[LEUllman]

Wish me luck, cause I'm dropping off my 6 mos old minipoo at the groomer for the first time tomorrow. We've only had Beau a few weeks, and he's hardly been out of my sight the whole time; sticks to me like glue! He's our first dog, so I have no real basis for comparison, but he does seem to be a rather shy little guy. I'm sure he'll settle in given more time, but the breeder we got him from is a groomer herself, and he came home in a fancy puppy show clip. (Timing didn't work out for her to cut him before we picked him him up.) He looks adorable, but it's way too much hair for us newbies to handle! It's been about a month since he had his last haircut, so I want to get him into a nice manageable lamb clip before he starts to develop mats. I just hope he doesn't freak out too much when the time comes for me to leave. Fortunately, the groomer has 45 years experience grooming, breeding, and showing poodles, so I know he'll be in good hands.

I'll post an update and some pictures -- providing we live to tell the tale!

 

[Harley_chik]

Good luck and I can't wait to see pics!

 

[LEUllman]

Well, back from our adventure with good news and bad news. Good news is, Beau looks mahvelous, dahling!

Bad news is, groomer called me as I was driving home to tell ask me if I knew that my dog has patellar luxation in both knees. What heartbreak. Groomer's husband is a very well regarded vet, and I was able to make an apointment with him at the same time I picked up Beau.

Seems he has lateral patellar luxation; the kneecap pops out to the outside. I actually felt and heard it do so! Although Beau has shown no symptoms in the three weeks we've had him, vet said beause it can pop on its own, it almost certainly will. So surgery is in his future; $1800 for both knees. Guess we'll get him fixed at the same time. Poor guy.

Beau's parents and grandparents have OFA patella tests which are "Normal." I don't think the breeder had any idea, nor did the vet that I took Beau to for the breeder's Sale Contract-specified check up the day after we brough him home! Malpractice? Would I be out of line to ask the breeder to help pay for this? Might start a new thread on that.

Oh, and to top things off, he has a yeast ear infection. Vet gave us some medicine.

Not a good day. Only thing that cheers me up is how great he looks in his new short doo!

 

[ArreauStandardPoodle]

Oh heavens!!! That is awful. He does look fantastic though. I would definately start a thread asking other breeders opinions on asking the breeder to help. She is not obligated to in any way, but even if she could help by sending a few hundreds dollars your way, that would be something. If his parents were done, that is really all anyone can ask of the breeder. But still, she should be happy you are willing/able to do this because a lot of people just could not afford to and would have to have the dog put down when it became a problem. So, in my opinion, it doesn't hurt to ask. The worst they can say is no. In the meantime, what a handsome little goober. My daughter would call him Hottie McButterpants!!

 

[Olie]

Beau looks amazing!! And I would call the breeder A.S.A.P. Maybe start a new thread too, but I would expect the breeder would want to assist in this issue regardless. Check your contract also, if you were being held the contract the breeder should as well.

BTW - you wouldn't happen to be in SC would you? Thank goodness the groomer knew what they were looking at! I feel bad and hope this is not too much of a hardship on you or Beau.

 

[Rockporters]

What a beautiful sweetie! He has a gorgeous coat!

I'm so sorry to hear about his health issues. I would absolutely talk to the breeder. They need to know what health issues, particularly serious ones, are showing up in their lines.

Did the breeder offer a health warranty when you got the pup?

 

[Harley_chik]

He does look amazing! I'm sorry to hear about his knees too. Definately let the breeder know and hpefully she will do something, contract or no.

 

[LEUllman]

Thanks everyone!

I plan to call the breeder tonight to let her know. I'm sure she'll be as shocked as I was. Will be nice if she chips in, but we'll proceed either way. I'll just take it out of my daughter's college fund - hey, he's "her" dog after all. ;-)

Sales contract says "Seller guarantees this puppy to be free from, Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Juvenile Renal Disease, Addison's disease, and Sebaceous Adenitis for two years from date of birth. If the puppy should be diagnosed with any of these disorders, buyer agrees to make puppy and/or puppy's records available to the seller's veterinarian for confirmation of diagnosis. If diagnosis is confirmed, seller agrees to replace puppy. No refund will be given."

Nothing there about patellar luxation. Doesn't matter: there's no way we would "return" him now, not under any circumstances.

Olie, I'm not in SC -- unless that means Southern California. We live in a suburb north of Los Angeles.

Gotta include another picture of my sweetie:

 

[nab]

I own Boston Terriers which have a problem with luxating patellas. They actually grade the severity of the luxation from 1-4 (4 being the most severe). Not all grades require surgery. You may want to glucosamine suplements for a while to see if they improve.

Pedey, my toy poodle, has severe grade 4 LP in both legs. His legs actually give out and twist in when he puts pressure on them. They're always out of joint to the point that tibias and femurs have bowed to compensate. He's beyond surgery.

Beau does look marvelous...hope the LP turns out to be less severe than it appears now!

 

[Poodle Lover]

Beau is an absolutely gorgeous pup.

I am sorry about his knee problems and hope that the breeder is willing to help with the bill. But meanwhile, I would find out what grade his luxation is. I have a friend who owns a Havanese with laxating patellas in both knees (2 and 3 I think) and she didn't do the surgery, per vet's recommendation. He is on supplements (glucosamine and condroitin). Does Beau have any trouble walking, is he holding up one of his paws? Also, if you are considering a surgery, get a second opinion, don't just take one vet's word for it.

