Re: Bichon Frise P13259404 born 09/07/2013
Sold to Pereira family 11/22/13 at 7:00 pm

Cindy Pereira
cindycap@yahoo.com
201-214-1309


To whom it may concern:

We purchased a Bichon at your store on Friday November 22, 2013.  By Monday we
followed up with the vet at Elizabeth Veterinary Clinic as requested with Dr.
Eileen Tucker.  The dog had been coughing a bit when we brought him home.

Dr. Tucker said it was possible, based on records of his birth date and how long
he was at store before coming home that the dog had been at the tail end of
kennel cough since that lasts a few days so if he wasn’t coughing too much he
should be fine.  On the following day I came back to her with a stool sample.
Vet examined it and said puppy had coccidia.  At this point I owned the puppy
for three days. In reviewing puppy records I saw he had been given several
deworming meds but none for that parasite. While I was at the vet a man came in
with a Wheaten Terrier we had considered buying at Shake-a-Paw. The dog was ill
and coughing. I told him that while I was at the store that particular dog
vomited on me, as your rep can attest to.  He was one of the dogs I considered
buying but he looked ill and I opted for the baby bichon instead. 

I maintained a strict regimen of the food I was given in the proper amounts,
water, the vitamin Shake a Paw recommended and now the dog was on Albon for
Coccidia.  I called Dr. Tucker and left a message that the dog appeared ill. 
They said I could bring him back in again if needed but that his symptoms still
sounded like possible cough.  Last night was Wednesday and he became very ill,
lethargic, unable to eat.  He still urinated and defecated through the night but
by morning he would not eat or drink.  The vet was closed and there was no
emergency number. I called Dr. Boochoff, my friend’s vet, and he advised me to
get the dog to an ER.  By Thursday morning I was at Animal Emergency and I saw
Dr. Jablecki.  She ex-rayed my dog and found him to have pneumonia, he is very
ill, in an incubator on strong antibiotics, IV fluids, and oxygen we can only
hope he will make it.  His breathing is labored and we do not know when he will,
or if he will, come home. The hospital doctor  (Jablecki) told me that another
dog purchased at shake-a-paw had been there with the same pneumonia, that he had
not responded to medication and had to be admitted also.  I asked if it was the
Wheaten Terrier but it was not, it was a third dog, same week – I believe the
doctor said it was a lab retriever but I did not get the name of the owner.

At this point I came home and googled your company
(http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/shakeapaw.html) and found to my extreme
dismay that dogs coming from you often are terribly ill.  Just one website has
66 complaints. 

I was made to pay 80% of the estimated bill up front ($1,300.00 I paid today so
far), I do not know whether the dog will live or die. I need to know to whom I
am forwarding all the bills.  

You sold me a sick dog that we learned to love in a day and had no option but to
admit into a hospital.  All expenses will be forwarded to you as I called the
store several times but there isn’t even an available voice mail box, plus the
dog hasn’t even been with us for a week and was sick within 48 hours. Your
Consumer rights contract warranty 332108 stipulates 14 days for reimbursement of
applicable fees.

This is a sad and deplorable situation and you need to remedy it immediately.

Cindy Pereira

