, a puppy is a puppy and a saleable commodity ... one simply can't afford to get teary-eyed and anthropomorphic about puppies if you want to sell them! Once they are 'owned' and become part of a family, that is a very different matter.
$60 may seem very little in comparison to thousands when you are the owner; when you are a breeder faced with testing for many complaints, many of which may be highly unlikely, $60 is a dock off your profit and if, say, 90% of dogs don't have that problem, you are spending $5400 for every dog that you have to put down (or upping your price by $60 to each customer, which may not make you competitive with less careful breeders). It's a difficult situation which, let us be fair, would be hard to put across to most potential dog owners.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
2 Oct 08
I do hope, by the way, that your pup has a long and healthy life and fully repays the amount he/she cost you initially!
I had a dog from a rescue organisation. They were very careful about who they gave their dogs to and insisted that we fence our garden suitably, which we did. In order to make a way through to the rest of the plot, we installed a fancy iron gate with scroll work. We reckoned that it would keep the dog where he should be and look good as well. It was, of course, approved by the Rescue organisation!
Within a fortnight of acquiring our lovely dog (a tri-colour Welsh border collie named Taff) he leapt the gate - only because my son threw his toy over it by mistake - and misjudged the height. He caught his paw in the scrollwork and went over. (I am so glad that I wasn't there at the time!)
The vet bill was enormous - over £2000 ($4000) and this was more than 10 years ago! We could ill afford it, but paid it was - and with no regrets. His foreleg mended perfectly with the stainless plates and pins (in fact our vet commented several times on how good a job the people at the vet school had done!) Taff was a lovely and most affectionate and gentle dog all of his life, even when his back legs no longer worked and he became incontinent. It was a wrench but, in the end, kinder to have him put down. Animals are expensive (but not half as expensive as humans) but, on the whole, every bit worth it.
@zubairsk (341)
• India
2 Nov 09
I like Yorkie pups very much and they are very cute to see.I Purchased one Yorkie pup and i love it very much.Everyday i take care about my Yorkie pup and i never live when i went outside.They are very cute,funny and Pretty looking.Whenever i went outside i will keep them in a safe place.
