[Joumana K]

DO NOT BUY FROM HOMESTEAD PUPPY MILL - We waited 9 months for our puppy and it died August 2, 2020 from liver failure only 6 days after bringing it home with $2,000 in Emergency center Vet bills for treatment of a liver infection. Linda Sutphin accused us of an improper diet (we followed exactly her directions of Eukanuba dry/wet). We phoned Linda repeatedly for advice but she never returned our calls and responded to my emails with accusations that we were at fault. Linda never once expressed any concern for the puppy and was obsessed with assigning blame which made our experience a nightmare.

 

[CT Girl]

I am so sorry your puppy died. Did you have a necropsy done? The vet will probably be able to prove if it was diet or a birth defect. How soon after you picked up your puppy did you notice issues?

 

[Liz]

I'm so very sorry for your loss. What a heartbreaking ordeal.

 

[Joumana K]

We were provided a detailed blood work report and treatment regimen for liver failure from the Annapolis Emergency center Vet team. A Necropsy in this case is unnecessary and nothing more than a warranty contractual clause that shields this horrible Breeder (Linda Sutphin), as well as inflicting further pain on our Family.

 

[Starvt]

Since it happened so soon after you got the puppy, there is no way that an improper diet caused this (unless it was the breeder feeding said diet). You would have had to be feeding toxins for those six days for you to have caused it.
Very sorry that you lost your long-awaited puppy, and even more sorry that the breeder is making the situation even worse.
Did the vet suspect a liver shunt? I know they can be more common in the so-called 'tea cup' versions of poodles, Yorkies, and Maltese. I see that this breeder advertises that she breeds "tiny toys and tea cups" which is a red flag unfortunately.

 

[Vita]

We were provided a detailed blood work report and treatment regimen for liver failure from the Annapolis Emergency center Vet team. A Necropsy in this case is unnecessary and nothing more than a warranty contractual clause that shields this horrible Breeder (Linda Sutphin), as well as inflicting further pain on our Family.

Despite the contract, you might still be protected under the Maryland Puppy Lemon Law. As I read the description of it, you might need the body of the puppy so hopefully the vet has not disposed of it yet, so call the vet first thing in the morning. The Maryland Animal Health Diagnostic Lab does necropsies; I do not know how much they charge.

You said your pup died yesterday from liver failure and you had it less than a week. If this is accurate, I reviewed her contract and don't think her contract would necessarily be bullet proof in Maryland Smalls Claims Court. These can be done when asking for up to $5K. It does not cost much to file and you can represent yourself and bring the contract, vet lab work and summary, and receipts. Even if you can't afford a necropy, a sympathetic judge may rule in your favor that you should receive a full refund plus vet costs.

Since it happened so soon after you got the puppy, there is no way that an improper diet caused this (unless it was the breeder feeding said diet). You would have had to be feeding toxins for those six days for you to have caused it... Did the vet suspect a liver shunt? I know they can be more common in the so-called 'tea cup' versions of poodles... which is a red flag unfortunately.

Starvt if I recall has or does work in a vet office. I read about a liver shunt here. Now, Joumana you said the ER vet cited a 'liver infection'. Look thru the ER lab work to see if it the blood & urine tests pointed in the directions of an infection or liver shunt problem, it the latter I'd wonder why they didn't do additional diagnostic tests. They could have screwed up too, in which case filing for Small Claims against them would not be something I'd rule out.

Good luck.

 

[Rose n Poos]

I am sorry for your grief and loss. To look forward to adding something so special as a little poodle puppy to your family, to lose your new poodle baby so soon after bringing it home and then to have the breeder not stand behind the puppy they bred, where is their heart?

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I'm so very sorry.

 

[Joumana K]

Thank you so much to each of you for your kind thoughts, as well as the legal advice from Starvt and Vita. It is difficult to imagine or explain how we could become so attached to our puppy (Ginger) in just 6 days but we did and it feels like a case of jet lag. Our 8 year old Daughter is very strong and helped bury the puppy and paint a marker for her in our back yard. We just don't have the energy to persue legal action. WARN EVERYONE ABOUT HOMESTEAD POODLES.