Aortic Stenosis Diagnosis - Remedy for Health Guarantee? - Page 2

I'm sorry to hear about your pup.  I was very surprised to see that a vet would put a pup with a grade 3 murmur under anesthesia for a neuter without having a cardiac workup done first, very risky!

In  defense, she did think it was around a grade II at that time, on a re-check after his neuter, she again said it was a III and then that's when she said we should get it evaluated. I don't want any of this looking like my vet didn't know or catch it at all because she was clear from 8 weeks of age (we brought puppy home at 7 weeks) that it was a III but that we should wait and see if it lessens with age/growth. The last couple of months of delay was due to finances on our part. He was evaluated at 8 months to the day, I don't think it was too long to wait...

How old was your puppy when you got him?  I ask because you state he was sold as house trained?    This would suggest its older than 8 weeks, so should have had a vet check when vaccinated.
My stance as a breeder would be to ask for my own vets opinion, and allow him to liase with the first vet if there was a costly invasive procedure needed to diagnose for himself - then I would go with my own vets advice.
If it were that the diagnosis was correct, then I consider that I owe the people who bought it ALL of their money back, and I don`t expect them to have to give up their puppy, I expect that they will allow the puppy to live its life out, with them, where it is settled and comfortable.  you could say that this is their "bonus" to have to keep the puppy as well as a refund, but they are the suffering ones as well as the puppy - because they are now living with a dog with a substantial heart problem, and I would feel that not having to argue, or deal money for puppy, would soften that blow, keep in touch with them, and hope that if they needed help and assistance with the puppy, then I could be there.   Mo

ALL his dogs are sold as house/crate trained. We brought him home at 7 weeks. We've never had a house-training problem, but we took him from crate to outside (on leash), potty, come back in, etc. I'm just saying that this is what people are told when he sells dogs (in person or crating them up to ship).

I'm not saying we had any problem, but there are just so many lies with this person it's unbelievable.

Interestingly, when I asked the breeder WHO his vet was, he told me they aren't accepting new patients because he was retiring. He never has a vet check on his pups before sale, he gives shots himself but sells them as "vet checked". That's why he had no clue mine had such a bad murmur until I provided my own records.

Once I found out who his vet was and contacted them, they assured me the doctor was not retiring anytime soon and they were still accepting new clients.

We would've taken him to be checked by his vet if he requested. He never did. Seems like he didn't want his vet to know our dog had any problems.

Thanks for your input. We are "pre-planning" with the memorial service so it's all in place when the time comes :-(

The puppy may not have had a murmur when you took it home. Subaortic stenosis is a hereditary congenital disease, however puppies are born with a normal heart and then the abnormal fibromuscular ridge develops as they age. It can continue to worsen until they are 18 months of age. A study done on Newfies which also can carry this defect showed that pups were normal at 8 weeks old. So as you see, your pup may not have had a murmur at all during the first vaccines. Sorry to hear about your pups defect. Since your pup was not medicated, I assume that his stenosis is fortunately not in the severe range at this time.

GinaBel ~ yes, he had a III murmur when we took him to the vet 2 days after bringing him home (between 7 & 8 weeks old). He didn't have a vet check prior to us having one completed. My dog is on medication now, although I know it can't help the condition I'm hopeful it will give him more time with us, his pressure reading was 242 - I think severe starts at 80, so clearly it is not good.