Pup from RSPCA and where i stand on vet treatment?

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Blue-bear

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I recently rehomed a JRT from *whispers*! RSPCA. Hes 6 months old now and a wonderful dog.
Recently i have been attending the puppy training classes that were compulsory for having him and have started to become concerned about his eyesight.
It hasnt just been at the classes ive noticed, but on other occasions when hes bumped into things i think he should have seen and also in the daylight he gets very squinty.
Since the day weve had him hes had one really runny eye and thinking about it now it could well be related.
So if he had eyesight problems when we rehomed him should the RSPCA vet look at him? Thinking that this probably should have been checked by them anyway?
 
No hes not insured. He was neutured and had his back dew claws removed (which has left him with huge scars
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) but you would think they would have checked his general health before that.
Im taking him to my vets thurs morning to see if its just my imagination but assuming its not i cant help but feel its something they have missed and therefore should cover the fees............
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I would ring and ask but after 6 months I can't imagine they're going to pay for vet treatment for you (have a look on the adoption paperwork you signed as there should be terms and conditions on it)
 
It might not have been evident when he had his health check. Im not sure they would help you with the costs but I think you need to contact them as im sure there vet will want to check it out. Im suprised they dont make you take out insurance as part of the contract.
 
I would not hold out to much hope, as suggested by Keltic, he should have had a full and thorough vet check, and if he did they should have it on record that the vet checked him as healthy, if his eye was runny/sore, did u mention it, or return him for it to be checked? if not, they may question why?
Get him vet checked first and then enquire.

If we give a dig out it is fully health checked, and goes with insurance, and covers them from the moment they leave us for 6 weeks, we then expect insurance to be carried on by the adopter, was there nothing like this in place for the RSPCA?
 
[ QUOTE ]
sorry
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should have put on OP have had him approx 7 weeks now....

[/ QUOTE ]

Have u had him checked yet?
Did they say anything about the sore eye when u took him?
 
I work for the RSPCA (at a rehoming centre) and the way we work it is that if the animal had a known problem then you'd have been told about this before even reserving him (and this should be the case at all RSPCA centres) - in which case, it would be your responsibility to then take any necessary action to treat the condition.

In the case of the RSPCA not picking up on the problem (very likely) then I'm also afraid that it isn't their responsibility to pay for anything further. Being a charity, they can't possibly pay for treatment post-adoption for an animal. Under extreme circumstances IF you'd taken your dog back say within a week or maximum say 2 weeks after taking him then they might have allowed you to see the vet they use (i.e. you'd get a reduced rate to what you'd normally pay) but they certainly wouldn't pay for anything entirely. It would've been part of the documents and agreements you signed when you adopted him - part of the small print basically.

Did you adopt him from an RSPCA centre or branch? (there is a difference!) :-)
 
The fact that it has taken you 7 weeks to pick up on the problem may be testament to why it was not picked up (if it was even evident then) whilst at the shelter. If he was neutered whilst in the care of the RSPCA then he would have had a general health check before an aneasthetic would have been permitted. With regard to the dew claws if they were very flappy claws then the liklehood of him catching them and tearing them off would have been great hence they would have been removed when neutered to reduce the amount of aneasthetics the dog would be subjected to. This is common practice even in private vets (no connection to RSPCA)

If he has come from a branch run shelter then you could try the local branch and see if any help could be gained towards the costs of treatment but this will depend on the area and the bank balance!!!

The RSPCA or any charity for that matter cannot be held responsible for any health problems an animal gains after leaving a shelter, except with certain exceptions (i.e feral cat rehoming some elderly animals etc). The costs would be astronomical. Vets bills are a part of animal ownership and you take on that responsibility when you take on the responsibility of owning an animal.
 
I got Indie from the RSPCA in Bristol and as she was so old and a bit knackered they said I could go and see their vet for the first few weeks.Maybe your centre would do an initial consulation as it could be something they should have picked up but didn't. It's not right to let you adopt a dog without giving it a clean bill of health so they should at least give you a diagnosis but the treatment following would and should be your responsibility if you decide to keep the dog.

It's quite likely that you wouldn't notice a problem with his eyesight for 7 weeks. Dogs are very adaptable and good at disguising their weaknesses.
 
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