HI, i  bought a 3 yr  old girl westie on wednesday from a private housel turns out she has been a brooding bitch, she has probably had at least 4 litters as he under carriage skin hangs about  3 inches,she hasnt been spayed and she weighs 7.7kg . she is constantly chewing her paws and rubbing her belly whilst laid down and sliding along the carpet,she is red and very sore. i took her to one vet whom was useless. today i took her to a different one,she has an ear infection,skin infection and is underweight as her ribs are protuding. as we are now unable to get any pet insurance, my vets says i need to expect a long process and large vet bills. today she has been given frontline spot on, also a anti biotic injection and a steriod called dexadresson. we have now got  her home and her itching has stopped a little and she seems more happy in herself. im wondering if anhyone else has had any experience like this. the poor mite is very subdued and cant even muster enough energy to climb on a sofa or go upstairs, she refuses to go for a walk, i get to the end of the street and she is wacked. im stopping her walkies for a while as she needs to build her strength and i am feeding her on burns chicken and rice, and butchers tripe mix twice a day. i have read about using msm and also primrose oil in her diet, which i bought 2 days ago from holland and barret, i was told by vet though not to use these or any tea tree spray/oil or aloe vera

poor girl, no advice but so glad your taking care of her now and hopefully in time she will get her strength back and enjoy going for a walk
and all the lovely things a family can give her.

Awh poor girl. Her previous owners want shooting !

I personally would feed her 4/5 meals this way she will gradually absorb all the ingredients in the food & get used to being well fed.

I would also her to a good groomer & get her stripped out to allow her skin to recover & her coat to regrow for winter.

I've used Quistel shampoo & spray to correct a skin condition, it can be bought in some petshops

Sorry but I must ask...why did you buy such a sick dog?
Better to have reported the seller to trading standards or RSPCA.

I seem to recall the last time you posted about looking for a dog you were given information to check the rehoming centres.  Places such as these will only rehome healthy dogs.

Buying privately subjects the unwary or gullible to considerable risk.  I don't know how much you were able to tell about this dog before agreeing to buy her but I can only assume that much of her condition was visible unless it was dark.  Even a cursory inspection would have revealed the hanging undercarriage and protruding ribs.  Skin and ear infections are all pretty easy to spot too, particularly as you say she is constantly chewing and rubbing.

I can only recommend that you now follow your vets advice with regard to her medical care.  I don't think that general advice given over the internet is advisable in this case as it appears you have a dog in very poor condition.  Although you will find people here with experience of one or other of the conditions you describe I'd suggest her care should to be managed by one person, and whilst assessing her whole needs.  Treating one symptom in isolation may do more harm than good.  However, once she has recovered from her initial problems you might find it useful to come back for tips on managing some of her long term health issues.

With regards to insurance you will not be able to claim for any of her pre existing conditions but you can still get insurance cover for anything else. 

Idon't think you deserve a hard time for taking her on,you are giving her a second chance in life.From the sound of where she came from i would imagine she would have been fed a poor diet which could have triggered her skin problems as would stress.Isee she is now on burns which although is a great food is not the best for weight gain,it does tend to keep dogs lean.Ireally don't want to critizise your vet but i have had alot of success using aloe vera on dogs with inflamed skin due to allergies.I'm not sure where you live but there is a fantastic holistic vet in Bath who could advise you on diet and alternative treatment which may be a bit more gentle on her already weakened little body.Good luck.

Poor girl.
I dont mean to worry you but its not unusual for sellers to knock a few years off a dogs age. she sounds very unfit if she is only 3.

Hopefully if you get her on a good diet & give her a happy home she will improve . Stress affects dogs condition ,even just being in a better environment  will make a great difference.
Some dogs can react badly to t tree oil , I wont use it at all

I took her on because i had a westie from westie rehoming .org and it was supposed to be suitable around kids,it but my partner within 5 minutes of picking her up and also bit me so bad on my foot when i accidently trod on his paw that i had an a+e visit. then it bit my 5 yr old son as he walked past, and before anyone thinks my son pulled him about he didnt. he was a jekyll and hide dog one minute good next snarling. so he got re homed with the westie re homing place with an elderley couple. we had him 4 months and even had a behaviourist at a lot of cost whom suggested putting holding him down by his neck and holding him there till he stopped growling, submission i believe he called it. he was dogtraininguk.net . his advise and methods and his time spent on our dpog made him worse.

