Is it normal for a prospective pup purchaser to ask to speak to the breeders vet?

[jtanurdjaja]

Hello,
I am looking to get a puppy. There is a family breeder who’s spot looks clean and tidy but I’m not entirely sure that they have much experience.
I asked if I could speak to their vet as a reference. First they said the puppies don’t go to the vet unless they are sick to avoid parvo.
When I said that was fine I’d still like to speak to them about the heath of the parents and get a general reference that this family are responsible pet owners, she seemed to get offended. She said no one had ever asked and her vet would not divulge that information.

It seemed a bit defensive to me. So I’m wondering, is that a rude question? Is it weird?
Or would a reputable breeder be glad that a prospective buyer was trying to be so through and thoughtful about their choice?

Thanks

 

[wakalix]

@jtanurdjaja Well on one hand asking to speak to the vet is indeed strange. On the other hand, puppies not seeing the vet ? They should be microchipped and pre vaccinated before leaving the breeder. Where I live, they must have a health certificate too, so that's worrying.

 

[home4good]

@wakalix While some breeders do microchip the puppies before they leave I have also found some vets here in the US that do not want to microchip until much later. I had one and liter mate had different one that were talking about waiting until 6 months I think before chipping. This is in the US so no laws on it.

 

[pastorjeremiah]

@home4good They still should be examined and vaccinated by a vet before leaving for a new home

 

[imalamb]

@home4good My breeder in Canada refuses to chip and still tattoos her pups. My European import had to be chipped. We are super lax about this stuff in NA.

 

[wakalix]

@home4good That's crazy how weak legislation is in the different states. We have like a page long of rules before giving a dog/cat/ferret up to adoption in France.

 

[alohamrsk]

@wakalix Vets in my city actually tell you to. Or bring your puppies in until 8 weeks. I was adamant I wanted them to be started on dewormer earlier but they outright refused - multiple establishments

 

[cosimnot]

@jtanurdjaja It is weird and a red flag that she does not have a well puppy check with a vet prior to sending puppies home. I would not buy a puppy from someone that does not provide a vet check of a litter prior to them going home, all puppies should be checked for heart murmurs, ensure lungs sound clear, hip joints appear to be good, etc. I have not have people ask to speak with my vets (I have 2 a repro and regular) but I would provide that info and give the vet practice a heads up that I did. If you haven't read the WIKI on r/dogs you should start there on responsible breeders: https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/identifying_a_responsible_breeder/ I would join the sub as well as any breed specific to the breed you are looking at.

 

[mirandaaa]

@jtanurdjaja I have not had a single person ask for this in 20-years. What is acceptable is to ask for the parents’s health testing and if they have references from other buyers. Most breeders have a FB page with ratings. And, as stated pups should hav3 a vet physical and at least first vaccination information. I have had a few flunk health exams at 8-weeks.

 

[april_0718]

@mirandaaa The ratings on Facebook pages are now littered with SPAM (spells, my rich uncle, I'm going to reward for the 20 people with $5,000), scams trying to get people to go to their group for fake litters, and PETA fake reviews. This is so much so that people have shut off reviews altogether. That said, most reputable breeders have groups for their puppy families and prospective families where everyone can interact. I do.

 

[mirandaaa]

@april_0718 Idk about fake but all people leaving us reviews you can see they have a friend’s list and photos of their fam and dogs and active content if one clicks on their profile. A lot of people leave their walls set to public. You can also message people from their profile. And it’s not hard to tell a fake profile from a real one. In all honesty though the FB isn’t that important. After 20-years being an in-home breeder 99p of my clients are repeat buyers and I do give them preference.

The only problem we have had is occasionally a Bot will use the review section to post a scam. I just report it to FB and it’s always been removed.

 

[home4good]

@jtanurdjaja I am not sure what you are hoping to learn from the breeders vet, I would be very surprised if that vet was willing to talk to you about their breeding practices. Privacy laws would limit what most businesses or individuals would say.

Breeders will get puppy buyers vet, but the information they end up getting from that is 'does this person bring you their animals, about how long have they been bringing them, do they keep them current on legal requirements, do you see red flags in the care of their previous animals'. Nothing specific or invasive.

