Cumberland, MD asked in Civil Litigation for Maryland

Q: Hi I need a lawyer to contact me about advice on puppy lemon laws in Maryland!

Hi I'm looking for advice on lemon laws in Maryland. I bought a german shepard puppy on January 8th for 650$ from Oldtown, MD. Not 2 days after having the puppy she started passing full size worms and was seen and cured at the vet. 3 days later the worms came back and she had to be hospitalized for 3 days from losing so much it was making her anemic. Will the owner owe all the vet costs plus the 650 rehoming fee? Or just the 650$

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1 Lawyer Answer
Mark Oakley
Mark Oakley
Answered
  • Rockville, MD
  • Licensed in Maryland

A: Worms are common with puppies, and with medication will likely all be gone by the time the dog is 6 month old. The medicine only kills live worms, not those embedded in their egg shells inside the puppy ‘s tissue, which are passed to the puppy in the womb by the mother dog. Therefore, if there are egg cysts from the mother, they will hatch in the first six months. Just keep your puppy on a deworming medication during that time. It is not a reason to rehome the puppy. Obviously, my answer is one any vet can give you, and is not legal advice. As for suing, it’s a small claims action, either based on the terms of your purchase contract, any relevant representations the seller made which were false but which you relied upon, or on a general breach of warranty theory that they failed to deworm the dog with medication as similar dog breeders should do; however, they very well may have done so, but the medication wears off and cannot kill worms that hatch later. This is just a normal part of owning a puppy.

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