Best of luck,

 

[LEUllman]

The vet didn't mention the grade, but his wife the groomer -- who discovered the problem -- said in her opinion Beau is a grade 2 on the left and maybe grade 3 on the right. With 45 years hands-on experience with poodles, I think she knows a thing or two. Beau doesn't seem to be having any trouble walking or running -- We just spent some quality time playing fetch in the backyard. I'll definitely check into glucosamine and condroitin, and we'll get a second opinion, too. I figure the first vet we took him to the day after we brought him home -- who didn't discover the problem -- owes us.

Among other things, my Vet/Groomer couple runs the Poodle Rescue in our area, and right now their house holds 30 --count 'em -- 30 poodles! Most of the dogs are theirs, some are rescues, and a few are owned by clients. My wife stood transfixed watching them for a few minutes. She said it looked like a computer generated image from a movie. (It's a huge, sprawling house with separate wing for the grooming studio and a separate building for his vet practice.) They are 10 minutes away, and finding them was like a gift from heaven.

 

[usviteacher]

Oh so handsome...sorry to hear of the health issue

 

[spoospirit]

He's stunning!! I love how he came out. I am so sorry to hear about his health issue. I hope that the breeder is willing to help you out some with that expense is you decide to go ahead with it. My thoughts are with you.

 

[amerique2]

Beau is gorgeous! So handsome. I'm so sorry to hear about his patellas but glad you will be able to have them repaired so he can be as healthy and pain-free as possible.

The wording in your contract (like many others I've seen) bothers me--"If diagnosis is confirmed, seller agrees to replace puppy. No refund will be given." As if, your dog is a mere commodity, not worth repairing, only replaced. Or maybe that's why a breeder would put in that language; since most people who have loved and cared for their pet would never send back their cherished family member in order to get one without known flaws. I think it would be much better if a breeder would allow you the option to receive a certain amount of money back that you could use to repair the condition. Of course, I'm not sure how the amount would be calculated or how it could be specified in the contract. But, surely, there's some way to do it.

 

[Locket]

What a handsome boy!!

So sorry to hear about the knees. I hope your breeder offers to help and support.

 

[desertreef]

What a handsome boy!!

So sorry to hear about the knees. I hope your breeder offers to help and support.

I KNOW she will. This comes to her as a complete surprise as well.
I feel a second opinion is the thing to do also, since it was never detected for months. Not saying it isn't so, but to that degree I find a bit odd.

Surgery is something that you don't rush out and do either. I hope the owner, who obviously loves his boy, will get that second opinion and work with his breeder.

Karen

 

[ArreauStandardPoodle]

Thanks everyone!

I plan to call the breeder tonight to let her know. I'm sure she'll be as shocked as I was. Will be nice if she chips in, but we'll proceed either way. I'll just take it out of my daughter's college fund - hey, he's "her" dog after all. ;-)

Sales contract says "Seller guarantees this puppy to be free from, Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Juvenile Renal Disease, Addison's disease, and Sebaceous Adenitis for two years from date of birth. If the puppy should be diagnosed with any of these disorders, buyer agrees to make puppy and/or puppy's records available to the seller's veterinarian for confirmation of diagnosis. If diagnosis is confirmed, seller agrees to replace puppy. No refund will be given."

Nothing there about patellar luxation. Doesn't matter: there's no way we would "return" him now, not under any circumstances.

Olie, I'm not in SC -- unless that means Southern California. We live in a suburb north of Los Angeles.

Gotta include another picture of my sweetie:

OMG this young fellow is seriously handsome!!!

 

[Trillium]

Oh he is so cute and I love his new haircut. I'm so sorry to hear about his health problems though. Keep us posted on what you find out.

 

[LEUllman]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support. Just to cap this thread off, the breeder was just as shocked and upset to hear about Beau's knee problems as I, and she is going to be totally supportive. Honestly, I never thought she would be anything but supportive -- she is a very conscientious breeder and a loving person. Beau is her baby, too!

amerique2, I'm no expert, but I bet the wording on the sales contract is entirely standard. Probably verbatim from the AKC or some other organization. I haven't done a search, but I bet the wording of these contracts must have come up many times on this forum. A lot to discuss there!

Regarding the surgery, I'm not going to do anything precipitously -- it's not an emergency and we are in no rush. Beau has shown no symptoms at all and runs and bounds about just fine. Maybe this is something he'll grow out of? He's only 6 mos, after all. We'll just keep an eye on him and make sure he gets lots of glucosamine and condroitin. Heck, I'm getting to the age where I should probably take some, too.

I am definitely going to get a second opinion, from a veterinarian orthopedic specialist if there is such a thing and I can find one, or from a very highly regarded holistic vet we have in our area who is so popular, she schedules appointments for new patients a month in advance. (That's why I didn't take Beau to her in the first place.)

Again, thank you all for listening. How did we all survive before the internet?

I knew owning a dog was going to change my life. Little did I know . . . .

 

[desertreef]

I could hug you, LEUllman!
You are not only a caring guy but very wise too!
I'm glad to hear you have some great vets in the area to take a look at him and go from there, without panic. I'm crossing my fingers that he will have a tremendously healthy and happy life with you.
He's a beautiful boy!
Karen