Most of us are canine lovers. We consider our dogs as our best bud, a lifetime companion to many. So, when our pet passes away, especially due to recklessness or improper care, it is truly heartbreaking.
We received several upsetting stories from canine lovers, who got their dogs from supposedly legit pet stores just to find out that their buddies weren’t properly cared for in terms of getting right vaccination and right dosages of medicine.
We are writing this to create awareness and NOT to tarnish pet stores. We want this to be a call to action for pet stores to have higher standards in caring for the animals. Just the same, pet owners should demand that their pets are treated better and are given proper vaccinations performed only by licensed veterinarians.
As our source, Pam, said, “Viruses especially to puppies are HIGHLY contagious. I hope no one else experiences the same thing that I went through. Losing a pet is never easy.”
Read on.
Pam’s Pomeranian
Kylo Rey
We bought a Pomeranian, our baby Kylo Rey, last Dec 24, 2015. She was already almost 2 months old (born Oct 28, 2015) at that time and they gave us papers and the vaccination records when we bought her. We kept her first inside our house and bought a cage so we won’t lose sight of her as she’s still a very small puppy. She was still lively at first but after a few days there were times where she couldn’t stand up. We thought she was just tired or sleepy cause the next day, she would be okay again. A week after bringing her home, her poop became a bit watery but still mostly solid so we just thought it was just the food she was eating.
On the morning of January 4, 2016, after less than 2 weeks with us, she lost her appetite and that afternoon she couldn’t stand up on her own anymore. We immediately brought her to Animal house and she got tested positive for Parvo Virus. The vet asked us if we took her out or if she was exposed to other unvaccinated dogs or dogs with Parvo and we said she was just in our house the whole time.
Upon checking her records, her first vaccines were not administered by a licensed veterinarian as there was no signature (See photo below. The second vaccination was administered by Animal House). As confirmed as well with Dogaholics (the shop where I bought Kylo in Tiendesitas), the breeder was the one who vaccinated her before they sold her to the pet shop. The vet informed me that records should have a signature of a veterinarian on the side of the sticker. However this was not the case for Kylo.
She was confined in the vet for 9 days and every time I visited her she was still alert but they said that she did not have an appetite and her poop was still wet. On the 9th day, the vet called me in the morning that they discovered another virus and that she now also has Giardiasis. The afternoon that day, the vet called that Kylo has collapsed and that they are trying to revive her. A few minutes after they informed me that they could not do anything anymore and that she passed away.
I was completely devastated about this because what happened was beyond our control. I have contacted Dogaholics and they never got back to me AT ALL. I posted the news on my Facebook and asked who experienced the same thing and I was completely shocked that there are a lot of cases from my friends alone who experienced the same death of their puppies due to Parvo virus.
I talked to a vet and they mentioned that some breeders, in order to cut cost,s vaccinate the pets themselves that’s why there is no vet’s signature. Since it is not administered by a licensed vet, we are not sure if they have been properly vaccinated or if the dosage is correct.
Kookie’s Husky
I don’t remember the name of the shop. This was 5 years ago. We bought a male husky. We decided to bring him to the vet the day after for initial shots. The vet carefully checked on him. A day or two after, the puppy who was so playful, became lethargic and showed signs of weakness. He didn’t eat and he was vomiting and pooping (like diarrhea). We got worried so we immediately called on the vet when we saw these signs. The vet said that the dog has Parvo.
When he checked on the dog for initial shots, he apparently noticed the gums but he didn’t mention his suspicions to us yet because it was just the first visit and he didn’t show other symptoms. The vet told us that there are lots of cases of dogs brought from Tiendesitas infected with Parvo virus. He advised us to bring the dog back to Tiendesitas and ask the shop to have him cured.
We called the shop and they said that he is not sick. We insisted they get him and let them take care of getting him medicated because we knew the high mortality rate of puppies with Parvo. At first they didn’t want to but we really insisted. We brought the dog back to them and asked them to give medical attention to the dog, hoping he would get cured. They said they will just refund us the money.
It was so obvious that they were trying to hide the whole situation. They even told us that he just had colds and not Parvo. Of course we didn’t trust them. When we called to check on the puppy a few days after, they said he was still okay. Eventually we found out he passed away — but still they insisted that it was just colds and diarrhea.