so we looked for another dog got told by this woman whom advertising a westie that she had moved in with her mum and waslooking for rented accomdoation and couldnt take her westie with  her. the address on the advert was her old house were she left following a relationship breakdown, so we had to go to her mums to see the westie, so off we went to look at her. she smelt (the westie) of perfume, (i have been told since this is to hide the smell of a yeast skin infection) and i was told she had been a brooding bitch and the current owner had bought her a year previously, hence the drooping under carriage. when we got her home i noticed the following day she was itching like mad, so i rung her previous keeper, the woman whom i got her off said then she had lost her vet papers which she had promised to forward on, i asked for the vet name ,she said her mate gave her injections. i did a little digging and found she is selling westie/pug pups on epupz, the same site where i found our westie. the address on her adverts were she used to live doesnt exist, postcode and the town is 30 miles away, theyre called ross on the adverts but their name is ross ashton. i rung the woman and she then admitted our westie had a litter with her, it transpires these people are puppy farm breeders churning out pups from their house as a job.

the seller seemed genuine ,ok i have been taken in line and stinker but this dog loves my little boy and is so friendly partly because she is subdued but some poorly dogs would get  snappy, she just takes everything on the chin including vets sticking their fingers up her ****. she is adoreable and i am not sending her back to that hellhole. we all make mistakes and as for the comment i should of noticed an ear infection, i wouldnt know what i was looking for, one doesnt normally do a full medical when buying a dog, as the dog greeted my boy and was loving towards all of us,we fell for her. probably thinking with our hearts and not mind but this dog deserves a loving home and new start and im gonna do my god damn best to try and give her one. i have had 3 trips to vets this week , at £150, this is just the beginning but what else can i do. she is now on malaseb shampoo and a months course of steroids ,antibiotics for ear, and has been flea'd. the vet realised i have no insurance and my story and has actually given the steriods for the first month free. i cant praise yorkshire vets in bradford enough, as they havent ripped me off and genuinely care,

does anyone suggest i report the previous  owner to rspca

What a lucky girl she is being taken on by you.I genuinely wish you all the best with her and i'm sure now she's in your and your vets care she can recover from her ordeal.If only there were more people around like you and your family.Please keep us posted as she improves.

poor girl.
Did you say you got her from epupz? send them an email about it as if people complain about a breeder they are ment to take them off the site. whether or not they actualy do i dont know.

my nabours westy had a problem where she kept bitting and scratching at the bace of her tail, all the fur came out and she got infected sores. after seeing a few diffrent vets one gave her some sort of cream with tee tree in it, apperantly its ment to stop them bitting and licking due to the taste. so she used that and stopped her scratching whenever she started and when i took her out on walks i spent more time playing with her to keep her mind off of it and it eventualy healed up. but she is still an itchy dog, shes often scratching.

Good Luck with her.

Poor little girl. I hope now that she is in a loving and caring home that  her health improves dramatically.

I take my hat off to you for caring. Many would have decided to take her back to the hell hole that she came from.

What is your little girl's name?

Poor you. I think the last thing you deserve is critacism for getting a dog the way you did. I did a very similar thing 4yrs ago and bought a dog that ended up ill with one thing after another. She was the sweetest most loving dog I have ever had. I had to have her PTS a few months ago and it broke my heart but as grief subsides i now am so glad I found her coz her last few years with me gave her more love than i think she'd ever had. She was a westie cross and westies are known for skin and allergy problems. You could try her on piriton. It can be given with steroids and although its not as effective in dogs as it is in cats, it does allow for a lower dose of Prednisolone. I found it did help my girl. She had a lot of allergy problems and was on Pred for too long, which eventually affected her liver.
Enjoy your dog and do your best for her which i know you will.
Good luck & best wishes

> I think the last thing you deserve is critacism for getting a dog the way you did

I completely disagree.  Time and time again members on forums just like this are asked to give advice about the best places to find dogs (puppies and adults alike).  The OP was also given this advice - sadly cut short over a disagreement about using capital letters - but the advice was given all the same.

