- Report: #963799
Complaint Review: RCA Hunting Service - Burke South Dakota
Reported By:
Mulligans Kennel -
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
RCA Hunting Service
34532 291st Street Burke, 57523 South Dakota, United States of America
Phone:
605-775-2930
Web:
http://rcahunts.com/
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RCA Hunting Service Craig Lyon Sold 2 dying puppies and refuses to acknowledge calls and e-mails Burke, South Dakota
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Our family purchased a male GSP pup from RCA Hunting Service when the company, represented by Craig Lyon and his female companion (wife maybe?) were at the Scheels Expo in Sioux Falls, SD, on 25 August, 2012. By the 28th, the puppy was dying from a coccidiosis infection.
The infection was so bad, and so resistant, that instead being on Albon for 10 days, Rooster was on Albon from 28 August through the 19th of October. He also had whipworms and Giadia which were treated on 28 August through 7 September. We even tested him for Parvo because he was in such bad shape. Luckily, that was the one thing he didn't have.
Between 28 August and today, he almost died several times. We raced him to the vet every time, hoping they'd be able to save him. It was heart-breaking watching him waste away to little more than bones covered with blistered skin. His skin is covered with painful blisters from the protein deficiency, and he also began losing his hair. It wasn't mange- it was simply a result of complications arising from the coccidiosis infection.
We treated him for the protein absorbtion disorder which resulted from the coccidiosis, as well as the related hypoproteinemia. Rooster is also allergic to chicken, pork, eggs & turkey. Those are the ingredients in the special Hill's prescription diet he was placed on back in October. He is also allergic to lamb. I now cook his meals. He's on a home-made vegetarian diet with legumes and quinoa as the protein source, and a protein supplement powder. He gets injectable vitamin B12 every other day to keep his energy up.
We went to three different vets, searching for answers as to why his coccidiosis wouldn't resolve. All three were baffled as to why he was so sick, failing to thrive, had chronic blood-filled diarrhea, and his little body was racked with pain. At the third vet, we ran into another puppy buyer of RCA Hunting Service who owned Rooster's brother. They were dealing with the same thing, however their puppy wasn't as fortunate as ours. Their puppy died.
My fiance was ready to throw in the towel on Rooster and have him put down after we neared $1000 in medical bills. He said we could've purchased a started hunting dog from good bloodlines for that much money. He was correct, but I believed there had to be a way we could save Rooster.
On 19 October, Dr. Brost began treating him with Marquis, off-label, for the Albon-resistant coccidiosis. He was also placed on Tylan, and then Prednisone as a last ditch effort to save his life when he developed neurological symptoms. After almost $1200 worth of medical bills now, he's finally starting to get better. To give you an idea of how emaciated he is, he weighs 13 lbs at five months old. That's THIRTEEN pounds. He's just gained those last 3 pounds in the past two weeks.
All of these problems are a result of the coccidiosis he had from before we got him. We know it came from before we got him because his infection was so severe just three days after getting him. It has a 10-day incubation period, as does giardia. The first vet we went to said the fecal exam showed a slide "filled with coccidia." The second vet found the same thing upon a repeat fecal exam, and couldn't believe the Albon hadn't stopped the coccidia infection. The third vet, Dr. Brost, also found coccidia, and recommended that we repeat the Panacur to retreat for whipworms.
I did that, and this time treated him for 14 days instead of the usual 3 days. He remained on the Albon all this time, getting weekly repeat fecal exams. He picked up the coccidiosis infection while he was with RCA Hunting Kennel. Another reason we know he couldn't have picked up either infection here is that, with the exception of CARRYING him into the vet clinics (I didn't let him walk, even when he was able), he never left our property once. We just purchased this home in July. Prior to buying the home, there had been no pets on the property for 6 years.
While coccidia can be difficult to remove from an environment, it won't last 6 years without a host. Also, Rooster's littermate was never on our property. We just met them last Friday. Yet, he had the same infection- but he was even worse than Rooster because it killed him.
