Dateline Dr. Allen

AND PETLAND SAYS THEIR PUPPIES ARE EXAMINED BY VETERINARIANS. BUT THIS VETERINARIAN SAYS HE’S SEEN FIRSTHAND THE PROBLEMS THAT CAN ARISE WITH PET STORE PUPPIES.

Chris: When you talk to the people at the pet store, the dog is guaranteed.

Dr. Allen: Well, there are all kinds of things that can go wrong and do go wrong. I’ve seen these puppies go on when they’re three years of age develop epilepsy, hip dysplasia or kneecaps that slip out, that aren’t going to be readily apparent in a puppy for maybe the first year or so. So the warranties that they give are in many cases pretty much worthless.

DR. DON ALLEN IS NOW ON THE BOARD OF THE COMPANION ANIMAL PROTECTION SOCIETY, A NON-PROFIT GROUP FOCUSED ON PET WELFARE ISSUES. HE JOINED US WHEN WE TOOK OUR HIDDEN CAMERAS TO THREE PETLAND STORES IN OHIO.

AND THOUGH DR. ALLEN CERTAINLY COULDN’T EXAMINE EVERY PUPPY, IN JUST ONE DAY, HE SPOTTED SOME POTENTIALLY SERIOUS PROBLEMS THAT HE SAYS ARE LIKELY LINKED TO HOW THE PUPPIES WERE BRED.

Dr. Allen: See, he’s got kinda like a moth eaten appearance here?

IT’S NOT CONTAGIOUS BUT APPEARED TO BE A HEREDITARY FORM OF MANGE.

Dr. Allen con’t: Probably all the puppies in this litter have it.

THIS CHIHUAHUA ALSO HAD A HEREDITARY PROBLEM – ONE THAT’S NOT UNCOMMON TO THIS BREED. BUT WE WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT IF WE HADN’T BROUGHT ALONG OUR VET.

Dr. Allen: It’s called an open fontanel.

Chris: What does that mean for a dog?

Dr. Allen: Got a hole in her skull.

THE SKULL HADN’T CLOSED AROUND THE DOG’S BRAIN. A BOP ON THE HEAD COULD BE FATAL.

Dr. Allen: The fact is here that pet stores have no other source of puppies other than puppy mills. If the three of us were to start a pet store tomorrow and sell puppies and were only going to buy from local breeders, well we might have puppies this month, but we don’t have 16 breeds every day of the year.