** Posted to inform the casual reader **  Buying from puppy farmers is wrong on so many levels.  Puppy farmers should not be rewarded for their actions.  There is little difference from a health perspective in buying an ex breeding bitch or one of her puppies.  Both are unlikely to have been socialised or received even the most basic of veterinary care.

Unless you are an experienced person, or can take one with you, you would be well advised to exercise extreme caution when buying a dog from an online puppy site or from an ad in the back of the paper.  Of course there will be quite legitimate offers but if you can't tell the difference then you shouldn't go and look.

I have every sympathy for the dog concerned and would commend anyone that goes into a situation such as this well advised, and with eyes wide open, to knowingly rescue a dog.  However the OP has been duped by a scheming puppy farmer and through a mixture of naivety and sympathy has ended up with a sick dog and huge vet bills.  All credit to her vet for helping her but sadly all it does is perpetuate puppy farming and profit the original owner.

There are thoroughly deserving cases by the page full at every rescue centre and it is a much better way to 'rescue' a dog.  The money is at least going to a more deserving cause than the con artist this poor dog was bought from.

Have a heart please.Hind sight is wonderful.I do hear what you are saying but the op is going through hell and maybe we should concentrate on doing all we can to help all concerned.Not that i think they would but the last thing we want is for that bitch to be taken back to the hell hole she came from.No offence intended to anyone x

I think the point is that this poor oerson did not know at the time that she was buying from a puppy farmer did she.! I agree totally about not buying from one who just breeds with no thought for the poor bitch. I for one would never do so. Having done so I think this owner now needs support from this forum and i wish her the best.

I think that this poor poster doesn't realise what she's bought.  A Westie with skin trouble and no insurance is a liabilty and not an asset!  I hope that she's got deep pockets. :(

> I think that this poor poster doesn't realise what she's bought.  A Westie with skin trouble and no insurance is a liabilty and not an asset!  I hope that she's got deep pockets.

But she has rewarded a puppy farmer and worse....made a space for another poor bitch to step into this ones shoes.
That is what these unscrupulous people depend on...soft hearted folk to buy their crop to make room for the next one.
Yes it's sad for this little bitch and kind of the purchaser to fund her treatment but she has inadvertantly fueled the output of a puppy farmer.

In the USA some puppy farmers rely on rescue to buy some of their produce to make a profit.

Hard truth but it's a fact.
We could all take on a puppy farmer chuck out but they will be laughing all the way to the bank. It's not sentimentality that will stop puppy farming....stopping their income is the only way.

If only one person reads this before taking on such a dog then one less litter bred for profit by a puppy farmer.

I think everybody agrees with you,i just hope the op the op keeps us updated as i would hate to think they'd been driven away.I,for one,would like to hear of her progress.

The person whom is criticiseing is entitled to their opinion and wont drive me away looking at her previous posts she comes across as very self opinionated and an apparent expert in anything whom also crys because i once did a post in capital letters. I mean capital letters gosh that is soooo bad and rude perhaps they also complained to the police. And as for lining the breeders pockets ok i paid 200 quid but i also paid 350 to such a rescue centre which according to one individual as perfect for getting a dog.. The rescue dog went back to them with me being out of pocket. I know that of 3rescue centres that do not even assess dogs just re home sometimes the same next day with someone else.

How is she today?Does she seem more comfortable?

she is still scratching and chewing her inner rear thighs near her bum. she is on medrone v tablets 4mg, one a day , a months supply slowing reducing the dose until she comes off them. i am also to bath ehr in some shampoo malaseb or something, she is not eating that much, she seems scared of her dog bowl but will gladly eat fresh chicken or dog meat out of my hand. i have tried putting fresh meat in her dish but it goes untouched, when she does eat from her bowl she takes one bite, circles it then another bite and backs off from it then circles it again. im wondering if she had to share with other dogs at some point and was left for the dreg ends at feeding time. my vet said not to use exmarid tea tree oil for dogs which someone recommended , but she is ok for primrose oil in a little meat, half a teaspoon a day. also he said msm methysulphonylmehane is ok. this i got from holland and barrett. i give her two pieces of cooked chicken off the bone, put her drugs in it, fold the chicken up into a small wrap, and she woofs it down without realising from my hand. she is also on canural ear drops for her ear infection. i have managed her to get used to a lead by starting on day one to take her 5o yards to the end of the road and back praising her all the way, because at first she bit the lead sat down and told me in her stubborn westie fashion she wasnt going anywhere, i managed last night a full trip around the block, she gets scared with passing cars and hides behind my legs so i have to re assure her all is fine, she only refused lastnight to cross a main busy road at a level crossing, so i ignored the green man and waited for a gap  in the traffic and she was fine, the cars waiting at the lights were spooking her. i want to take her for a long walk buta the moment her she is not well enough. the vet says her pulse is only 55 a minute when it should be 90 ish, i have to check her pulse myself in 3 days and ring him up, he showed me how to check it by pressing in her groin under her rear leg. he says some westies have a condition with their heart were their pulse is so slow they collapse when their pulse increases due to exercise , so we need to keep any eye on this. i can load piccys of her on here if there is any way