We've long given up on any hopes of Rooster becoming a hunting dog or a normal pet. Each day is either a "good day" or a race to the vet on his "bad days." We can't even vaccinate him because his immune system can't respond. We don't know when or if we'll ever be able to vaccinate him for rabies, distemper, parvo, etc.. This means he can't leave our property because he has no immunity and could quickly become infected with another disease. He needs his feet washed every time he goes outside to potty in case he licks his feet-- he might become reinfected with coccidia since it's now in our property.
We are extremely disappointed in how this poor puppy has suffered due to a coccidiosis infection that RCA Hunting Service could've prevented by keeping their property clean, and using a better deworming product and schedule. The strongid they used once was useless against the whipworms. Rooster will need home-cooked meals for the rest of his life. The likelihood of him surviving to a ripe-old age is minimal because of the severe illness he suffered for so long. We will love him and do our best to accommodate his special needs for whatever time we are able to spend with him.
We'd like RCA Hunting Service to make this puppy sale right. We understand there was no written health guarantee, but believe he'd like to maintain your kennel's reputation. Alas, Craig won't even return our calls and e-mails. After talking to the other puppy buyer, we learned that he stopped returning their calls as well.
If you are reading this, it means you've decided to check out the kennel before buying a pup from them. I wish someone else had filed a report we could've looked at so we'd know who we were dealing with. Maybe then things would've turned out differently.
The infection was so bad, and so resistant, that instead being on Albon for 10 days, Rooster was on Albon from 28 August through the 19th of October. He also had whipworms and Giadia which were treated on 28 August through 7 September. We even tested him for Parvo because he was in such bad shape. Luckily, that was the one thing he didn't have.
Between 28 August and today, he almost died several times. We raced him to the vet every time, hoping they'd be able to save him. It was heart-breaking watching him waste away to little more than bones covered with blistered skin. His skin is covered with painful blisters from the protein deficiency, and he also began losing his hair. It wasn't mange- it was simply a result of complications arising from the coccidiosis infection.
We treated him for the protein absorbtion disorder which resulted from the coccidiosis, as well as the related hypoproteinemia. Rooster is also allergic to chicken, pork, eggs & turkey. Those are the ingredients in the special Hill's prescription diet he was placed on back in October. He is also allergic to lamb. I now cook his meals. He's on a home-made vegetarian diet with legumes and quinoa as the protein source, and a protein supplement powder. He gets injectable vitamin B12 every other day to keep his energy up.
We went to three different vets, searching for answers as to why his coccidiosis wouldn't resolve. All three were baffled as to why he was so sick, failing to thrive, had chronic blood-filled diarrhea, and his little body was racked with pain. At the third vet, we ran into another puppy buyer of RCA Hunting Service who owned Rooster's brother. They were dealing with the same thing, however their puppy wasn't as fortunate as ours. Their puppy died.
My fiance was ready to throw in the towel on Rooster and have him put down after we neared $1000 in medical bills. He said we could've purchased a started hunting dog from good bloodlines for that much money. He was correct, but I believed there had to be a way we could save Rooster.
On 19 October, Dr. Brost began treating him with Marquis, off-label, for the Albon-resistant coccidiosis. He was also placed on Tylan, and then Prednisone as a last ditch effort to save his life when he developed neurological symptoms. After almost $1200 worth of medical bills now, he's finally starting to get better. To give you an idea of how emaciated he is, he weighs 13 lbs at five months old. That's THIRTEEN pounds. He's just gained those last 3 pounds in the past two weeks.
All of these problems are a result of the coccidiosis he had from before we got him. We know it came from before we got him because his infection was so severe just three days after getting him. It has a 10-day incubation period, as does giardia. The first vet we went to said the fecal exam showed a slide "filled with coccidia." The second vet found the same thing upon a repeat fecal exam, and couldn't believe the Albon hadn't stopped the coccidia infection. The third vet, Dr. Brost, also found coccidia, and recommended that we repeat the Panacur to retreat for whipworms.
