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?

With regard to the vaccine, our pup had the first (can’t remember what it was) but it wasn’t available to us locally.
rather than restart we sourced a vet an hour and a half away to keep to the vaccine schedule.
so it is possible.
we weighed up having to start again and losing those few weeks of socialisation to driving further to keep to the schedule.
its unfortunately quite common and not something we’d factored into the early days.

To be honest that's borderline too late. It risks them being too old to accept their new surroundings and family and staying too attached to their mother and current home, only to be removed. It makes it harder for everyone all round including the pup. 8 to 10 weeks is ideal.

Op has disappeared. The puppy probably has too.
I would want further details before commiting to the operation. I have known dogs with heart murmurs thrive without operations.
I was slagged off on another thread for buying from a kennel club Registered breeder. The breeder was slagged off too.
Just like to say, the heart murmer issue wouldn't have happened to me. Along with genetic checks, inbreeding co- efficiency, my pup had a full vet check and certificate and pet insurance was provided. I think 6 months. I think I can guarantee that he cost more than op puppy. You pays your money and you takes your choice. I think this one was backyard bred from an inexperienced breeder who just wanted to make a few bob

It's not the norm. A reputable breeder will usually keep puppies until after their first vaccinations and will give insurance for the first 4 weeks.

It sounds like the OP's puppy came from a puppy farm.

It must have been a pretty obscure brand if you had to travel that far to track it down. I think breeders should be giving the first vaccination, but they should also ensure that their vet uses a common brand that won’t be difficult to get hold of for the second one

My DDs friend has a heart murmur. She’s 30 now and never needed an op or anything. Is it different for dogs?

Yes I would if the operation was likely to be successful and cure the issue

I don’t understand your comment.
My point is that humans can lead normal healthy lives with a heart murmur. I was asking if there’s a reason why a dog might need an op when humans don’t.

Then you've got the issue of who's paying.

If a client purchases a vaccination course the first and second (sometimes a third) injections are paid for at the time of the first jab where they are vet checked as well.

Second jabs are done by a nurse free of charge but the pup needs to have been seen by a vet at that practice, so if a pup has had its first jab elsewhere it'll still need a vet check at the new practice which means a consultation charge and a fee for the second jab.

Much easier to sign up for the healthy pet club and get all the injections at the same vet. However, a breeder's fees should reflect the cost of vaccines and reduce accordingly if selling unvaccinated puppies.

Puppies should NOT be separated from mummy until 8 weeks at least! Wow

Well, what was the cause of your DD’s friend’s heart murmur?

For the many posters on here who keep mentioning their own experience with heart murmurs - a quick lesson: A heart murmur is just an extra sound that can be heard when listening to the heart with a stethoscope, which indicates turbulence as the blood flows through the heart. There are dozens of different possible causes of this turbulence, far too many to list here, and we don’t know which one the OP’s puppy has been diagnosed with. So there is absolutely no point in comparing other heart murmurs that are very likely due to a different issue.

Then the client pays a bit extra for the vet check. The decision on when to vaccinate the puppy should be based on what is clinically best practice for that puppy. Not on what is cheapest or most convenient for the owner.

And if the new owner can’t cope with forking out a few extra quid for the additional vet check, then they probably shouldn’t be getting the puppy in the first place.

And bear in mind that the way your practice operates is not the norm everywhere. Not all practices will be using a vet nurse for 2nd vaccs.

7 weeks. good Lord !!!

I would get a second or third opinion.
what other tests are they planning?

No reputable breeder does

OP’s long-gone without giving any detail for us to go on. Strange to jump to 2nd/3rd opinion when we know absolutely nothing about the tests the vet has done so far, what the diagnosis is or what the suggested treatment is!

I had a dog with a grade 4 heart murmur he lived until he was 7 on meds alone.

poor baby.

What is the alternative - you have him destroyed at the age of 12 weeks ?!!!

I would research the rate of success of the surgery and the quality of life after the surgery before making your mind up.

I would do surgery if it meant a life of suffering for the dog, just because I’m attached to it.

Yes, no question

@ProfessionalPirate I think that when you have been told that your pet may need a certain surgery which is costly, and you have time until you need to decide - it is reasonable to seek another Vet’s opinion.

i was a Veterinary Nurse for 18 years so I’m not just being random with my suggestion.

i also did ask about what other tests are planned.

No. Im sorry but its not right to spend that much on a puppy. Its sad, of course. Even if you are a millionaire, I still dont think it right.

Not a chance would I pay, I would return to the breeder and be very careful about where I brought a pup from in future.
A grade 4 heart murmur is not an insignificant one that is likely to improve with age. There is something very wrong with it and you are likely to have face some very difficult decisions in the future.
We fostered a 6 month old dog for a rescue with a grade 4 heart murmur, the rescue spent the money on finding out what was wrong with it and was super lucky in the fact an adopter came forward for him that was willing to pay for the surgery and all the annual check ups. It’s a massive commitment after having it for 5 weeks yes you will be a little attached but not so attached you should take this on.
The breeder should not breed from those lines again and all decent breeders keep their pups until they have had at least their first vaccination and microchip for the reason that they want healthy puppies to find their forever families not ones that are going to end up causing sadness and misery.
Take it back to where you got it from.