Sick Puppies: Local vet offers advice on how to purchase healthy dogs

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Faquier Times-Democrat

By: Alexandra Bogdanovic


When it comes to purchasing a puppy, an educated consumer is less likely to wind up with a sick dog, according to one local vet.


At least one Fauquier resident recently complained about getting a sick dog from a local pet store. Warrenton resident Beth Woodson said her newly acquired French bulldog puppy, Button, got sick almost immediately.

Dr. Elaine Lutz of Piedmont Pets Veterinary Care in Warrenton said that anyone who is interested in buying a dog should research the breed that is best for them and then purchase it from a local breeder. That way, she said, they can see exactly how the puppies are handled and minimize stress on the animals. By doing so, she said, new dog owners will improve the likelihood of getting a healthy puppy.


\"I don\'t want to slam anyone. Pet shops try to do a good job making sure that they get healthy puppies, but they don\'t always get them from reliable sources,\" Lutz said.

Often pet shops get puppies from other parts of the country and the dogs have to be shipped to the shop by truck or plane, Lutz continued. The stress caused by a long journey can compromise even the healthiest puppy\'s immune system, making him more susceptible to illness, she added.

Lutz also noted that in spite of precautions taken at shelters and by proprietors of local pet shops, it is \"very common\" for young dogs to get respiratory illnesses. Sometimes dogs are vaccinated when they are too young, she explained. In other cases, Lutz said, stress keeps a vaccine from working properly.

Beverly Gaunt and her son-in-law, Jay Abboud, the proprietors of the Warrenton Pet Shop, say they do everything possible to ensure that they sell happy, healthy puppies.

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Gaunt proudly showed off the large pens where new puppies are displayed at the front of the store. It is lined with special \"bedding\" and a divider is used to keep older, more rambunctious dogs away from their younger counterparts.

Gaunt said that customers can\'t enter the area without supervision. They are required to clean their hands carefully before and after patting the puppies, she added.

Abboud also noted that all the puppies are quarantined and checked out by a veterinarian to make sure they are healthy before they arrive at the store. They also have weekly appointments until they are sold, he said.

\"We stand by our dogs 110 percent,\" Abboud said.

Gaunt and Abboud both said that all customers who purchase puppies receive a packet of paperwork, including a seven-day guarantee which they are required to read and sign. The guarantee covers some diseases, such as Parvo and distemper, but it does not cover upper respiratory infections that occur once the dog is in its new owner\'s care.

Several people who were contacted who bought their puppies from Abboud and Gaunt said they haven\'t had any problems.

\"I just got a Sheltie puppy from there,\" said Kim Norfolk, a Stephens City resident. \"Her name is Sophie and she\'s the first dog I\'ve gotten from a pet store.\"

Norfolk said she was always \"leery\" about getting an animal from a pet shop because she knows several people who have had bad experiences. But she said she was \"very impressed\" by the conditions at the Warrenton store and by the way the puppies are socialized.

Holly Baker said she also got a dog from the Warrenton Pet Shop. Like Norfolk, she said she has been pleasantly surprised.

\"I got a West Highland terrier,\" Baker said. \"He goes to the vet weekly for his shots and checkups. He is a happy, healthy dog.\"

Joanne Hamilton said she got her puppy, a male Yorkie named Scooter, as a gift two weeks ago. He also came from the Warrenton Pet Shop, she said.

\"I took him to the vet last Friday and the vet said he was in good health,\" Hamilton said. \"We\'ve been spoiling him rotten,\" she added.

Woodson said she wasn\'t so lucky, however. She said her husband recently bought Button, a French bulldog, from the shop.

\"My husband bought her on a Friday. The next day (someone from the pet shop) called to see how the dog was. I told them that I didn\'t know much about French bulldogs, but she seemed congested.\"

The day after that, Woodson said, Button was obviously ill.

According to Woodson, Button was diagnosed with \"kennel cough.\" The Warrenton resident said she has spent $400 to care for her.

Whether a dog comes from a shelter or a pet store, Lutz said a puppy can seem healthy one day and be sick just one or two days later.

\"When you get a puppy from a pet shop or shelter, there is sometimes a guarantee for a certain number of days. Before you sign on the dotted line, read all of the information and get a health exam within the given time period.\"



Pure-bred puppies?

Woodson has another complaint, however. She also said her husband was misled about the dog\'s pedigree.

She said that when her husband bought the dog he was under the impression that it was a pure bred, registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC). Button is actually registered with the American Pet Registry (APR), Woodson said.

Gaunt and Abboud said they are familiar with the incident and attributed it to confusion about the paperwork.

The packet given to each customer who buys a puppy contains a registration form for a microchip as part of the AKC\'s Home Again Recovery program, Abboud explained. For $20 the dog\'s new owner can register the microchip number in their name, he said. That way, if the dog ever gets lost a veterinarian or clinician at a local shelter can determine who owns it.

Abboud confirmed that Button is registered with the APR.

\"One registry isn\'t better than another,\" Abboud said. \"The AKC is the oldest and best known. It is really important only if you want to show your dog.\" Dogs included in the other registries are also pure-breds, Abboud said.