Advice urgently needed. Adopted dog with pre-existing condition. Rescue have withdrawn funding for treatment. WWYD?

[landoflove]

I really need your advice. We adopted a puppy through a reputable rescue organisation 3 months ago. At the point of adoption we understood the pup to be in good health with no known medical conditions. Within 24 hours of arrival it was clear to me that something was amiss (I am an experienced dog owner and have a medical background).

I spoke to the rescue who confirmed that actually the pup had seen vet previously and therefore if treatment was required they would cover the cost. So took pup to vet who confirmed that yes pup was poorly and began treatment.

Pup was insured from the outset but since the condition was pre-existing and veterinary advice had been sought withing 2 weeks of policy start it was exempt. I would have claimed otherwise.

To cut a long story short pup has been poorly from day one and has needed a huge amount of care and time (as well as all the usual you would expect with a rescue pup). She hasn't responded to treatment and now needs an operation which I have been informed that the rescue cannot afford to fund.

I am utterly devastated. I have a poorly pup and potentially face thousands of pounds in vet fees which I can't claim for and can't afford to pay. What should I do?

Have you anything I. Writing from the rescue saying they would cover the costs of treatment?

Sort of. She came with a note for me to give to the vet with regards to spaying, vaccinations etc. and it was mentioned on this. The vet called the rescue before beginning treatment to confirm with them that they had agreed to cover the cost which they have done so far. The vet has billed them directly. I have paid for anything routine/not connected to this condition. The problem is now that it could get very expensive and she may not survive.

Well if they can't afford to cover it what are they supposed to do , I suppose your options are fund it yourself or return the pup ,it's a tough decision - sorry .

What is the condition? It sounds harsh but your only option at be to return the pup if they won't pay which would surely be more expensive for them longterm as they'd have living costs as well as vet treatment. Is the condition likely to be resolved with surgery?
If you're looking at a lifetime of a detrimental health condition you cannot afford to treat then PTS might be the only option

Sorry to hear you are going through this, it's a tough one. Would the rescue org be prepared to do a specific appeal to raise funds for the op? I follow several on Twitter who do this. They set up a paypal account and raise publicity via Facebook and Twitter. It seems like the dog was ill when you got her, so I think they should help,if possible, though of course they will have other animals to care for.

Good luck.

I completely agree with you. However, if we return her (which would break my heart) they will have to fund the veterinary treatment and meet the cost of her ongoing care which is considerable. She is on a special diet and supplements and needs to be really well looked to have any chance of getting well (veterinary advice, not my opinion). There is no way she could be rehomed in her current state. There are no easy answers.....

Sorry previous post was in answer to Floralnomad.

Thank you for your responses.

Condition is Demodex which I know should be treatable (I've done loads of research and my vet is great) but she is drug-sensitive which rules out most treatment options. The treatment she has had hasn't worked.

No other underlying health problems according to bloods but now she needs multiple biopsies, further bloods, further skin scapes and the advice of both a specialist veterinary dermatologist and parasitologist.

The disease is really starting to take a toll on her :-(

We had a similar problem with our rescue pup, he was very poorly when we got him home but rescue would not cover vets costs, took a while for the vet to find a treatment that worked so we were visiting the vets every week for the first 3 months and having to pay for different treatments. It did cost us a fortune on top of the £200 adoption fees and his 2nd lot of vaccinations. He was underweight for a long time and has to have expensive dog food so he doesn't get a upset tummy. I do feel a bit angry that the rescue never offered to help with any costs but at the end of the day we took the puppy on and I wouldn't have adopted a dog without having the funds to pay vet bills if he was poorly.

I think your only option is to pay for the op and hope once the vet finds a medication that works things will get better, either that or you need to hand the dog back to the rescue.

In response to Endler:

Out of interest, were you unable to claim on insurance too?

To be perfectly honest if I had known that pup had a pre-existing condition that meant that we wouldn't be able to claim on our expensive and comprehensive insurance policy then I wouldn't have risked adopting her for. But crucially we weren't told this.

I spent the whole of last year of paying vet bills for my wonderful old dog who lived beyond an age that was insurable so I know all about paying vet fees! We are still feeling the effects of this now.

I think I'd get the specialist opinion before doing any further treatment and make a decision based on that ,its a horrible situation to be in though .

We were unable to claim on insurance because the pup fell poorly the day we got him, insurance hadn't yet been taken out , it cost us £100's, people kept telling me to take the pup back but I couldn't do that. He was poorly for the first year ( underweight, food intolerances ) but he's now 2 and much healthier.

Would the PDSA help? Awful situation to be in.

Hi Landof Demodex often hits dogs with a stressed immune system so your vet is absolutely right nutrition is essential. Is the treatment you tried aludex?

Have you tried advocate spot on applied every two weeks (off license use but works well) or ivermectin applied orally or by sc injecton or spot on every two weeks? Ivermectin is usually pretty cheap but would also be an off-license use (and no good if your dog is a collie)

I've done lots of charity dog work so sometimes it needs a bit of lateral thinking and the use of off-license drugs to deiver practical and effective treatment.
This document may help
www.banfield.com/getmedia/48158ee0-00c5-4c8c-9e4e-5562ada2abab/2_2-Treating-canine-demodicosis

Sunshine and shadows thank you for your advice. Pup had adverse reaction to Advocate so that and ivermectin are not an option. She is herding breed so presumably sensitive to this group of drugs. We are going down the route of regular Amitraz dips and skin scrapes. I am desperately hoping that this will work.

After a sleepless night and crisis talks today the issue of funding has thankfully been resolved with the rescue, vet and I all contributing and working together in order to save pup.

I will keep you posted.....

That's great news! Amitraz baths are a pain but is excellent for demodex - good luck!