So you could expect to have the breeders vet say 'yes they use me as a vet, they have been doing it for x amount of time, and I have or don't have concerns about their care of animals'.

If you are questioning the long term care of their animals that would probably be found through google on show results through the years.

 

[b55]

@jtanurdjaja I find the idea of a prospective puppy home talking to my vet about me and my dogs invasive. I’m completely transparent but it feels kind of icky. If my pups’ parents’ health tests results, puppies’ vet checks and vet records for vaccinations aren’t enough, a letter or call from my vet isn’t going to do anything. I do my best to better the breed and provide healthy puppies and back it up with a health warranty.

Having said that, I’d certainly expect a puppy I was buying to have seen a vet prior to rehoming, and to receive records from that vet stating it had been examined and is healthy

 

[sjcils]

@b55 You don't do a vet check if your adopter has had a dog/cat before as a rescue would? It's sort of the same thing in reverse, checking the parents had proper vet care, no?

 

[b55]

@sjcils No I haven’t. I get to know prospective adopters well and keep in touch with them years down the road. Many of them have adopted multiple pups from me and they’ve become good friends. I also offer to take pups back at any time, no questions asked.

 

[caliisawake]

@jtanurdjaja While I haven’t necessarily heard of someone wanting to speak to the vet, the fact they don’t go to the vet unless sick stood out to me. Does that mean these puppies haven’t received their first round of shots? If I were to purchase a puppy, I would be asking for some sort of record for their first round of vaccines so I knew exactly when I need to schedule the next round.

Are the parents registered with the AKC? If so, I would be looking at their OFA tests, and if the breeder hasn’t completed those then I would say to find a new breeder.

https://ofa.org/

 

[greatlakes4ever]

@jtanurdjaja I have never had a prospective buyer ask to do that. I don't know if I would, just because vets are busy and they shouldn't have to take time to verify an owner/breeder. And how many vets can remember specific owners and dogs anyway?

But what I always offer are health testing certificates of the parents (hips, patella, DNA, etc), show titles. And for the puppies: microchip, vaccination and deworming card. There is no need for owners to bother my vet.

 

[erniedavid]

@jtanurdjaja I am not going to address whether this is a reputable breeder or not. What I will say is, this is a confidentiality issue and a reputable vet clinic will not give out or address clients' information with a third party, unless given express, written permission.

 

[annemoon]

@jtanurdjaja All puppies here go home utd on shots and vet checked. I’ve never been asked prior to puppies going to the vet but wouldn’t have a problem providing name and number. If the vet would provide any info is another question.
Best thing to do is check with past owners. They’d be your best barometer.

 

[sqs1]

@jtanurdjaja Yeah I’d find that a green flag from a potential buyer.

I find it a red flag that they don’t take their puppies to the vet. I assume that means they are either sending pups home who have not had their first round of vaccines (which a breeder should be getting them before they go to a new home) or they are buying shots at Tractor Supply or somewhere similar. Those shots can be ineffective because they have to consistently stay cold enough to work. My vet told me he sees two kinds of puppies with parvo: ones that have never been vaccinated, and ones that got tractor supply vaccines.

I also don’t know what breed you are looking at but if the dew claws are being removed and the tail being docked (which is highly controversial and illegal in Europe now but unfortunately is still the standard for many breeds in America) and they aren’t going to the vet…then the breeder is doing it at home themselves and I’m uncomfortable with that too. Some do it to save money and their only training is watching videos online. Thats a terrible and dangerous idea.

It also means they aren’t getting a checkup before they go to a new home. I really think they should. A vet exam can’t guarantee that there are no underlying health problems but it’s a lot better than nothing. Some unethical breeders and puppy mills sell sick puppies.

And aside from all of that related to the puppies themselves, the parents should be getting yearly exams and vaccines at the least and I don’t see why if that were the case a breeder should have a problem with allowing a vet to confirm to you that as far as they know from the last visit, the dogs are in good condition and appear to be well cared for.

In my opinion when it comes to exchanging a living animal there should be transparency on both sides. I like to have a vet reference from buyers too if they have owned or currently own other pets.