Q: I bought a puppy and he turned out to be sick with parvo can I sue the seller for not having the animal tested befor
A:
Im very sorry to hear your puppy is sick with parvo! That can be a very deadly disease. I hope he/she pulls through!
Yes, you can sue, but it would be best to take all your paperwork to an experienced animal attorney to go over your options and chances for recovery of damages.
A: This would depend on what your contract says and you would also need to have a veterinarian state that testing the puppy prior to selling it to you would have found the disease. Parvo is one of those diseases that has a certain incubation period, and testing during the incubation could give you a false negative until the dog "pops" with the disease. It would also make a difference how long you had the puppy before he showed symptoms. Furthermore, Dept of Ag rules only state that pet sellers are not to sell pets that have undisclosed illnesses, but the store has to know they have the illness. The state is looking at passing a puppy "lemon law" this year, but currently, unless you can show they knew the puppy was ill, you probably will not recover any money from them.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
