The following account was shared with Stop Online Puppy Mills by Lacy’s family and is presented in their own words.
Lacy Was Purchased Through Pawrade and Died Days After Delivery
We received a report from a couple who purchased a puppy from Pawrade/Petpay. The puppy they named Lacy died from parvo virus days after being delivered to her new family. The death of Lacy, a Miniature Pinscher, was both devastating and costly.
Here is their story:
My husband and I purchased a Miniature Pinscher from Pawrade in early February 2023. We named her Lacy. She arrived to our home in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago on the evening of February 13, 2023 after a day’s travel from the Springfield, Missouri area.
She was very small and a little nervous at first, but we all bonded quickly. We were so happy and enjoyed every minute of our time together. Lacy was eating well when she first arrived, but by noon on February 15, she suddenly lost interest in eating and developed a high fever. We took her to the emergency.
At that time, she was active still and her temperature had dropped a degree, so the vet sent her home with us. She had a pre-scheduled vet appointment first thing in the morning, February 16, anyways. By that appointment time, Lacy still had a fever and did not want to eat or drink. At the vet, Lacy had a battery of medical care, including a fluid injection to stay hydrated, an antibiotic shot, and a blood test. The blood test did not show anything unusual, so Lacy once again came home with us. We incurred about $800 in vet bills from that visit alone.
That evening, Lacy was still unwilling to eat and now also having diarrhea, we made the decision to take the second long trip back to the emergency vet. We were depressed and worried sick. The ER vet did a Parvo test, and to our shock and dismay, Lacy tested positive. It takes several days after exposure to Parvo to contract the virus, meaning that Lacy must have had exposure before she was transported to us on February 13. Frighteningly, there were many other dogs on Lacy’s transport.
Lacy Was Hospitalized With Parvo
Lacy was immediately hospitalized. We kept in close touch with the ER doctor calling every 4-6 hours to check on her. It was an emotional roller coaster ride, crying and praying for the recovery of our baby.
Contrary to our hopes and prayers, we were heartbroken to learn that Lacy’s heart stopped beating in the early morning of February 19, 2023, less than six days after she came home.
According to the family, the ER veterinarians told them the timing of Lacy’s symptoms was consistent with exposure before she arrived at their home.
We feel Pawrade should have thoroughly checked on their puppies before selling them online. They should have ensured their puppies are completely healthy and not at risk of severe illness. We are furious with Pawrade. Not only have they caused us a great deal of financial stress due to $10,000 in vet bills we incurred in the few days we had Lacy, but the emotional damages are unmeasurable.
We have contacted Pawrade about Lacy, and Pawrade responded by telling us they think Lacy had contracted the virus during transportation. We paid over $700 to Down Home Pet Transport for the so-called “pampered ground transportation” only to find out Lacy was transported to us in a big van together with other puppies. What about the other dogs in that transport!
We have disputed Lacy’s purchase price from Pawrade via our credit card company and are hopeful our purchase will be refunded. Pawrade is not willing to reimburse us for any of our out-of-pocket costs for Lacy’s medical bills. Instead, they claimed that we could have just put down Lacy when we knew she had Parvo.
We were furious at hearing such inhumane and casual remarks from Pawrade, which showed their lack of care and empathy towards their puppies and customers. As mentioned earlier, we could never put down Lacy as long as there was hoped to make her healthy again.
The Family Faced Nearly $10,000 in Veterinary Costs
We hope our terrible experience with Pawrade will serve as a warning to all future buyers from Pawrade or any other online puppy mills: please do not buy any puppy from them!
For us, we will adopt a pet in the future from our local adoption center, as suggested by “Stop Online Puppy Mills”, which to us appears to be a much safer, healthier, and humane way of “adopting” a pet.
Lacy’s story is one family’s experience with an online puppy purchase. Read more firsthand accounts from families who bought puppies online, or learn how online puppy brokers work.
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