Does Rescue group have liability to pay vet bills for recently adopted dog with Parvo?

Question

We purchased our dog from a rescue on Saturday. Three days later, the dog was diagnosed with Parvo. Is there any obligation for the rescue to help pay our vet bills?

Answer

I hope your dog does well. Rights and responsibilities of rescues and adopters are usually contained in an adoption agreement. These agreements often contain veterinary care provisions. Some agreements state that the rescue will pay veterinary expenses or provide veterinary care if the animal becomes ill within a certain number of days after adoption (but often further state that the veterinary services must be provided by a specific veterinary clinic). If it can be demonstrated that the rescue intentionally adopted out a sick animal without informing the adopter, a court would likely hold the rescue responsible for veterinary fees (but rescues are typically life savers and would not intentionally adopt out sick animals without informing adopters). Small Claims Court is an inexpensive and user friendly venue to try to litigate relatively small monetary disputes (although, hopefully, these situations would be more amicably resolved). Again, I hope your dog gets better soon.