Question
My niece adopted a puppy from a foster organization. It seemed unwell from day 1, by day 5 he had stopped eating and had diarrhea. They took him to a vet who had to do emergency surgery at a cost of $2,900. He had a dog toy in his stomach which the vet thinks was inside him when they bought him. Does anyone bear any responsibility for this huge vet bill?
Answer
I hope the puppy is doing well! Rights of adopters and rescues/foster organizations are generally contained in an adoption agreement. These agreements typically include provisions regarding veterinary care. It may be difficult to prove that the dog toy was in the puppy’s stomach when the puppy was adopted unless a veterinarian is willing to testify that it was, since consuming a dog toy could happen after adoption. People who think they are owed money can sue to try to get compensated. Small Claims Courts are a user friendly and inexpensive venue to try to resolve relatively small monetary disputes.
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