I bought my Molly from a pet store for $1000. They say you can’t put a price on love, but by age 7, my love has run up veterinary bills of over $10,000!!
Molly came from a backyard breeder in Kansas, who sold her to a broker who then sold her to Petland. Her AKC papers showed a long line of Champions, (I was impressed by that, but at the time I didn’t really know the difference between a backyard breeder and a reputable “hobby” breeder).
The medical bills started the week after we brought her home. She was gagging, couldn’t seem to swallow properly. The vet thought she might of swallowed a toy and so x-rays were taken and we paid our first $800 veterinary bill. After countless sleepless nights, and many more tests, it was confirmed that she had mega-esophagus, a genetic defect; the muscles in her esophagus aren’t strong enough to properly move food down her throat.
When Molly first got sick we contacted her breeder to see if this swallowing problem ran in her family. On the phone her breeder claimed her parents were healthy; but when my husband showed up at her home in Kansas, she admitted Molly’s father had died. She said Molly’s mother had been placed with a family member. She insisted all her puppies were healthy; however, she also admitted that she sells all of her puppies to a broker and doesn’t keep track of them once they leave at the age of 7 weeks.
Molly’s health problems also include severe allergies. We’ve done repeated allergy testing and allergy shots. In addition, Molly has had 2 life threatening health episodes! At age 4 she suddenly collapsed, lost bladder control and was hospitalized. Sonograms, x-rays and every test a neurologist could think of was performed, but they never did diagnose that episode; Molly eventually got better at a cost of $3,500. At age 6, almost 2 years to the day of her first collapse, she suddenly was unable to lay down, she just stood next to me panting and drooling profusely, obviously in pain. Her urine turned the color of coffee. Blood tests revealed her body was destroying her own muscle tissue, most likely an immune deficiency problem. The vet gave her medicine that caused liver failure; another round of x-rays and sonograms revealed nothing.
She had blood work every 3 days for a month. I lost track of the cost of this illness, or rather intentionally stopped counting after the first day’s bill was $1800. During this time Molly’s immune system was compromised and she came down with a staph infection.
We adore Molly, she is part of our family… the financial burden of caring for a sick dog can’t compare to the emotional trauma of watching your beloved Wheaten suffer!!
Reputable breeders charge twice as much as I paid for Molly, but if you’re considering purchasing a puppy,
I feel it is well worth the investment to purchase a puppy from a reputable breeder!! In my opinion, a reputable breeder is a knowledgeable person who takes a vantage of all the genetic information available to find the healthiest mate, is a member of the SCWTCA open registry, and keeps track of the puppies they sell.
While no one can guarantee every Wheaten they produce will be healthy; if you are going to purchase a Wheaten, it makes sense to do everything you can to increase your chances of getting a healthy puppy, and in the long run, it may save you money and a great deal of heartache!!