I did that, and this time treated him for 14 days instead of the usual 3 days. He remained on the Albon all this time, getting weekly repeat fecal exams. He picked up the coccidiosis infection while he was with RCA Hunting Kennel. Another reason we know he couldn't have picked up either infection here is that, with the exception of CARRYING him into the vet clinics (I didn't let him walk, even when he was able), he never left our property once. We just purchased this home in July. Prior to buying the home, there had been no pets on the property for 6 years.
While coccidia can be difficult to remove from an environment, it won't last 6 years without a host. Also, Rooster's littermate was never on our property. We just met them last Friday. Yet, he had the same infection- but he was even worse than Rooster because it killed him.
We've long given up on any hopes of Rooster becoming a hunting dog or a normal pet. Each day is either a "good day" or a race to the vet on his "bad days." We can't even vaccinate him because his immune system can't respond. We don't know when or if we'll ever be able to vaccinate him for rabies, distemper, parvo, etc.. This means he can't leave our property because he has no immunity and could quickly become infected with another disease. He needs his feet washed every time he goes outside to potty in case he licks his feet-- he might become reinfected with coccidia since it's now in our property.
We are extremely disappointed in how this poor puppy has suffered due to a coccidiosis infection that RCA Hunting Service could've prevented by keeping their property clean, and using a better deworming product and schedule. The strongid they used once was useless against the whipworms. Rooster will need home-cooked meals for the rest of his life. The likelihood of him surviving to a ripe-old age is minimal because of the severe illness he suffered for so long. We will love him and do our best to accommodate his special needs for whatever time we are able to spend with him.
We'd like RCA Hunting Service to make this puppy sale right. We understand there was no written health guarantee, but believe he'd like to maintain your kennel's reputation. Alas, Craig won't even return our calls and e-mails. After talking to the other puppy buyer, we learned that he stopped returning their calls as well.
If you are reading this, it means you've decided to check out the kennel before buying a pup from them. I wish someone else had filed a report we could've looked at so we'd know who we were dealing with. Maybe then things would've turned out differently.
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3 Updates & Rebuttals
Mulligans Kennel
Yoder,Colorado,
Rooster died today.
#2Author of original report
Mon, March 25, 2013
Rooster finally succumbed to his life-long genetic immune system problems today. He stopped eating, stopped playing, couldn't regulate his body temp, became severely hypoproteinemic again, was covered in ringworm and blisters (none of our other dogs are ever ill, BTW), had chronic bloody diarrhea, and it was time to finally say enough is enough. He was about 10 mos. old and only weighed 16.8 lbs. He should've been closer to 70 lbs.
The vet said we went above and beyond to try to cure Rooster, but without an immune system he was defenseless. Rooster basically had round the clock hospital-level medical support from a certified vet tech (me) the entire time we had him. The longest he went between vet visists was 3 weeks. We spent close to 2 grand trying to fix him because we loved him and wanted to make him better.
Craig refuses to honor his word, has lied about having a vet come certify his property and animals as healthy, and is a bad businessman.
Buyer beware!
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Mulligans Kennel
Yoder,Colorado,
United States of America
Now he starts threatening us?
#3Author of original report
Sat, December 22, 2012
We contacted the BBB when we didn't hear back from Mr. Lyon again (he never sent the offered refund). The BBB contacted Lyon, and he tried to convince them that the matter was resolved. Since we hadn't heard back from Lyon beyond the initial offer of a refund, we let the BBB know the matter wasn't settled. Below is his response to the BBB and to us. We advised the BBB that we would be happy to meet him in court, and then waited for them to close the case for us so we could file the case in SD small claims court. He is clearly unfamiliar with what constitutes harassment. A consumer trying to get what they paid for isn't harassment.
*******************************
Dear Ms. Haper,
We received yet another complaint in writing from the BBB in regards to this consumer. We have visited with an attorney.
