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Miss Flare

georgehairlesson

Senior Lairian
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Sep 8, 2009
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We got Flare a month ago so that George could have a friend. They are both from the same breeder, so I wasn't worried about her being unhealthy. George is 100% healthy; other than having a few extra pounds on him.(he loves his food!)
Flare is a retired breeder, so before we brought her home she was spayed. When picking Flare up, the breeder said that Flare had a bit of a stuffy nose, but that was most likely due to the stress of the spaying. I believed the breeder, because what she said seemed logical.
3 days later, Flare was barely eating, and when she was eating she was only eating one kibble at a time. I emailed the breeder, and she told me that most likely Flare had a cold and I needed to take her to the vet for meds. Unfortunately my vet was out of town, so I took Flare to a local pet hospital. The vet was horrible and a pervert. He said the diagnosis was a URI and he prescribed Flare antibiotics. I emailed the breeder about the appointment and also mentioned that Flare's breath had been smelling horrible.
A week later Flare was still sneezing up bright yellow snot and eating strangely, so I made an appointment with my regular vet. He looked her over and the second he opened her mouth he gasped in shock. She had severe gingivitis, her gums were receding, and he said that most likely Flare had been suffering for a year or so. This enraged me because the contract said that Flare was healthy! He prescribed an antibiotic and an antihistamine. He also told me that Flare's teeth needed to be cleaned and most likely several of her teeth would need to be pulled! He said the infection had already spread to a URI and it would start to spread elsewhere is I ignored it.
I immediately emailed the breeder and even called her and she has yet to respond....
Flare's bloodwork appointment is today and if she is healthy enough her surgery will be on Friday. I am very stressed by all of this and I have been keeping her separated from George, just in case the breeder has lied about other things.(i.e. being tested for FIV FIP)
I will let everyone know about the results. Flare is only 4, this is very upsetting.
 

MissMySphynxBoys

Gold Lairian
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May 13, 2010
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The degree of dental decay your vet discovered doesn't happen overnight. At the very least it should have been detected by your breeder's vet during the pre-op exam for Flare's spaying. The creepy pet hospital vet also should have discovered the dental decay as well as I would think it would be normal protocol to open the pet's mouth when diagnosing an URI.

I'm sorry your breeder hasn't gotten back to you. It can be a big disappointment when someone you trust lets you down. There is still time for her to do the right thing. At the very least she could apologize to you and honor her health guarantee.

Our boys had dental issues too and had a few teeth extracted. We kept the teeth and left them for the Feline Tooth Fairy.

Sending you soothing vibes to get you and Flare through the bloodwork and extractions.
 

Sleepyheadkitten

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Aww, that sucks! BTW, FIP cannot be 'tested' for. The coronavirus can- but a lot of cats carry the coronavirus and are healthy. FIV/FELV can be tested for and it is a relatively inexpensive test.

Did you pay an adoption fee for Flare? If your breeder has treated you fairly up until now then I'd CALMLY email her and let her know what your vet diagnosed and that you hope you will be fairly compensated for these additonal vet bills. Good luck!
 

ilovemysphynx

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Feb 2, 2009
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What a story, poor flare! Seems to be a case of her not being any help to her anylonger and just letting her health slip. I do hope she steps up and does something to help you. Hope all goes well for you and flare, do keep us in the loop:Wink:
 
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Poor Flare!!! I am happy she has found her way to you!!! She can now get the care she needs and deserves. It is just too bad that you are now put in the situation to have to go through it all. Hopefully the breeder will get back in touch with you and help make things right.

We will keep Flare in our thoughts. Please keep us updated on how everything goes and how she is doing!
 

holly_savage

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So sorry to hear that. I know the stress of not knowing exactly what it is you are dealing with is the worst. I hope she's all better soon, and that the breeder steps up as they should.
 

marlene

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Poor Flare. It sounds like she's been living with a lot of pain for a long time. I find it hard to believe that the breeder's vet didn't notice her mouth when she was spayed, considering he had to intubate her for the surgery! And it's equally hard to believe that he didn't say anything about it to the breeder. I simply can't imagine my vet seeing something like that and not mentioning it to me along with the treatment options, and any other reputable vet would do the same. So I think it's probably pretty likely that the breeder knew about her mouth but just chose to ignore it.

Now, that being said, some cats just have lousy dentition. Take my kitties for example. Both came from the same breeder, same sire with different dams. 6 months difference in age. Both had the same exact diets, the same tooth brushings every other day, the same teeth cleanings from the vet. Yet Little Ren had consistent tooth and gum problems and had lost about half his teeth by the time he passed on. While Pedda, the older of the two, needed 1 tooth pulled last month and otherwise has a full set of healthy teeth and gums.
 

georgehairlesson

Senior Lairian
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Sep 8, 2009
Messages
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Poor Flare. So I think it's probably pretty likely that the breeder knew about her mouth but just chose to ignore it.



That's what I'm thinking. What she did was abuse and neglect. She could have at least gave Flare antibiotics!
In my opinion, I think the breeder cared for the kittens she was selling, but ignored the breeder cats.
 
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