[Mmdacus]

Hi all! I’ve been referencing this forum a lot lately, as we just brought home a puppy. I really need some insight & help.

Long story short, my husband and I have 3 kids ages 8, 5 & 1. We have been wanting to add a pet to our family for years and did a couple years worth of research on which breed we wanted, waited for the right time for our family. When the quarantine happened, we decided it was a good time to get our 8 week old French bulldog since we are all home to bond and share responsibilities. We paid a sh*t ton of money and in the 11th hour, the breeder let us know there were some hind leg issues with our puppy. Claimed it was from laying on its stomach and nursing so much. Legs were splayed, Took her to their vet for me, vet said the puppy checked out and it would correct itsself with exercise that it wasn’t getting at the breeder’s. I still had reservations. Obviously we were heart-broken. Asked for videos, sent those videos to a couple of different vets. Vets said for us walk away and that it looked like she at one point had “swimmer puppy syndrome.” We walked away. A few days later, the breeder messages us and said she had been working with her all weekend and she improved a ton. Her legs were under her versus out to the side and she was out running around in the videos. Sent the videos to the vet, they said puppy looked fine, no guarantees. I felt like it was a sign that she was meant to be for us. We took a chance, brought the puppy home and chaos ensued.

My worst fear came to life at the health check on the first day. They actually x-rayed her with a specific type of radiograph that could be used safely on young puppies. Vet said, this is abnormal and there will be lots of problems down the road; but there’s a 50/50 chance she could outgrow if you put in lots of work rehabbing her legs to make them strong. Well, I can’t exactly devote a ton of my time to that and there’s no guarantee. The problem is her hips. Hip replacement is our worst case scenario... could be 2 months, 2 years or 15 years from now. No way to tell. We love her. I’m heart-broken, I’ve been physically ill over all of this. We should have walked away and I have so much remorse over it that I’m physically ill and vomiting. Vet recommended we return the to breeder, breeder says she’ll offer full refund. What the hell do I do? My kids will be devastated. I’m devastated. I can’t believe I made such an awful decision and put my family in this position. The only thing holding me back from sending her back to the breeder is my kids. They adore her, they have no clue anything is wrong with her but cried bc she had to go to the vet. I feel like the world’s biggest idiot.

I all of the sudden really do not want this puppy and honestly I don’t feel a lot of love for it now. It’s not because it’s not “perfect” but I feel like she’s a ticking time bomb who will financially drain us and she’s a constant reminder that I made a terrible decision. But when we initially passed on her I was crushed. Is this just the puppy blues? I have never felt like this in my life.

Does anyone have anything they can offer for what they would do in this situation? I’d really love to hear from someone.

 

[pandora]

At the end of the day it's your choice but just put it this way... yes it will be a financial drain on you but you will learn to love this puppy. Your kids think they love this puppy at this moment although they would soon learn to love another puppy so if you keep the puppy you release that breeder of her duties.. If return the puppy and you rub her nose in the fact that she sent an unhealthy puppy out into the world and maybe she'll think twice about doing it again.

 

[LeoRose]

If you feel that you won't be able to deal with potentially serious health issues at such a young age, then yes, returning the puppy is probably the best option.

Did you find the breeder through the French Bulldog Club of America!? Welcome to the French Bull Dog Club of America! If not, then their breeder referral would be a good place to start looking for a different breeder, who health tests and follows the club's code of ethics.

 

[Knute]

I would return this pup and ask for my money to be refunded.

Then, I would hunt for another breeder and/or a different breed.

 

[parus]

I'd return the dog to the breeder. It's one thing when a dog you already have develops health issues - caring for that is your responsibility. This dog's health issues are the breeder's responsibility. I would tell the kids that the puppy needs more health care than you can provide so she is going back to her old home to get the care she needs.

Frenchies sure are cute, but I can't imagine paying Frenchie prices for the privilege of dealing with all their potential health problems. If you can say what drew you to French Bulldogs maybe people can make some alternative recommendations. Havanese, for example, are known for being amiable little guys, and the breed has a much healthier gene pool and build than Frenchies.

 

[jmsmith]

Your decision.
j

 

[Canyx]

This is a hard position to be in! I think there is no shame in returning a puppy that was not to your expectations, and also no shame in keeping it. However, think about what would be more heartbreaking - returning a puppy now or potentially watching a dog grow up unable to do normal dog things, needing multiple vet visits, needing to go through and recover from invasive surgery... Assuming there are no other medical conditions this pup might develop, you may be looking at 10+ years of having a dog that needs special care, vet visits, supplements, and a whoooole lot of money.

 

[Canyx]

Frenchies sure are cute, but I can't imagine paying Frenchie prices for the privilege of dealing with all their potential health problems. If you can say what drew you to French Bulldogs maybe people can make some alternative recommendations. Havanese, for example, are known for being amiable little guys, and the breed has a much healthier gene pool and build than Frenchies.

I agree parus! I've heard the joke among my vet/tech friends that Frenchies are job security for the vet community. They have sooo many medical problems. It's really sad because they are such spirited little dogs and their bodies just can't keep up. I have seen a fair few with dog aggression issues as well.

 

[Crantastic]

If I were you, I'd return that pup and look into getting a healthy Frenchie from a reputable breeder or a pup of another breed. My answer would be different if this were a beloved five-year-old dog or something like that, but this is a brand new pup that you know is a ticking time bomb health and money-wise. Get that full refund (and the breeder never should have charged you full price in the first place, tbh.)

Yeah, your kids will be disappointed, but they'll get over it and will bond with whatever pup you get next. Kids are resilient that way.