To all the people that disapprove of what kiansdad has done, what do you think should actually happen to the poor little dog?  Are you saying it should have been left to suffer in it's original home?  Should dogs in this situation never be rescued then?

Thanks for keeping us updated.Sounds like she has really been through it.We have 10 dogs ourselves and i recently lost my 17 year old lakeland terrier who had a low grade itch most of his life.I found that aloe vera was helpful to soothe the inflamation,but i guess at the moment she's pretty uncomfortable so needs something a bit stronger as in medication.She sounds like she had no socializing at all and it will be a long job,i really hope you succeed.  Piccies would be fantastic but sombody else will have to help you,i have no idea i'm afraid.

Should dogs in this situation never be rescued then?

Yes but they should be rescued by the RSPCA who would then have prosecuted the owner for keeping the dog without veterinary treatment.  That's the one thing that they do well.

Anyone with knowledge would have immediately recognised the signs of a typical puppy farmer pet type Westie and associated health problems.  Nobody should buy a dog or puppy without doing the very basic things of looking in the eyes, ears, under the tail and the skin.  Even an untrained eye can see inflammation, discharge, smell and not clean. 

All the time that well meaning people give these people money they will continue to use and abuse dogs and the cycle will continue.

Not all puppy farms are typical westcoast. It was a private house and the dog had been bathed and smelled as such. Do i ask the house owner to look in her gardens and upstairs. Some of you have a mis conception that all puppy farms are middle of no where with visible kennels. This was a house middle of village with two or three bitches churning out pups. Ok not quite big scale but making a westie have 6 litters is bad. My vet thinks she is nearer 5 yrs old so could that be ten litters. As she kissed our 5yr old to death we thought with our hearts and our 5yr old son rather than being clear.

I thank everyone whom has given support . I have been a idiot in falling for the shite from the woman i got her off.i have also been had by a rescue centre on on my last dog to the tune of 300 quid. Seems i been unlucky in my last 2dogs and not been thorough enough. I could wash my hands of her give her to dogs trust but i believe a dog is a life time committment regardless whether good or bad times. I will learn from my mistakes. Anyone whom wants pics kiansdad@hotmail.co.uk. Sorry if its against any rules to display addresses

Not all puppy farms are typical westcoast. It was a private house
That's a very common scenario.  They're called backyard breeders.  People who just produce puppies for money as opposed to those who have a genuine interest in the breed and only breed for the betterment of the breed.  Sometimes they have a few bitches themselves and sometimes they have pups collected from bigger set ups.  Never a good place to buy a puppy or adult dog from.

'herunder carriage skin hangs about  3 inches - she is constantly chewing her paws and rubbing her belly whilst laid down and sliding along the carpet,she is red and very sore. - she has an ear infection,skin infection and is underweight as her ribs are protuding.'
None of this would be disguised by a bath!

As she kissed our 5yr old to death
I wouldn't let any dog that I didn't know near a 5 year old child. :(

Seems i been unlucky in my last 2dogs and not been thorough enough.
Buyer beware I'm afraid.  It's up to the buyer to do their research, especially when children are involved. :(

West coast you mentioned smell. I said she had a bath. I did not relate this to under carriage nor her .health. Pls read my posts before nit picking and criticising. I take your comments regarding my 5yr old son bein left with a strange dog as rather insulting. He sat on floor at the dogs level called her over. I was there to force either of them apart. Seeing as she wagiged heir tale licked him like mad let him and me hugher i think she is not a pit bull

I take your comments regarding my 5yr old son bein left with a strange dog as rather insulting.
I didn't say "left".  I said "near".  Maybe it's not me that needs to ' Pls read my posts before nit picking and criticising.' before replying?
And I'm sure that the parents of children who have been attacked by dogs they thought they could trust would have felt similar if someone had suggested that it wasn't a good idea before it happened. :(

> Seems i been unlucky in my last 2dogs and not been thorough enough.

