Complaint Review: Oppie's Labradors

I purchased an English Labrador puppy from Oppie's Labradors of Montague Co., Texas. After six weeks of having the puppy, the puppy was observed to substantially swing its right hind limb outward. Took the puppy to a general Doctor of Veternarian Medicine. Decided to wait to see how growth would proceed and too young to do any correction. At approximately eight months, the general DVM strongly suggested have her checked by a Diplomate orthopedic DVM. The puppy also started strutting on her front limbs. The orthopedic vet diagnosed the puppy with "bilateral elbow dyplasia with medial coronoid processes and resultant osteoarthritis, and, bilateral hip dysplacia resulting in subluxation with acetabular infilling" on both elbows and both hips respectively. In addition, she had an undeveloped vaginal cavity.

The breeder, Andrew and Tracy Oppenhuizen, were immediately notified with a phone call from the vet's office per their so-called one-year health guarantee certificate that they signed. Told them the approximate cost of all future estimated surgeries and asked for them to take responsibility of their breeding catastrophe I purchased and pay $2000 towards vet bills and nothing more. They refused and accused me of allowing the puppy to "become overweight" or had been  "excessively exercised." Told Mr Oppenhuizen I also had another Lab puppy one day younger from another breeder as a companion and it was in excellent condition and both lived with the same food intake and exercise. Their weights were also certified to be perfect for their age by the vet. Oppenhuizen would only substitute another puppy. That was unacceptable since I did not trust their breeding and may have received another orthopedic disaster puppy. The one I had most likely would have been killed by the breeder given they had no way of re-selling her due to her condition or financially supporting a orthopedic dehibilitated dog that couldn't be bred in the future.

The dog now at only 15 months old has had two total hip replacements and orthorscopy surgeries with bone fragments removed inside both elbows. The breeder never contacted me to ask or show concern about her condition since the phone call to him from the vet's office months earlier. Total cost was approximated $20,000.00. I gave him a good "out" of paying $2000.00 instead of him now having to deal with court costs and complaints sent to the State of Texas AG and State of Texas Dept. of Agriculture.

Oppie's Labradors website advertises that their dogs, come with a written "health guarantee against genetic defects." I told the Oppenhuizens they need to take the two dogs used in breeding out of service that generated the litter from which I purchased the puppy. To this date they have stupidly ignored taking the two dogs out of service. The two dogs used were Breaking Bad Brody (SR76539401 05-15) and Jujubee (SR85851508 08-16). In fact, in their website, Oppenhuizen specifically state these two dogs are bred together.

It turned out at time of puppy's purchase the breeders had no OFA certification but claimed to be working on it (red flag). Breeder wanted to meet elsewhere rather than at their facility (red flag) and did not bring the two breeding dogs to show (red flag) nor show any OFA health documentation of the two breeding dogs to be certified free of hip and elbow dysplasia (red flag).

After surgery, the surgical vet documented that the puppy's orthopedic problems were clearly due to an inherited component.

I now wonder how many other puppies have been bred by these two people that turned out to have orthopedic disease; especially the litter my puppy came from?

All these facts are known by the Oppenhuizens and medically documented multiple times by both the general DVM and the surgical Diplomate DVM.