Wexford's Diary

My Tail of Devotion for Wexford September 21st 2006 6:13 pm [ Leave A Comment ] We were set on a West Highland White Terrier. We started our search for breeders in the area. We were completely against buying from a pet store and did not want to support any puppy mills by doing so. It was very important to us to find a breeder and do things the right way. We searched online and came across a breeder in Long Island, Marie Larkin of Celtic Irish Puppies. Her family raises Westies in Ireland. Ireland supposedly has very strict kennel club controls over the breeding of dogs, one reason why the country is rabies free. I emailed her with some questions and set up a time to visit with the pups - she had one female and one male at the time. We purchased the puppy on the second visit. We decided to get the male puppy and because of his Irish heritage named him Wexford. That very night he had this dry, hacking cough. I immediately called the breeder with questions and she said to give him some Children's Robitussin. She also as part of the health guarantee arranged to have discounted veterinary care provided by her vet, Dr. Weinstein of Howard Beach, NY. The Vet claimed that Wexford was in perfect health and it was just a cold, "as kindergarten children often get" and prescribed an antibiotic. After about 7 days on the antibiotic, Wexford was not improving, his condition was actually worsening. We went back to the vet and he prescribed yet another round of antibiotics. By this time, things seemed really shady. We decided to get a second opinion. It turns out Wexford had Kennel Cough and an Upper Respiratory Infection. He was put on antibiotics and a decongestant. He was also receiving nebulization treatments with Albuterol up to 4 times in one week. At 10 weeks old, he spent long days at the vet's office. After diligent care and several more rounds of antibiotics, including one of the strongest, Baytril, Wexford finally showed signs of improvement. Under the New York State Pet Lemon Law, you have 14 business days from the date of purchase to have the animal deemed unfit for sale and either return the animal or get reimbursed for veterinary expenses. Wexford was deemed unfit for sale. As a result, Marie Larkin was sued and ordered by the Small Claims Court of Hempstead, NY to provide reimbursement for veterinary expenses. I would NOT recommend purchasing a puppy from Marie Larkin of Celtic Irish Puppies (also known as Puppies By Marie.) Here is a helpful link:Consumer Protection Laws This is a special Tail of Devotion See All Tails of Devotion Enter your comment information Name* Mail* (will not be published) Website Fields marked with * are required Or log in if you have an account. Anti-spam Challenge: 6 + 2 =

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