advice on contacting breader about concerns

[Livelovelife35]

We got our pup from a farm and the breader was highly recommended and we know a few folk that have got pups from the same farm and are doing well

We've been told to maybe contact the breader and let him know whats happening with the pup as when we got him we assumed he was healthy went to vet for his checkup and was told he had ear mites and paid for treatment for this then experienced a mild dose of diarrhoea which we then had to pay more money for 2 tins of special food and paste for a few days had also said to vet about our concerns about his poo as was always soft and we kept seeing blood (tiny spot) so he recommended that we handed in a sample so they can see what was going on again that wasn't cheep £80 (still awaiting results) had spoke to vets yesterday to see if they were in and said that Sunday night there was quite a bit of blood and he started the pup on antibiotics just now just to be on the safe side again more money.
The pup is 13 weeks and so far we've spent over £100 in vets in the 4 weeks we've had him
Plus were having a time of it the now with bitting etc
When we say to breader about all the concerns about health what will he do?
As we're thinking the pup probably hasn't been checked over by his vet as puppies were born in April

Where as all the other dogs we've seen that have been from the farm were obviously born before
We are determined to make this work for and hopefully he will snap out of the bitting stage and continue with constant training but we have had a family chat that if and its a big IF we may need to rehome him if things don't change

My big question is will the breader decide to take him back if were have concerns etc or will he just brush it aside and are we in the right to say to him about this

£100 is not expensive at all...

You can contact the breeder, but what are you contacting them for?

Are you wanting to just let them know so the rest of the litter can get checked? They’d be pretty ill by now if they do have the same issues.

Your vet bills back? That’s fairly unlikely to happen, either he came with those issues and so it’s fairly unlikely the breeder cares (the most likely scenario) or he caught them with you and it isn’t anything to do with the breeder.

To return the puppy? Well that’s a possibility, but, given it’s fairly likely they’re not the most conscientious breeder, you’re unlikely to get a refund as well.

This is obviously not a reputable breeder , did you have the insurance before you started consulting a vet because most policies have a 2 week clause and you may end up with a dog that is uninsured for any problems relating to it’s gut . That may be an issue if you think £100 is a lot to have already spent ( I refer you to biteysharks post earlier) . You may get them to take the pup back but I would seriously worry about his future , I really doubt you will get any money off them .

Just spent £85 on vet because my puppy suddenly went limp. It was scary and took her straight there. Turned out to be a sudden drop in sugar. Consultation lasted 10mns!

I can understand concerns about the puppy coming with health issues, but mentioning paying £100 is a bit off as that's not totally unexpected when getting a dog.

As for the bitting? Are you saying that you didn't know that puppies, just about all puppies bite? They're not toys, they come with annoyances which you learn to live with.

What kind of 'farm' have you got this dog from? How can you know 'many' people who've gotten puppies from the same one?

What kind of 'farm' have you got this dog from? How can you know 'many' people who've gotten puppies from the same one?
If the comment from a PP is to be believed it sounds a lot like a working sheep farm with a cheap litter of border collies going....

I love collies, I have one myself but if the OP didn’t even bother to read up enough about dogs to know that puppies, ALL puppies bite, well, I don’t see it ending well.

I think the sad thing about this is how buying an unhealthy pup has been normalised.

I frequently meet people in real life who have paid huge money for a pup, only to find out it has kennel cough/ eye infections/ parasites and even parvo. I can't get my head around why anyone could just shrug this off.

There is no excuse for breeding and selling pups with preventable illnesses, and certainly no reason to carry on giving your hard earned cash to someone who has no regard for animal welfare.

Trouble is @fivedogstofeed that people want a pup NOW. They don’t want to do research and find a really good breeder or take on a rescue.
Case near us of someone who took on a giant breed pup as a surprise for their family. I shit you not. Breeder sold to the person without having met the whole family. Pup was very ill and died.
It is sadly buyer beware. And too many don’t.

You’ve knowingly bought a living creature from a puppy farm... that’s truly disgusting

You really don't sound like you're ready for a border collie 🙈

I worked with someone a few years ago who bought a cocker spaniel pup from a 'lovely breeder'. The pup died of parvo very soon afterwards. They went back to the same 'breeder' puppy dealer scum and got a new pup at a reduced price. The new one didn't die, so all good apparently, just one of those things

Yes, the puppy is a border collie (confirmed by advance search)

Apparently the breeder has been doing it for 20 years and council licensed.

OP, the biting is normal. So, so normal.
Once my collie pup hit prime teething age I didn’t have a single item of clothing without a hole due to her habit of run, jump, bite.
Only me and DH interestingly, she never did it to our 4 year old.
It was a brief phase, she never ‘nipped’, just ran and bit 😖
Grown into literally the gentlest adult dog I have ever known.

You need to talk to other collie owners and sheepdog trainers and get yourself familiar with the unique traits of the breed you have.

£100 for vets sounds cheap. I’d let breeder know so they’re aware. About 30 years ago we got a kitten who was poorly. Breeder didn’t care but we covered the vet bills and she lived to 17 years old with very little vet care needed. This is what insurance is for.

The biting comment concerns me more. Puppies bite. I’m not sure what you’re expecting.

Puppies bite a lot. A LOT. They experience the world through their mouths and need to be taught not to bite. It takes time perseverance - although I would hope you'd know this already from having thoroughly researched getting a puppy beforehand.

My pupster came from a great breeder but he still picked up tummy bugs when he was little anyway, blood in his poop, don't think he did a solid poo for weeks at one point. We'd take him on a walk and classify it with how many poops he'd done - 'it was a 5 bagger today!'. Antibiotics and the brown paste to firm his poo up is a common solution. It doesn't necessarily mean his breeder was negligent or is liable for any bills.

Re: the ear mites well if he was born and raised in a farm as other PPs have mentioned then goodness me I'm not surprised. If this is also easily solved then I'm not sure what the issue is, pets cost money and if you have insurance like you say you do then relax.

Rice is a crap food for dogs - very little nutritional value. Also chicken is well known for being a common allergen first dogs.

@Livelovelife35
Puppies must be microchipped by the breeder and are usually vaccinated at the same time, so he must've been vet checked. If he was not microchipped by 12 weeks the breeder is working illegally.

Any breeder that doesn't notice guardians and ear mites in their puppies is running a shit show.

Puppies should be 'fit for purpose' and healthy when sold. I'd be contacting the breeder to ask for reimbursement of the vet fees for the unhealthy puppy.

Re: biting. What were the parents temperaments like? How was the litter reared? What socialisation has been done?

I strongly recommend the puppy contract for anyone buying a new pup.
puppycontract.org.uk