Warranty Questions

[Jeanette Clark]

I've read a variety of published warranties from breeders, as well as forum discussions and guidelines on what to look for and what is good, and what is minimal. 

 

Some of the differences have prompted some questions that I wanted to get input on -

 

RE HIP DYSPLASIA

Is a warranty that covers severe dysplasia adquate (versus any diagnosed level of hip dysplasia)?

 

RE SUPPLEMENTS

Is a warranty that requires the use of supplements acceptable?

 

RE WARRANTY PROVISIONS

Some provide for a replacement without needing to surrender the original puppy/dog, while others have a provision for an option of a monetary reimbursement towards the medical expenses up the original purchase price.  Thoughts on pros and cons of each?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

This is my opinion though others may differ.

Hip Dysplasia.  I would want the warranty to cover any diagnosed level of hip dysplasia.  

Supplements    I would not want a warranty to require the use of supplements.  A good quality dog food carries all the nutrition a dog needs and the  use of these 'supplements' is often some sort of a scam involving expensive stuff you are forced to purchase which is not necessary.  

Warranty Provisions. This is the most important one.  So you get a second puppy and now you have two dogs one of which has medical needs and the other one you have yet to find out.  No, this wouldn't suit me at all.  I would fall in love with my puppy and would not consider surrendering it, what I would want is the monetary reimbursement to help defray the vet costs and the future care of the dog.

[Jeanette Clark]

Yeah - your responses are in line with my thoughts....

Reading the warranty for the breeder we are working on - it does cover all severe genetic disorders - but although the formatting makes it confusing, I think the limitiatino of severe dysplasia is limited to the 24-hour warranty period, regardless of OFA certs on the dog at the age of 24 months.  In other words - if at 24 months the dog OFA cert is excellent - and at 7 years of age it develops severe dysplasia, it is not a warranted genetic disorder. 

I'll need to clarify.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Well, that seems reasonable. But you don't really get OFAs on the dog you get, just on the parents.

[F, Calla & Luca]

What I meant to say is all the initial vet check is, usually, is a physical exam. If you had x-ray proof that your dogs hips were fine at 24 months it would not be a genetic disorder even if the dog developed hip problems later on. But there is no reason to submit the dog to hip x-rays if there is no gait disorder or something unless the dog is a breeder. So pets don't have hip x-rays, which have to be done under sedation, unless the pet has pain or a gait abnormality or some problem.

[Carol and Banjo]

I agree with what Nicky has stated here.      A breeder who stipulates Supplements usually states the brand AND it isn't one that is available in pet stores.   One must get it through the company via the breeder who gets a "kickback".   When I saw that our breeder had this listed under her warranty I stupidly thought it was a good thing.   It wasn't until we got Banjo that I actually read the "fine print" and also researched the "Supplement" and need for supplements at all that I realized how "self serving" the breeder was in this regards.

[F, Calla & Luca]

So right Nicky!! But many if not all of the warranties are time limited and you might not even find out about HD til later on.

[Adina P]

I second this!  Really it is your money so opt for what you would want both for $ reasons and because of the greater confidence a better warranty gives you.

[Moe]

I looked into a breeder that required that you purchase a bunch of stuff from links on her website before she would release a puppy and that you would feed her chosen brand of food and supplements. To me it just looked like they were just trying to make money off the purchases from the links. It was a deal breaker for me, I went with a different breeder.

[Becka]

This happened to me as well. It seems a bit duplicitous.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't approve of this practice either.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The breeders do indeed make commissions when you order the Life's Abundance Food and Nu-Vet vitamins. Both sold by Trilogy Co. under a multi-level marketing scheme, involving numerous levels of commissions that are being paid from the profit on each bag, hence the premium prices for average quality (and in the case of the vitamins, unnecessary) products. This would be a deal-breaker for me, too.  

[Moe]

That was the name of the food.