This statement is really useful information for other people researching the best way to find a dog.  I'm not sure how much 'luck' comes into it but you are right when you say you weren't thorough enough this time.  There are some great websites about how to spot puppy farmers and what questions to ask when buying a dog

> I could wash my hands of her give her to dogs trust but i believe a dog is a life time committment regardless whether good or bad times. I will learn from my mistakes.

Sadly you had to rehome your previous westie but you've now learnt what to look out for in the future.

> I have been a idiot in falling for the shite from the woman i got her off

If this thread makes even one person think about the possible pitfalls of buying 'blind' then it could prove to be of huge benefit.  I know it must be very difficult to walk away from an ill or distressed dog but that's what the RSPCA is for.  For anyone else reading this, it's good advice to arrange more than one visit when buying an older dog from a private advert (or rehoming centre).  Take a knowledgable friend with you, examine the dog as best you can, ask for a vet check if necessary.  Don't take children or other family members to meet the dog until you are sure this is the dog for you.  It's much harder to say no to your child than it is to a complete stranger.  Manipulative sellers will know this too and make every effort to encourage the dog to bond with your children.

Kiansdad, I hope all goes well with her from now on

If this thread makes even one person think about the possible pitfalls of buying 'blind' then it could prove to be of huge benefit.

I agree.  There is a huge amount of information on this thread that will hopefully ring alarm bells with anyone else thinking about buying a puppy or dog from either a kennel or puppy producer.  Nobody would consider buying a second hand car from an unknown person without asking lots of questions or looking all over it, so why a dog?  :(

I have just took her to the vets agin today she has a heart murmur and has been placed on enalapril , probably for the rest of her life. as she is 70% sleep/bed bound does anyone have any knowledge whether these type of tablets will make her more happy,  i worry she is a dog that is un happy, poorley miserable and in pain, my partner says give her   a month on her medication and if no improvement then to consider pts. my partner says keeping her if she is miserble and off her food , and she cant go walkies is cruel. what is everyones opinion, im hoping she pulls through and perks up a bit as she is such a sorry state

so now she is on heart murmur tablets, skin infection antibiotics tabs, ear infection drops, steroid tablets for her skin and last of all malaseb shampoo. my credit cards taking a hammering,!!. the main worry is the murmur and whether she will eventually have a quality of life

Kiansdad, i have recently lost a lakeland terrier that had a heart murmur aged 17 years.He was on vetmedin and a suitcase full of supplements recommended by my holistic vet,although obviously he didn't have all the other health issues to contend with as well.

our dogs only 3 ,but vet says more like 5, she is so miserable im wondering of these drugs will give her some freedom to enjoy life, i no its early days but seeing her like this i am even  thinking or worrying too munch that 3 months down the line it would be kinder for her to be pts if she is the same as now. im hoping and praying she finds a new lease of life or indeed partial improvement,and becomes more happy in her self. i guess these things take time , im happy to pay the vet bills as a dogs for life but on the other side i hate to think that she is suffering.

rspca and trading standards have been told also - im told rspca will probably go and see all dogs fed /watered /kept in warmth and leave things as they only have limited resources

As soon as a saw the posters username I recognised it.

The poster was advised a few times by very good breeders within this breed on a couple of things not once or twice but several times over the last few months. Mainly to go to a good breeder and buy a puppy properly that would be suitable to be brought up with young children. I know because the posters name was mentioned to me a couple times by different people. In an e-mail the OP mentioned I am sure they had booked a bitch that had puppies but were waiting on them being weaned.    It is sad but this is a perfect example of what happens when people cut corners and ignore advise from knowledgeable people who have given their time to advise.

I find it hard that someone missed all of these conditions on this bitch on visiting.     Whilst it is hard you better believe this will be a valuable lesson.    I am still suprised anyone could have missed so many conditions, "bedbound"   after a disaster with the first rescue dog the second should have been fully checked for all things.