Please help! 9 week old chocolate lab is sick! How in the world do I know what to do?? Pet store purchase?

3 days ago and she is sick. She didn't have great energy even Day 1, but we were hoping she was just calm. She really didn't dig into her food like a hungry puppy, but we were happy that she was drinking well. Last night she stoppped eating and drinking, was lethargic, runny eyes and nose, and had a dry cough, heavy breathing, and frequent gagging and bringing up mucousy stuff. My vet says, distemper, or pnemonia. Vet doubts kennel cough only because she looks so sick and has chect congestion and heavy breathing. Getting the total run-around form the pet store. PLEASE GIVE ME SOME IDEAS! The pet store says they will treat her and giver her back when she is "better". We lost our 15 year old yellow lab last month and our hearts are breaking! Our vet said just the work-up to see what is wrong is $600. Any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you!

Didn't the vet do any tests? first thing to test for is Parvo. I would take the puppy back to the pet store and either let them get her well or give you another pup or refund. If the pup dies they are obligated to make it right.I am sorry this pup is sick, but with all the info out there, why did you buy from a pet store?Take it back, if they are offering to make the pup better and it doesn't get better, its all on them!!!

I would have the work done, and give the bill to the pet store. They should have never sold a sick dog in the first place! If you keep having trouble with the pet store, tell them you've been very patient with them, but if they don't fix their mistake you'll be forced to call consumer protection. Things should be fixed almost immediately because they don't want bad reviews against them.

Find another vet. ..That is too much for just the work-up. Call around and get her help!Meanwhile, run a humidifier for her to help relive the congestion.

Consider asking your vet to do some Chest X-Rays on her, and maybe drawing up some blood work if he hasnt done so already. As far as the pet store goes, I wouldnt recommend that you give them back your pet so that they can cure it, keep in mind that the pet store is not an Animal Hospital, I would get your pet treated and have your Vet bill the pet store.

FIND ANOTHER VET& CONFRONT THE BREEDER

give her the option of food and water. place the bowls near her and get a box that the dog can climb in and out of. cut a walking door area in you have to. and fill the box with towels and pillows for comfort. put another bowl out with gatorade in it. and if the stomach problem persists after a few more days spend the $600 to see what is wrong. or find another vet for another price. and im sorry for your loss of the other dog. and if the dog dies sue the place you bought it from. good luck hope the puppy gets better. my best wishes.

The pet store said they would treat her and give her back when she was better. I would do that. If you want your money back, I think the pet store has to refund you for your purchase within a certain amount of time.

there should be a guarantee that the pup you got is healthy. in this case you should take it back and get your money back.please do not purcahse from pet stores. reputable breeders only. you can look into the classified ads under pets to look for what you want.hope he gets better

Did you contact the pet store that you bought her at?They most likely have a warranty.If you haven't yet I would contact them ASAP..they might be able to help you out!I work at a pet store and if we have a problem like this(which we rarely do..not ALL pet stores are bad..you can get a sick dog from a breeder too..it happens)We give 14 days to let you have the puppy checked by your own vet and if there's something wrong you can return the dog for another one,for a full refund,we would reimburse for any meds ,or we would treat the dog and then give it back after our vet gives it a clean bill of health.Okay..for All of you who think all pet stores are horrible places..I LOVE animals and would never work at a place that mistreated them or sold sick ones.I've worked in a pet store for over 4 years..there are some good ones out there that DO get their puppies from breeders not "puppy mills".Please don't believe people when they tell you that every single pet store is a bad place..it's just not true.Where I work all of our puppies are checked by a vet ONCE A WEEK.If there is ANY problem AT ALL they are NOT to leave our store.They are treated and once they are COMPLETELY better they are put up for sale.All of our puppies are up to date on their vaccines and have been dewormed with several different dewormers (as profalactic treatment)they also all have full 1 year warranty.We deal with ignorant people such as the people in here on a daily basis and it can get pretty damn annoying.Okay as for the guy that said we "euth" the sick puppies instead of treating them..please don't give information about something you know nothing about.We would absolutely treat them and ABSOLUTELY give the puppy back when it was better.We would NEVER euthanize..please don't be ignorant.I know I can't speak for all pet stores..there may be some out there like that..just please don't think that if one is bad they all are bad.Thank you.

A lot of pet stores sell sick puppies for some reason. This sounds like the symptoms of a dog that came to the vet clinic I worked at and It's skull wasn't growing right. I know wierd huh it came in with the same symptoms as you are describing and these people bought it from a pet store. but that is one of many reasons that could be causing it to be sick. I would send the bill to the pet store they should have a so many day guarentee on health on the puppies they sell. Just like a lot of breeders have a health guarentee i've seen them go up as far as a year on one of them, if it happens to be something in the bloodline and proven then the breeder can get stuck with the vet bill. I would make them pay the vet bill get my baby home with me and take it to the vet I choose. if there was a guarentee. wish you the best of luck.

I would be leary of a replacement pup from this store. Either try and get your money back or let them treat her. Your vet is WAY over priced .If you take the pup back to the store, make sure you get it in writing that they are taking the pup for treatment and will be giving back to you.

Oh my gosh!! This is what happens when you get a dog from a pet store! i'm not joking! they get their puppies from puppy mills! Go to www.prisonersofgreed.org or www.stoppuppymills.org. Please dont' ever, ever get another dog from the pet store! I'm not joking! They are ALWAYS sick, and the people are only in it for the MONEY! Go to animal shelters!!! They treat their puppies and make sure they are healthy before they go out, and are a hellova lot cheaper! I dont' know what to tell you. distemper and pnemonia is usually fatal w/ puppies, i'd be surprised if she makes it another week! Dont' trust the pet stores judgement, are you kidding? did they even give you papers? ? I'm sorry about your dog, but this is the sad sad reality with pet stores. pleasseee dont go to them anymore!!!!

