When dog lover Frances Castaldo brought home Buttons the Chihuahua, she was looking forward to getting to know her new pup. But that all changed just hours later.
Bringing home Buttons
Frances visited the pet shop, hoping to find the perfect pup to join her family. When she met little Buttons, she was immediately smitten and decided that it was the dog for her.
But what should have been a happy day turned into something quite different. The poor little dog went downhill just hours after arriving home with Buttons. He soon began vomiting, suffering from diarrhoea and wouldn't eat. He continued to get worse as the day went on.
Seeing the dog look so poorly and lethargic, France took Buttons to the vet. The vet quickly determined that he had several parasites making him ill.
Poorly puppy
Frances was stunned. After all, when she bought Buttons, she had no idea how poorly he was. Overall, she spent a whopping $5,000 on vet bills. The distraught dog owner now wants the pet shop to reimburse her for buying Buttons and his vet bills.
It's not the first time the pet shop, Shake A Paw, has faced similar issues. Only a year ago, a lawsuit was filed against it, temporarily stopping it from selling puppies. In a statement, the pet shop said they'd supported Ms Castaldo, paid for some of Buttons' veterinary care, and are due to contribute more once they receive the invoice. Shake A Paw insists that all pets are examined within five days of arriving at the pet shop to ensure they are healthy.
Buttons is doing much better, but he's still on medication.