At this point, we are feeling frustrated and upset. We are deeply sorry about this puppy. We are not a puppy mill nor a puppy breeder. Our dogs are akc registered hunting dogs that are used for personal use and bird hunting in Burke, SD. This cute puppy litter was unplanned, and the dogs were not akc registered. We have never had any problems with any of our dogs. However, we do know that there are healthy dogs from this littler as evidenced by the one we see every day that our neighbor in Sioux Falls has from this litter. This puppy does come over and visit our yard with our shipoo dog and play together--both are perfectly healthy.
You see, This litter was born in Sioux Falls, where I reside when I am not hunting. This home has been in our family for over 20 years; so chances of exposure to something in the yard are slim. So, It was not kept with the hunting dogs (which are all healthy). After your complaint, we did how ever have the local vet come to our hunting lodge in Burke and examine all the dogs for preventative measures- they are all healthy as are their living conditions.
After doing extensive research on the claims we received from Jo, we could make assumptions that the puppy became stressed from the hunting show or was exposed to something there. Many children and adults ( as thousands were present for the show) handled the puppies there and many dogs were present as it was a dog expo.
We feel, as does our attorney-that the statments and claims made by the consumer, Jo are quite accusatory, insulting, and that she has already been party to charter defamation of our good name.
We also feel that this is harassment. We offered to reimburse for the $150.00 (which is similar to what would be paid for a dog from the humane society) out of the kindness of our hearts, yet we receive further complaints that we did not pay timely enough. We are in agreement with our attorney and our vet--Jo should have contacted us IMMEDIATELY when the puppy became ill, we would have gladly returned the money at that time and taken the dog to OUR trusted vet. Rather, SHE CHOSE to spend money and then contact us months later, throwing accusations and claims with statements of character defamation against us and asking us for money. It was HER CHOICE to spend this money, and WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE for HER CHOICES. We feel, if what Jo is saying about the puppy's medical conditions is true-the puppy should have been put to sleep rather than endure this type of cruelty and suffering. We cannot be held responsible for the puppys suffering based on HER actions and decisions. We can not be responsible for a puppy getting sick after it is out of our home--it WAS healthy when it left here. This is a devistating story about a very sick puppy, and it is heart breaking. We feel very deeply about it. However, we were not given the opportunity to make it right, nor were we given the opportunity to make decisions that would have improved this puppys quality of life or health. Because Jo did not contact us immediately and return the dog, we are not responsible. And because of her continued complaints, accusations, and character defamation towards our business which she knows nothing about- we are not reponsible nor willing to reimburse her $150.00 at this point in time and are considering a defamation counter suit.
Alhtough we are deeply sorry for this puppy, We respectfully request no further contact from Jo or her associates as we find it harassment.
Craig Lyon
Mulligans Kennel
Yoder,Colorado,
United States of America
Update #1
#4Author of original report
Sun, November 25, 2012
This was his response to us:
Sent: Saturday, November 3, 2012 3:10 PM
Subject: RE: Puppy we got from you Dear Jo,
I'm very, very sorry that your dog became ill. I'm also sorry I didn't get back to you sooner but I wanted to do some research on coccidiosis, as I have never heard of it before.
On Wikipedia it stated that puppies are frequently infected - even from deligent breeders, which I am not. I have never been a breeder or sale dogs on a regular bases. The last pups we had was about two years ago and none of them became ill and I still have three pups from that litter.
The pup you have was born in Sioux Falls and was not exposed to other dogs and the people that lived there previously did not have dogs. There pin was cleaned with detergent and bleach twice daily. The medication and shots they received was what the vet prescribed. Whipworms are as common as pin worms that dogs get and I worm all of my dogs every six months. The pups were weaned early and had no exposure to there mother after they were four weeks old.
I also read that coccidiosis can be activated by stressors such as new owners, travel, and weather. It also states that permanent damage to there GI system is rare. I would have never sold any of the pups if I thought they were ill. No-one loves dogs as much as I do and it hurts me deeply that your pup became ill and suffered. I feel greatful that he went to a loving and caring family.
My hunting business is down 75% due to the economy. I am taking odd jobs to make ends meet and feed my family. I am truely sorry and would be more than happy to return your $150.00, I wish I could do more.
Sincerely,
Craig Lyon
