Breeder Warranties?

Hi all,

Is it common for a breeder to omit any form of health warranty (other than the minimum required by state laws) in the sales contract? My friend is buying a cavalier, and he told me that the breeder has no health warranty in the sales agreement. Problem?

I have not heard of a warranty but then I am in the UK but my thinking would be that they might not be worth the paper they are written on
---Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Jake)

I would hope that she was at least assured that the pup would pass a first puppy exam from a vet. I don't think you can ever be assured 100% but I wouldn't want to take home a puppy that was real sickly to start. someone else that knows way more than I do could say better, but I would hope for at least a good vet report.

Most health warranties are a big crock of BS in my opinion. Most of them state "if your dog gets a genetic defect or life-threatening condition in the first year, you can return the dog". Uh, yeah, like anyone would give their dog back????

Personally, this happened to me when I bought my first Cavalier. I paid $1500 for her. At her 1 year exam, a murmur was detected and I was PISSED and HEARTBROKEN.

I called the "breeder" (and I use this term loosely) and made such a stink she sent me a check for $1000. In the end, I would NEVER have returned Casey in a million years.

Some reputable breeders give warranties and some do not. Often they don't mean too much -- it is impossible to guarantee health but if there's a warranty it should state what the breeder ensures will have been done before the puppy is homed (eg what injections etc) and what support will be given, if any, if health problems occur within some framework.

A lot of trash breeders give warranties and they definitely are meaningless -- some just have a crappy vet in their pocket who makes lots of money from the breeder and rubberstamps health 'guarantees'. Often as others say, the 'guarantee' means the breeder states they will exchange the dog for a new one -- knowing full well people will not trade their dog in.

At the same time I wouldn't necessarily expect a breeder to ever help cover costs for care for a health problem. If the problem is clearly due to neglect or the breeder lied about health checks then I'd expect some support. Some breeders will provide some financial support of their own volition and sometimes this is written in to the contract. I would more expect a homing contract from a good breeder that would include some sort of mention of health rather than a health 'warranty'.

In the US, there may be state laws specifying what breeders are responsible for. It might be helpful to check individual state websites for more information.

PA has a dog law with a standard warranty for all breeders. However, my breeder had neutered my Alfie before I purchased him at 4 mo. It was NOT noted on his records. Alot of problems (and 2 surgeries) ensued. I filed small claims suit (and won). Alfie is fine now, but he went through alot just because the medical records were incomplete.