I'm after some advice for a friend. They've bought a bull mastiff pup from a farm on Friday and now the pup is suffering from really bad diarrhoea. They also have a 5 yr old boxer dog that has now caught diarrhoea and of course they are worried that the pup has parvo. They've been to the vet 3 times over the wk/end and are due to go again this afternoon with the pup. When they bought the pup, they received kennel club documents etc and on the sale notice, it stated that dogs could only be returned within 48 hours.
It seems a shame that they have spent £350.00 on a puppy that looks to be seriously ill.
Does anyone know what their rights are on a matter of this sort?
They've tried to find info from CAB and trading standards online as they are reluctant to confront the dogs original owners without some idea of what their rights are.

Originally posted by Cutglass
I'm after some advice for a friend. They've bought a bull mastiff pup from a farm on Friday and now the pup is suffering from really bad diarrhoea. They also have a 5 yr old boxer dog that has now caught diarrhoea and of course they are worried that the pup has parvo. They've been to the vet 3 times over the wk/end and are due to go again this afternoon with the pup. When they bought the pup, they received kennel club documents etc and on the sale notice, it stated that dogs could only be returned within 48 hours.
It seems a shame that they have spent £350.00 on a puppy that looks to be seriously ill.
Does anyone know what their rights are on a matter of this sort?
They've tried to find info from CAB and trading standards online as they are reluctant to confront the dogs original owners without some idea of what their rights are.

If i were you I, I would tell them to contact the Kennel Club www.kennelclub.org.uk or contact the secretary of the Bullmastiff Club of England because the breed clubs, in particular, have very strict codes and ethics that they expect reputable breeders to abide by.


Tel No: 01698 887378; NORTHERN BULLMASTIFF CLUB. Sec. Mrs D Massey. Tel No: 01924 257106; SOUTHERN BULLMASTIFF CLUB. Sec.

Are they reputable breeders?are they part of the accredited breeders scheme? Breeders are expected to be an call 24/7 and take a life long interest in the dog, so they should be there to help, no matter what the problem is.

I am not an expert, but I think Kennel Club registered dogs can be returned to the breeder [sorry to make the dog sound like a faulty electrical device], and the purchaser refunded if they have a serious ailment like Parvo virus. The breeder, I think, is supposed to have the dog vaccinated before sale. I may be wrong, but that has always been my impression. Certainly, a Kennel Club registered breeder, as RockKat 79 suggests, would be expected to be on hand to impart advice throughout the dog's lifetime.

Thanks guys, I'll pass all this information on and will let you know if anything happens. :thumbsup:

I'm shocked. Poor pup.

Your first port of call should always be your breeder in those circumstances. They should be able to advise of any diet change problems, or problems with litter mates. If the breeder has taken them for injections but there seems to be no protection, it should be taken up by the breeder with their vet.

Brude came with a short period of insurance (a couple of months or so) that was arranged through the kennel club by the breeder, his first set of injections were done (we needed to do second ones), a diet sheet, and a bag of food. The diet sheet included instructions for if he was refusing food.

We were on the phone everysecond day, as he was a stressed, lonely pack dog. Poor mite. (Tihs was cured by his first visit to a show where he met his kennel mates and breeder again!)

Last year he broke his back and was paralysed. We have always kept in touch with his breeder, and she has been quite supportive of him/us, although we have now had him nearly 4 years.

She regularly has 'her' dogs back from homes where divorce or illness means they can no longer care for the dog.

if the dogs are kennel club registered there is usually 6 months free insurance provided by KC.i purposely registered ny dogs pups purely for the added benefit to the people who we gave them too.

thanks for the further comments and advice, I'll pass these on too. the poor pup looks very poorly, such a sad face as if to say "why can't you help me". just awaiting test results from the vets.

Originally posted by Cutglass
thanks for the further comments and advice, I'll pass these on too. the poor pup looks very poorly, such a sad face as if to say "why can't you help me". just awaiting test results from the vets.

Poor thing, it is really disturbing because they can't tell you.

When used I lived with my parents they bought another dog because my sister and I were devastated about the death of the previous dog. When we got 'Charlie' home, after a couple of days, we kept finding trails of blood everywhere. So we went to the vet straight away. The vet was concerned because she thought that is was parvo, it was really disturbing, but luckily it turned out to be a nasty gastric bug and he was alright in the end! Although he is 8 now and has suffered from epilepsy for the past 3 years!

I hope the pup will be okay!!