Coco, The $9,000 Labrador Retriever

Letter From Coco's Former Owner - April 10, 2002:

On June 30, 2001 I bought a beautiful 6 week old chocolate Labrador Retriever for $1000.00. The sire of my pup is Muskelunge’s Go Buckeye and the Dam is Chestnut’s Midnight Princess, and both are OFA certified "good". When I called the breeder the first time, she told me she had been breeding Labs for years and has never had a puppy with CHD - that is the reason I gave $1000 for this pup, because my main concern was to buy a healthy sound puppy. This little puppy was full of energy, confident, outgoing, playful, trusting and extremely loving. She was everything you could have hoped for in a pup. When she was about 4 ½ months old, she started limping, with the limping shifting from leg to leg. Naturally concerned, I called the breeder and asked and was told it was “growing pains.” I also brought her into my vet, and because the limping was shifting from leg to leg, he also said it was growing pains.

At 7 months, the “growing pains” had not gone away and I brought her in to my vet to be spayed and also x-rayed in both hips. X-rays showed mild CHD but the vet said because the limping is shifting from leg to leg, it is probably mainly "growing pains" causing the problems. I waited another 2 months, and at 9 months old I took the pup to Long Island Veterinary Specialists, in Long Island, NY to be examined by a board certified orthopedic surgeon. There she was examined by Dr. Brendon Ringwood who works with Dr. Dominic J. Marino. After examining her they wanted more x-rays done. The results of this examination were devastating. She has severe CHD in both hips and painful elbow dysplasia in both front legs. She is only 9 months old and already arthritis has set in. Because of the arthritis in the back right hip, the operation that Dr. Ringwood suggests is Femoral Head Osteotomy at a cost of $1361. For the back left hip, which so far has not developed arthritis, Dr. Ringwood suggests Triple Pelvic Osteotomy for a cost of $2133. When they operate on each back hip, they will be able to do one adjacent front elbow at an addition cost of $1689 for each elbow. There is also the extra expenses for prescriptions, medications, post-operative and rehabilitation needs and after surgery care office visits.

There is no doubt in my mind that Coco needs these operations. I have been in contact with the breeder, who told me that if I returned the pup she would give me a full refund. When I asked what would happen to Coco, she told me "she could not afford to have the operations done and once I return the pup it is out of my hands". Needless to say, I will not return the pup to her.

I contacted Long Island Labrador Retriever Rescue and was referred to Labrador Life Line, an organization that provides financial assistance to owners with Labs that need costly surgeries, but they turned me down. I applied to 2 other organizations but was also turned down. I did the best and only thing that I could do for Coco, I gave her to the Long Island Labrador Retriever Rescue who will take care of her medical needs and place her in a wonderful loving and caring home. I miss her tremendously, but it is much more important for her to have the operations and post operative care that she needs.