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The JSPCA received a letter regarding a so called “responsible” breeder. Here is an extract from part of the letter.
“On Monday the 14th the puppy struggled to walk so we took it to the vet. Her knee caps were misplaced. Bad breeding? On the Wednesday the 16th the puppy was throwing up digested blood. The vet admitted her and she sadly died early hours of Thursday morning (17th). The diagnostic was either a severe case of Parvo or hook worm.
The vet also claimed that the puppy was 5 weeks and not the promised 9 weeks we were told by the breeder. The puppies teeth had not even come through the gums yet nor could the puppy eat puppy food. On the Wednesday the 16th the puppy was throwing up digested blood. The vet admitted her and she sadly died early hours of Thursday morning (17th). The diagnostic was either a severe case of Parvo or hook worm.
The vet also claimed that the puppy was 5 weeks and not the promised 9 weeks we were told by the breeder. The puppies teeth had not even come through the gums yet nor could the puppy eat puppy food.”
No responsible breeder would ever place one of their puppies in a pet shop or allow “just anyone” to buy a puppy from them. Many pet shops and “puppy mills / back yard breeders” act as commercial establishments therefore they will sell an animal to anyone who can pay for the animal. They do not screen buyers for suitability and seldom ever give advice to the buyer regarding the breed characteristics, exercise requirements and how to take correct care of the animal. Many offer you a guarantee “If the animal gets sick, we will replace it with a new one / give you your money back”. Guarantees do not help the animal at all, the animal still has to live (or die) with the health problem that could’ve been avoided, by responsible breeders / pet owners.
Various animal disease have an incubation period before the symptoms start to manifest, this creates an illusion of the animal being perfectly healthy when you buy it, but within a week or 2, the puppy is diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease such as the Parvo Virus. This may have been prevented if the puppy was vaccinated at the correct stage. First Vaccination is at 6 weeks, followed by another at 10weeks and again at 12 weeks. The Rabies Vaccination is usually done at the age of 3 months. Other illness regularly found in “pet shop” puppies is Kennel Cough, coronavirus, mange, ringworm etc.
By paying money for a “pet shop” puppy your are encouraging the industry to keep doing what its doing. This leads to many unwanted, abandoned and abused animals. As the puppy you have bought will have to be replaced with a new one to sell.
For this particular reason, The Johannesburg SPCA advocates adopting an animal from an SPCA. The animal is sterilised, vaccinated, dewormed and possibly even microchipped. Before any animal is adopted into a new home, the adopter is asked a variety of questions to ensure the breed of animal they have chosen will fit their Lifestyle. Once this has been decided the SPCA inspectors inspect the new property to ensure the property is suitable. Regular checks are done thereafter to ensure that the welfare of the animal is not compromised in any way in the new home.
If you are in search of a specific breed, talk to the your local SPCA and they may be able to assist you with the information you require.
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