Puppy needing surgery - would you pay?

[Kijaji]

Our current situation is we have a 12 week old puppy who has a grade 4 heart murmur (picked up at 8 week vaccinations, was checked at birth and everything was fine), he’s awaiting further tests but worse case scenario it could cost us £5K to operate, if you had the money would you do it for a puppy you’ve only had 5 weeks but mostly everyone’s attached too and loves?

That is shocking!

The breeder shouldn't have let him leave the dam until he was 8 weeks old. I would contact the breeder and let them know the situation. Then I would get a 2nd experienced vet opinion, preferably from an independent vet, he might not need an operation.
It's not that pups need different vaccines, depending on where they live but if the 1st vet uses a different make of vaccine from the 2nd vet, they often have to start the course again. It's very annoying and means that it can be difficult for the breeder to start vaccines.

You chose form a shit breeder unfortunately. No decent breeder lets them go before 10 weeks. I absolutely adore dogs but in your case I wouldn’t pay it sorry. With it being a puppy farm it’s likely to have more breeding issues

Aaaaand… the OP won’t be back.

7 weeks. You bought from a puppy farm or shite breeder.

Regardless of the age the puppy left his mum, you took on a puppy, and vet bills are part of the deal, but I'd hope the breeder would be willing to help you.
I feel sorry for animals. Being torn away from mum at 7 weeks.

All sounds very dodgy. You get what you pay for and research the hell out of breeders. Not just buy a pup because it’s a cute and popular breed.

It's the commitment you make when you choose to have an animal. So of course.

If it’s from a puppy farm or shite breeders then this will be the least of its problems and it’ll no doubt die fairly young anyway.

It does all sound very dodgy and everything you are told not to do when buying a puppy.
Even if you wanted to do the vaccinations with your own vet, the puppy should have had a health check when it was microchipped. Or did the breeder do it themselves.
By law puppies should be a minimum of 8 weeks old and microchipped before sale.
All that said it’s not unusual for young puppies to have a heart murmur that resolves it’s self.
to answer your question yes I would pay for the surgery.
Did none of this ring alarm bells with you, an underage puppy that wasn’t vaccinated, hadn’t been health checked and came without any interim insurance cover.

7 weeks is unbelievable

This was my thought too.

A walking vet's bill.

Got to be rage bate

Where are you based? In the Uk and many places in the US it’s illegal to sell a puppy before 8 weeks and the 8 week vaccines should be completed by the breeder before puppy goes to their new family.

unfortuantely this is a result of a poor breeder and bad luck. But when you take on a puppy you have to be prepared for the things that can come, and that includes medical costs. So yes I’d definitely pay whatever was needed because I’d have made sure I could afford worst case scenarios before I purchased a puppy

There is nothing wrong with letting puppies go before a first vaccination, especially if they are only 8 weeks old. But there is everything wrong with a breeder not being in the picture to offer to take the puppy back, as upsetting as this would be for the owner. Any decent breeder would do this.

That’s tough. My dog had the worst grade hole in heart found at first vaccination at 8 weeks. Luckily the breeders had breeders pet plan insurance that I had taken on so it paid as it covers from birth. Apparently it can be quite common when the hole doesn’t close on birth. My dog is still going strong aged 16 so the operation was successful. Hard decision. Sorry you have to make this.

That you question whether you should pay speaks volumes, never mind you bought from a shit breeder.
Poor puppy.

Going to be quite the expensive lesson to learn that OP.

I wouldn't be sure you can trust the sellers word they didn't know before they sold the puppy to you considering they let you take him from his mum earlier than the legal minimum age.

OP are you in the UK?
As I'm pretty sure the law has been broken if so

I cannot believe you are even asking the Internet this question. Poor dog.

But you wouldn't be in trouble, the breeder would.

My friend had a puppy with a heart murmur and it resolved itself. It might be worth waiting to see if this happens with your puppy. My BiLs cat lived all its life (22 years!) with a murmur and no meds.
If it was my puppy and the surgery was definitely needed, I would pay. It may be worth getting a second opinion.

100 pc see a cardiologist before panicking
puppies can grow out of heart murmurs and the kind that need surgery as usually very obvious in other ways ie general health, weight , size of puppy

Yes of course id pay and if I couldn’t afford vet treatment I’d have insurance .

I thought all reputable breeders vaccinated and health checked their pups before leaving mum.