Meet MICKEY....a Pet Store Puppy

Meet MICKEY....a Pet Store Puppy

IMPACTED CANINE TOOTH

I am Mickey, a 6 year old Yellow Labrador Retreiver. I was born in a puppy mill in Missouri on March 3, 2002. The puppy millers out there don't care about genetic defects that I was born with.All they care about is making money, at the expense of mans best friend. I don't know how many of my litter mates have the same problems that I do...or worse..maybe some have already gone to Rainbow Bridge.
I had surgery a few years ago for Elbow Dysplasia. I have Hip Dysplasia as well..I will be needing a total hip replacement if it gets any worse. I also have Enamel Hypoplasia. These are all genetic conditions, and should not have happened if I were bred properly, with testing for these defects. Puppy mills are not concerned with this.
Mommy gives me supplements to keep my joints moving and to help with the arthritis I have in my elbows now from the surgery. Sometimes it helps me, sometimes it doesn't. I can't run and play with my friends, because it makes me too tired, and I ache for days after. I wish I could take long walks with Mommy.

RESCUE OR ADOPT INSTEAD

Check with your local shelter to adopt instead of patronizing a pet shop. A lot of pet shops buy puppies from puppy mills. The more we patronize them, the more demand, and more puppies will be born, and sold to the unsuspecting consumer.

For almost every breed , there is a rescue group for them. You can visit some of the links below to get a list of them.

This is Enamel Hypoplasia

This is due to either genetics, or antibiotics given to the mother, or to Mickey before he had teeth

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

State and Federal Governments do not enforece the laws to protect the dogs. The AKC does not protect the dogs. Local enforcement officers do not protect the dogs. The breeders and brokers have huge well funded lobbying efforts. The only person who isgoing to make a difference is YOU.. You the people can help by:

NEVER buy a dog in a pet store.

Boycot stores that sells puppies and tell the store what you think about selling pupies.

Join an organization to fight puppymills.

If you live in one of the seven puppy mill states, write your local officials and ask for stronger zoning ordinances to stop the mills.

Write your State and Federal representatives and ask them to pass stronger laws to protect dogs.

Investigate a petstore and determine where they are buying their puppies.

Boycott the AKC and all their events.

Adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue.

Write letters to Editors of your local papers. Call radio stations, educate the public about puppymills.

Put up a billboard about puppy mills in your area.

Tell everyone you know about puppymills.

Visit HUA.org for more ideas.

This is Mickey today..our little Prince

He is the best dog anyone could ever want

Mickey today May 2007

This is Mickey today. He is as healthy as he is ever going to be. He has no stamina, can't run and play without exhausting himself...can't go on long walks without being in pain with his elbows, and hips. We are as lucky to have him, as he is to have us to care for him. He seems happy and content. I know there are times when he is in pain. He had his 5th birthday on March 3, 2007.

Mickey has just been diagnosed with spontaneous pnemothorax. His lungs collapsed, and he spent 4 days in the hospital with chest tubes. The vets wanted to do surgery and open his chest cavity, but we opted to bring him home. There are no guarantees he would be better with the surgery. He is struggling to breathe, and I am praying that he can recover from this. I feel this condition is ANOTHER genetic defect. The vets told me there could be tumors in his lungs...If we had opted for the surgery, i don't think he would have come home. I cherish every moment we have left with him. I am giving him Chinese herbs in hopes that it will help.

August 2, 2007 UPDATE

Mickey is healing and doing better.I worry that it could happen again, as there was no guarantee that it wouldn't.

June 20, 2008 UPDATE..IT HAPPENED

Mickey had another episode with not being able to breathe due to Spontaneous Pneumothorax. He had surgery today, and is doing well. The upper right portion of his lung was removed where the damage was. He should be good to go home on Monday..and hope no more bullas or bleebs form in any other part of his lungs. Thank God he is doing ok. Below are some pictures of what my baby went through.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 1, 2008

Mickey is recovering nicely, however he still doesn't have the stamina of a normal dog. Going for a short walk leaves him breathless..and panting. I am hoping that when the weather cools off down here in Florida, we can start to build him up with longer, cooler walks.

This surgery ran over $8,000, and worth every penny to still have him with us.

Thank you for reading his story. Please email me if you have any questions.

June 26..six days after surgery

After surgery June 20th, 2008

Puppy Palace in Hollywood, Florida sold me a sick puppy. I had a class action lawsuit against them but there weren't enough people to follow through. Marcy LaHart, from Palm Beach, Florida made an excellent attempt to win this case, but the outcome was settlement on most parties. This does not stop me from wanting to let everyone know that these pet stores are still selling the unsuspecting consumer sick puppies. Please tell everyone you can about this story. Pet stores must be stopped from selling sick puppies. Puppies are no more than mere merchandise to them.

Puppy Palace was fined $10,000.

The attorney general's office made PP stop asserting that the puppies are not from puppy mills, and made them change the contract so that it does not purport to require that customers use the vets in PP's pocket.

and marcy forced the florida department of agriculture to start a process to adopt formal regulations regarding how vets sign off that a puppy is fit for sale.

THANK YOU MARCY LAHART FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE! If anyone is considering suing due to being sold a sick puppy, sue for a canine health insurance policy in lieu of any settlement. I could have used that. Mickeys surgery set us back more than 15,000 so far.