Iron Spike Ranch review: Sick Pups 4

The pictures from my previous post are as follows: 1) The spot on the pup's flanks upon surrender to the kennel - one large spot where the dog continually scratched and a smaller one, just below it. 2) The spot two weeks later, after anti-microbial treatment. The smaller spot it gone and the larger spot is already healing, less inflamed and drying up. 3) the anti-microbial shampoo used to treat the spot. 4) Pup's flank just over two months later, after return to the trainer. The treatment had ceased, the pup received no additional anti-microbial or other treatment and entered into a training program. Despite all that, the pup completely healed up - you can see a faint outline of where the spot HAD been. 5) The pup's face and legs - no tell tale signs of demodex which usually presents as a speckled rash on face & legs, then spreads, causing widespread hair loss. Clearly, the pup NEVER had demodex, she had a hot spot.

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I'd like to respond to the person who posted about a scratching dog. First of all, that person did not buy the dog from Iron Spike Kennels. They purchased the dog from a trainer who purchased the dog from the kennel. However, when the breeder heard about a complaint of demodex, she voluntarily got involved from a breeder's standpoint. She was interested in knowing if, in fact, this diagnosis was accurate. If so, this would have implications regarding whether or not the dam should be bred again. This was the third litter for the dam and there had been no prior cases of demodex. In over a decade, there were over a hundred pups from that bloodline, and no other cases of demodex. Even though the kennel did not sell the dog to the complainant, they still volunteered to take the dog, get a second vet's opinion and do whatever necessary to rectify the situation. The breeder was given a prescription strength anti-microbial to use on the spot. After just 10 days of anti-microbial treatment, what was diagnosed by the complainant's vet as "an usual presentation of demodex" (it looked more like a large, singular hot spot on the dog's flank than the tell tale series of small patches and rash on face and legs symptomatic of demodex), the spot began to clear up. Worth repeating... the spot on the dog responded to anti-microbial treatment. The kennel kept the dog, sending weekly to daily updates, pictures and information to the owners. The kennel willingly incurred all expenses for anti-microbial baths, anti-fungal sprays and creams, vet visits, feed and ongoing preventative health care, such as flea, tick, intestinal parasite and heartworm protection. After the patch began to grow back hair, which took about 6 weeks, the complainant above REFUSED TO TAKE THE DOG BACK. She insisted the condition was demodex, even though the dog had no symptoms, save for a receding bald spot on her flanks. When the woman refused the dog, the breeder did the only thing left to do - return the dog to the person who purchased it from her: the trainer. The complainant above claimed that the dog could not perform as a hunting dog because the stress from working would cause a demodex outbreak. Upon taking receipt of the dog, the trainer put the pup back into training and at not even a year old, she was running multiple and blind retrieves and started on casting. All the while, the hot spot, which turned out to be a fungus, further exacerbated by bacteria, continued to recede and grow hair. So, this pup was actually surrendered because she contracted a fungus after being in her new home for almost a month. I'd say the breeder really stepped up and did everything she could - and the woman STILL wouldn't take the dog back. Attached are pictures of the dog's "demodex." Anyone who is at all familiar with the condition knows that it does not look like this - this is a HOT SPOT. Furthermore, demodex would not respond to anti-microbial treatment and would not reverse in less than two months time. This was never demodex, it was a hot spot.

I too purchased a 9 month old female lab from Dawn. Get the dog home and in one week the dog starts scratching like crazy. I contact Dawn and she informs me its the dogs bed that I purchased her. Take the bed up and she should be fine. So I did exactly that, the dog continues to scratch and by this point she has a place on her side missing hair. I decide to take her to the vet. The vet confirms Demodex. The dog has a triple positive skin scrape. I contact Dawn and she flips out on me in my vets office screaming to the point I was nearly in tears. The vet wants to immediately spay the dog and start treatment on this GENETIC condition. In Dawns rant she informs me that the dog has a skin allergy due to me bathing her to much. I inform the vet that I am going to give her to the breeder for the breeder to treat being that its a genetic condition. Dawn finally calms down and decides she is going to take the dog back and treat her and give her back to me. the first week she is keeping me posted and everything is going great. We ask for a refund and that wasn't an option. I check on the dog daily (we loved her) Second week I can barley get an update and finally almost three weeks later. I receive an email from Dawn stating the dog was getting better and then she got worse, they took her to "their" vet who confirmed demodex. and our hearts were broke. We had spent $2, 500 on a genetically sick dog! I asked about the treatment process and then after my husband and I talked we again just wanted a refund. We purchased a healthy dog. NO RESPONSE FROM DAWN! She went almost a month without responding to any form of communication from us at all. To then email me and tell me we didn't want the dog so she gave her to her daughter. YES you read that right. Iv contacted the daughter 4 times with no response. Our only other option is contact an attorney. PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS PLACE! Not only are they dishonest I have the emails that prove they breed these dog back. Meaning every single dog from this bloodline could have Demodex. It is present in one of the parents if not both. Please be careful people this is a lot of money and a true heartbreak for our family. I hope just telling our story saves someone else from he same heartbreak