Karl’s Husky
A few years back, right around the time nearing February, I was thinking of the perfect couples gift for Valentines. When it dawned on me that a cute puppy should make for a cliché yet sweet gesture that ought to make my girlfriend real delighted. So, I went to Tiendesitas and looked around and found myself the cutest blue-eyed Husky. It was such an adorable creature that as soon as I laid eyes on it I had already fallen in love with it. I gave it a name, Vassili, named after one of my favorite movie protagonist. I even decided that I’d instead buy my girlfriend a bag or something else and keep this cute dog to myself. I was so excited about him that upon purchasing Vassili, I bought everything the store could offer that I thought my new puppy would need, like a new bed, different vitamin supplements, chew toys, collars, puppy food, etc.
After about 2 weeks, Vassili started showing weakness and a lack of appetite, despite vitamins and supplements and the dietary suggestion by the store where Vassili came from strictly being followed. It came to a point wherein opening his eyes was the only thing the poor puppy can do. So we immediately brought him to the nearby Veterinary hospital and was then diagnosed with Parvo virus, which I also then found out is a highly contagious viral illness that comes from other dogs. This came as a surprise to me as we don’t have any other dogs at home where Vassili could have caught Parvo from. A logical explanation would be such virus came from the same place where I purchased Vassili. Two days after the vet visit, Vassili died, and it broke all our hearts. Up to this day I have become traumatized of this experience and vowed never again to purchase a puppy, all the more purchase one from Tiendesitas.
Karina’s Golden Retriever
My family has always been a bunch of dog lovers so it was appropriate for my dad to gift me with a puppy. My dad bought her from Tiendesitas. Ori, short for Orianna, became the light of my life when I received her on June 14, 2015. She was a Golden Retriever, four months old at that time, thin, her fur was unhealthy but she was a bundle of joy and immediately a big part of my family.
We surrounded her with infinite love, care and affection; taking her to regular vet visits and puppy grooming sessions. Our vet noticed that her vaccine shots had no name, signature, license number, and PTR number of the veterinarian.
We noticed that for a Golden Retriever, Ori wasn’t the most active of dogs, preferring to cuddle and sit beside us. She had her active moments as well but still not as much as a normal Golden Retriever puppy. Besides not being as active as others of her kind, Ori also went through skin problems like patches of her skin would have sores. Despite all the problems, we still gave her the best care possible.
On the week of October 25, my family and I noticed that Ori became “matamlay”. She started lying down a lot in front of the electric fan and eating less of her food. We noticed her tummy grew a bit bigger so we attributed it to her gaining a bit of weight.
By the 3rd day, she already had difficulty getting up and still had no energy or want to do anything so we brought her to her vet. We were told that Ori’s bloated tummy was full of liquids so we had to leave her at the clinic and an IV line was immediately inserted. The plan was to do many more tests in the morning. She was confined on the night of October 28.
On October 29, I was in the office when I got the call from my mom that the vet said Ori had a seizure and was going into shock. I rushed to the clinic hoping I would still see her alive and there was something we can do. Unfortunately, she passed away before I got there. In a span of four days, my eight-month old puppy suddenly passed away. The cause of her death is unknown since I opted not to have her opened up to preserve her beautiful memory of a happy dog.
I am hoping my story along with the others may give awareness on the poor conditions and practices of some shop owners in Tiendesitas. Maybe Ori’s case was one of a kind and it had nothing to do with her being from Tiendesitas. I am just hoping her condition was not caused by her being born from an ill-mother or her 4 months living in the Tiendesitas store.
Anon’s Toy Poodle
My sister bought a toy poodle from Tiendesitas. The puppy was with us for a week, pooped blood and got so weak. She brought him to the vet and he was there for almost a week, then died. She got advised by the vet that the puppy already had Parvo when she bought it. Upon checking the paper of the puppy, the vet said that the shots given was not even administered by a licensed vet. The pet store didn’t even issue ate an official receipt. So, she complained to the store, they were not minding her initially. Its not their fault daw bla bla. She ended up complaining to Ortigas Administration, BIR and PAWS and threatened the pet store that if they didn’t give a refund or replace the dog, she will push through with all her complaints. The store eventually gave my sister a new puppy with papers indicating “na maayos yung shots” and that the dog was cleared for Parvo!
