Last March, Camille realizes a dream, she buys a puppy breed, a “French bulldog”. She spotted him on a farm, which seems to him well in every respect, located in the north of France. The budget is large: 1,800 euros.
The puppy is named Winston and, at first, it seems to fit perfectly into its new environment. But after a few days, he starts to present digestive problems, vomiting, and a loss of appetite… Camille then takes Winston to the vet who after an initial examination makes a rather reassuring diagnosis: good general condition, no fever, no apathy so apparently nothing alarming. The veterinarian prescribes symptomatic treatment for these digestive disorders. But a few days later, Camille finds that Winston’s health suddenly deteriorates: “He was unrecognizable, completely apathetic, very skinny …” She then rushes back to her vet who hospitalizes the puppy for further examination: “Unfortunately he stayed at her house for about ten hours and the next morning she told me that he was dead.”
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First contact with livestock
As soon as her puppy dies, Camille contacts the farm where she bought it: “At first I am serene because I really trusted the breeding (…) but after the first report of my veterinarian who explains that the puppy was carrying a lot of parasites, coronavirus, that he had very low immunity, the breeder directly questions her responsibility, she says that for her when she sold it to me he had an impeccable health certificate “. The transaction was done according to the rules of the art, Camille is in possession of all the documents: sales contract, veterinary check, pedigree, European passport, etc.
Autopsy results
Finally, after an autopsy carried out at the University of Liège, the verdict falls: Winston’s death was due to parvovirus, a fatal disease to young puppies. And the autopsy results indicate that the strain detected is a field strain and not a vaccine strain.
However, the vaccine against parvovirus had been administered to Winston, but as the breeder who sold the puppy explains, this vaccination of the puppies is carried out in two stages: “we vaccinate first at seven to eight weeks of age but the puppy is not 100% immune until after the second vaccination which takes place at three months”. However, after vaccination, it is strongly advised to keep the puppy in its original environment for several days to protect its immune system. In this case, Camille received Winston the day after her vaccination. The breeder explains: “According to the law, puppies can leave at eight weeks of breeding, I’ve been raising for eight years, all the other puppies have left between eight and nine weeks, there have never been any problems, never had a puppy died of parvovirus or anything” …
At first, the breeder had offered to repay half as compensation, Camille refused on the grounds that she was entitled to a full refund. As the breeder feels that she has nothing to complain about, each is on their side and the situation is currently at a standstill regarding possible compensation.
