Poorly pup, warning dont read if feeling delicate.

[Tyson86]

My brothers puppy has just been diagnosed with a hole in her heart and we were told she will die between 6-9 months old, she is 19 weeks already. The breeder told us to give her back and she will replace her with another dog if we give breeder another £325 as the other dog is more expensive and the only one breeder is willing on 'giving'.
We are keeping the pup as she is lovely and we dont want to give her up. My brother is only 13 with learning difficulties and is angry.
I live with my mum and brother and have fell in love with the pup too, im so scared of when the time comes, its going to be dreadful.

oh no I am really sorry for you poor puppy.

Sounds very sad. Poor puppy. Has she seen a cardiac specialist about this? If she is insured then please make sure the pup has had every single last bit of checking done as to what is going on and if anything could be done by specialists that most vets wouldn't maybe even think about. What sort of dog is she?

You may be able to claim the value of the puppy back from the breeder - talk to the citizens advice bureau about this as clearly the puppy was "not fit for purpose" - horrid phase to apply to a puppy I think but you have legal rights here. Whatever you do don't get another pup from this breeder as they sound like it is only about money and they don't care at all about the pup, nevermind the whole consideration that the breeding line might be affected and should be stopped possibly.

Hope things are as smooth as possible for you and the pup.

So sorry to hear this I had a similar situation in my surgery very recently- a puppy was brought in with a horrendous murmur, and we advised it was returned to the breeder, as the pup was already showing signs of cardiac problems. The owners were understandably very upset, and wanted to keep the pup, so I advised checking whether the insurance they had would cover a complete cardiology work-up from a specialist, just to know what they were dealing with (I suspected it was a serious congenital defect) In the end they took the pup back to the breeder who gave them a different puppy (no extra charge!) and said they would keep the first puppy. I saw puppy 2 today- he is gorgeous!! And they told me the other pup died 2 days after he was returned to the breeder

Definitely worth getting a full cardiology investigation done, if your insurance will cover it, but I also think your breeder has a duty and isn't fulfilling it. I am quite shocked, as most good breeders would be upset and immediately offer you another pup or a refund.

Having said that, a friend of mine rehomed a dog which had a heart problem and wasn't expected to live past 8 mths (from the vet school)- he lived a long and happy life, just to prove them wrong! But I think it is better to be fully aware of the implications of your pup's problem so you can modify your expectations accordingly. I hope all goes well

As a breeder myself (although all puppies are checked by my vet prior to going to their new homes and the slightest hint of a problem they'd be kept by me) I would be devastated if this happened. It's not likely that I'd have a 'replacement' pup to offer, but I would certainly offer to take the pup back if that was what the owner wanted and I would offer a refund regardless of whether they wanted to keep the pup or not.

I would probably also speak to trading standards. There is no reason at all for this breeder to charge more for a different pup, in fact she should probably be considering a partial refund too for the upset to your family which may have been preventable had she had the puppies checked by her vet. One puppy in a litter is worth the same as another regardless of pet or show potential, gender or colour.

I think it is possible (emotions aside) to argue not fit for purpose. The breeder is definitely taking liberties in asking for more cash.

If the worst comes to the worst I would recommend you look on the 'dog pages' website. I've just been on there and there are lots of lovely pups waiting for great homes. If you look in the 'dogs in rescues' section there is a lovely five month pup which the bredder can't sell.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Thank you for spending the time to reply, i have just let my mum read through it and she is going to send a letter with some of your points as well as the vet letter proving she is ill as breeder requested it.
Ill let you know how it goes.

Oh, I am so sorry. Poor puppy and your poor family. My heart goes out to you all. There is some good advice on here so a letter with some of the points would be a good start. Let us know how you get on