my friend bought a puppy and had problems from day 1 , had diareaha (cant spell it) went to vets within 36 hours of having puppy he gave anti biotics and fluid supp and a special diet , didnt work then vet gave another course of anti biotics , still didnt work , puppy is 10 week old now and been diagnosed (99% sure)with colitis . what should my friend do ?  also no paper work as come through as yet for the pup (kc papers)so she has no insurance ? any advise ?

thanks in advance

She should have insurance if she sent off the form which the breeder would have given her when she bought the pup, regardless of whether the actual paperwork has arrived yet.

Colitis is actually quite common in young puppies.  I would advise her to take a stool sample to the vet and ask the vet to send that off for analysis.  Sometimes puppies can have infections like e coli - bad bacteria in the gut - and that will need a specific drug to kill it, not just standard antibiotics.  The only way to see if the puppy has this is to send the poo off for testing.

Hi rainbows

My 5yr old border collie started with colitis about a year ago, after several visits to the vets and antibiotics I decided that it must be a dietary problem.  Like most people I fed commercial dog food believing that it was the best for my dogs.  I did quite a lot of research via the internet and books and came to the conclusion that what I was feeding my dogs was going totally against nature.  I now feed "barf" - bones and raw food.  From the day I changed my dog's diet he has not had a single bout of colitis,  it was quite frightening to see him pass copious amounts of blood.  I don't know what your friend feeds the puppy but I came to the conclusion that my dog has an allergy to cereal and the main ingredient of most commercial dog food is cereal.  The thought of feeding bones and raw meat was very daunting to say the least but for my dogs sake I persevered, that was six months ago and now I find it's quite easy.  It's not as easy as going to the shop bringing it home and just ladling out the required amount but it's not as difficult as you might think. It does require committment, and initially researching and reading as much as you can on the subject to ensure that your dog recieves the correct balanced diet but to see my dog happy and healthier than he's ever been is such a great feeling.  It was researching the method of natural feeding that led me to Champdogs and as many of the subscribers of this great site are "barf" feeders themselves I recieved excellent advice and support and someone is always on hand to answer any questions and give reassurance.  You have'nt mentioned how long your friend has had the puppy or indeed where he came from, there are many disreputable breeders out there and I can only think that the puppy was suffering from diarrhoea when he left their premises, unfortunately that does not sound like the actions of a good breeder.  However the puppy is now being closely monitored by your friends vet and I hope he makes a speedy recovery.   Good luck.

she didnt get an insurance form with the puppy , shes had this pup for 2 weeks now , very worried owner indeed .

thanks for all the info i wil pas it on.

Ask her to contact the breeder, and tell the breeder what is going on, and request one of the certificates. I don't know, though, if it would be accepted now even with the date of sale on it, because the puppy is ill. Thats something for the insurance company. The other problem is that the puppy was ill from day one, which would indicate to me it was poorly before it left the breeders premises. When was puppy taken to the vet for this? if from day one, then you have proof that the puppy was ill from then, with the likelyhood that the condition (depending on what it was) was present at sale. This may invalidate any insurance, because they don't accept pre existing conditions, some give an exclusion on illness for a certain time also, despite what you pay. If its a decent breeder they should take the puppy back and refund your money if all you have said is accurate. (Not acusing you or you friend of anything, just clarifying the matter) If they don't want to know, remind them of their responsibilities under the sales of goods act, if the pet is ill when purchased then its not fit for its purpose, and I would say if in this state its not fit to be a pet. (No, not running the poor pup down, bless it, just stating a fact) This also counts if they advertised the puppy as Kc registered and insured. The Kc reg document should have been given to you at the point of sale if they were advertised as KC registered. You could have started the insurance then from the information on the certificate, even if you didnt have a slip. But you should have had a slip signed by the breeder. If the pups were KC applied (or anyother jargen for the application has been submitted but they are not yet registered) then I don't know if the KC will insure a not yet registered dog. In that case, if it says 'KC applied, insured', the breeder should have provided insurance cover with another company, such as pet plan who offer free 6 weeks cover also. They are commiting an offence for advertising puppies as 'KC registered' if they are not at the time of advertising, they are commiting an offence if they advertise stating Insurance is provided if it is not. trading Standards should help with this.

Your friend has a poorly puppy, which could end up being both serious for the puppy, and very costly for your friend if there is no insurance. I would advise a friendly approach to the breeder, see how it goes, see what can be done re insurance, but the breeder should rectify this one way or another if the condition existed before sale, and the insurance matter.

Keep us posted!

Another thought came to mind. was the puppy ok when it arrived at its new home? Did all this start from arrival, or following vaccination/worming? Oh, and what breed is it?

the puppy came to my friend like this with colitis , the puppy has now got even more medical problems ....serious condition (read my other post) , no insurance at all and the breeder doesnt want to know , i want to help my friend the best way i can , we need to get some advise quickly to take further action against the breeder in question , i cannot say where my friend bought the puppy as yet . But any advice please ? trading standards have been contacted , unsure what they will do.

Try calling Citizens Advice Bureau for info on taking action against the breeder.

You could also report the breeder to the KC and the breed clubs for the relevant breeds.