Please find a new vet ASAP and get your new baby some help it shouldn't cost $600 for a work up!! Then any and all pet stores are responsible for the pets that they sale,don't let up on them if you have to turn them over to the better business burrow or what ever then do so, and if there is one sick pup chances are there maybe another.

OK- upfront bad news: U screwed up. U purchased a pup who was noticeably dull, & lied to Urselves abt the cause ['she's just calm'... HAH!] now U have a seriously sick pup, & the pet-shop is telling U it';s not their problem. i'd DOUBT that they'll "treat her & give her back when she's better" - more likely, they'll euth her, claim that they couldn't save her [euth fluid is cheaper than vet services], & tell U that they're sorry, but she "couldn't be saved" - & they may ADD "U waited too long". =========== SEE if Ur state has a LEMON LAW for pups & other pets: call Ur local AnControl & complain abt the pet-shop [U won't be the 1st one to have a gripe!!]. ask the AnCon officers if they know of a state or local "pet lemon law"; they ARE around, but not every state has one. ================= if Ur pup has DiSTEMPER, this can cause brain damage or nerve damage; epilepsy is one possible lifelong after-effect. so let's hope it's pneumonia... ================== ask Ur vet for a Payment Plan - call a local Humane Soc, & ask for donations to help pay Ur pet's vet bills. or contact United Animal Nations: they have a website, & they help cover emergency care for pets whose owners can't afford it. call a LAWYER, & ask them to write a letter to the pet-shop, threatening legal action if they don't help U pay the pup's vet bill. tell them they can split it now, or pay it plus court costs & interest, PLUS replace the dog, if U have to go to court. sometimes just a blunt, no-chit-chat note from lawyer can get them to see the light real quick... don't give up! this doesn't sound like Parvo, but URI can kill too. Ur pup needs good vet care, & excellent nursing. see if there's a vet tech near U, or a wildlfe rehabber, who will agree to check her hydration & keep her fluids up w/ subQ fluids. that one thing can be a life-saver... i'll be praying...

Go to www.prisonersofgreed.org or www.stoppuppymills.org. Posters- please do not use known animal rights groups as sources of facts! Most of what they say are halftruths, and the rest is outright lies! Educate yourselves!

Now you know why you shouldn't get a puppy from pet store! Check this ASPCA website for the Puppy Lemon laws in your state so you can learn your rights.http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cruelty_puppymills_lemonNext time, find a good breeder by going to www.akc.org or talking to people at dog shows. You can also find info about the breed clubs on the akc site - they probably have a rescue group where you can get an older dog for less money. The best breeders will be members of their breed club, promoting healthy dogs with great temperaments. They should ask you a bunch of questions to make sure their puppy will be getting a good home. If all a "breeder" seems to care about is whether your check will clear, you can be sure he won't care a week later when the pup is dying from distemper or parvo and you want your money back.Whatever you do, DON'T go to a pet shop, a flea market or buy one sight-unseen off the Internet!!!! You'll pay top dollar for what is usually a poor quality puppy mill dog. And you'll be supporting one of the cruelest industries in the country. The breeding animals are often kept in deplorable conditions - spending their entire lives in small wire-bottomed cages. They probably haven't been vaccinated against contagious diseases or tested for any health or temperament problems or genetic diseases - that costs money and cuts into their profits. A female is often bred every time she comes into heat. When her poor little body can't take it any more, she is often clubbed in the head and tossed into a dumpster or an open ditch. Most puppy mills ship their pups to pet stores at wholesale prices and many pups die before they even get there. These so-called "breeders" have now figured out that they can use the internet to ship a dog directly to the customer and thus make more money by cutting out the middleman. If you buy a dog from out of state, good luck getting your money back if there's something wrong with the pup. These people count on you becoming instantly attached to the poor little guy and being willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars at the vet to treat whatever is wrong with him.

First, You need to go back to the store and have them pay the vet bill. Your dog is obviously sick and if you cannot afford the vet bills then you need to go after the company. Stores often get away with selling sick animals and people just don't do anything about it. You need to let them know that they are dealing with ill animals and that they need to fix the problem. PLEASE, please, please, in the future DO NOT buy a puppy from a pet store. You might be saving the life of that one dog but just think about the cruelty to the puppies that follow.And I really must reply to Courtney's post. I would LOVE to see the store you work in because you must have huge fields and runs for the puppies to play and exerice in. You must also be feeding the puppies high quality food like Innova or Wellness and not Eukanuba, Iams, Purina, Science Diet, etc. Oh right and your puppies come from breeders. (sarcasm).Selling animals in pet stores IS CRUEL. They are caged for most of their time there, they DO NOT get fed good food, and NO REPUTABLE BRREDER WOULD SELL TO A PET STORE. I'm sorry but even if your store has a "breeder only" policy and will only buy from breeders, who's to say that breeder isn't running a puppymill? I know so many breeders who raise their dogs in devastating conditions. It takes so long to shut these places down and that is why they get away with what they are doing. If you are so convinced that your store is selling healthy, safe, well brought up dogs, visit the breeders.PLEASE everyone, go to a shelter or seek out a reputable breeder when purchasing a pet.