Has anyone else experienced the same when they bought their pets? Where did you get your pets? How did you go about it?
Disclaimer: The stories here were shared with us and are provided for information purpose only. We emphasize that NOT all pet stores in Tiendesitas are like that. These stories do not express the views and opinions of the writer and WhenInManila.com. The information, while we endeavor to keep it up to date and correct, make no representations with respect to the website. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
[…] been present in these stores for years, leading to a number of deaths for unsuspecting pet parents. Reports of sick and dying puppies being sold to customers from the Tiendesitas area have circulated in the past, with not much action […]
quite sad reading about these stories…actually, in my experience SOME dogs/puppies that i have encountered (i’m a vet) that was bought from Tiendisitas/Arangke/Cartimar/other pet shops develop viral/protozoal diseases. the time they were bought, they were apparently healthy of course, but then there is no way to know that they have already been infected and is incubating the virus already, it is until a few days or a week later that they start showing signs of the disease. also, the vaccines given – if we see no vet signature, we disregard it and start all over again. im not saying all but then some are just really in for the profit – the mere fact that they insist to return the payment for the dog says something already, sadly for some buyers, it is already too late bcoz the dog is already endeared to them.
no. 1 SOME breeders are really not that responsible, they just want the profit so they sell their puppies to pet shops – which is easier bcoz di na nila kelangan mag-advertise or maghanap ng buyers. also, as mentioned up they fond ways to cut costs – even vaccinating and deworming the pets themselves, but most of them do not do it the right way. pero basta lang mabenta…
no. 2 the conditions on SOME pet shops are not really good, magkakatabi cages ng pups so the chances of transmiting diseases is very likely (take note, the pups came from different sources). also, the faster they can sell pups, makes space for them to get anoter dog na i-di-display.
so when anybody asks me…i just advise them that its better to acquire pets from reputable/responsible breeders…I have encountered breeders that are very good. they are up-to-date with vaccines, deworming and check ups and also kinikilatis talaga nila ung potential buyer. they care about their pets. also, u will most likely to have a good relationship/trust with a breeder than the pet shops. plus you can get tips from them about pet rearing/training.
or also, yeah, adoption is also an option. the PAWS in Quezon city is one place to go if u r ineterested (you can look them up in FB).
we, vets, do our best to advise our clients about acquring pets, but most of the time kasi we meet clients e nakabili na sila ng pets and they bring the dog to us for first-time check up or vaccine.
-in summary, it is best to arm urself with enough information before acquiring a pet, do a good research muna. and get advise, if possible from a vet, or other “fur parents”. thanks! 🙂
Same thing happened to us last year. Mom bought a teacup Yorkie last August. Little Tatsu died 1 week later because of parvo.
its best to adopt from pet adoption centers than to buy from pet STOREs.
The same thing happened happened to me 6 years ago. Bought a teacup chihuahua who looked healthy when we bought it, then a few days later, started showing symptoms of lethargy, etc. He was immediately confined for 2 weeks and then died from Parvo. The shop in Tiendesitas of course insisted that we had bought a healthy dog (his papers said he was up-to-date with his 2 shots). I never got my 15k but worst of all was seeing the puppy that I loved dearly suffering every day for 2 weeks with needles, deattose, etc. I also recently heard from other people who lost their beloved pet almost in this exact way, also from Tiendesitas. Not only are these pet shops (and breeders but come on, we all know those pet shops are aware that they are either buying sick puppies or that they allow the puppies to get sick in their care) ripping people off of thousands of pesos, they also cause undue strife to the animal-loving people who bought these pets. But last and most importantly, they should be stopped from this horrible horrible practice that is leaving dozens if not hundreds of puppies suffering a truly horrible and painful death. These people may claim to be animal- lovers but if they do this, then they are obviously not. Is there not a law protecting buyers of animals? And how about the poor animals? The Tiendesitas shops that are part of this horrible acitivity (including those mentioned above) should be shut down ASAP & not be able to deal with animals ever again.