Question
My mom and I adopted this wonderful dog not that long ago from a shelter. The day we brought her home we noticed she was urinating involuntarily non-stop. We took her to the vet thinking she had a UTI and the vet prescribed her an antibiotic. A few days later the urine didn't stop so we called the vet again. They informed us that because she was fixed that might cause issues with her bladder. They then told us in order to fix this it would cost us over $3,000. The pound didn't inform us of this problem, we basically adopted a dog that we can't possibly afford. Do we have any legal right to ask for them to cover some medical bills? Really hoping so as we don't want to give her up. Thanks!
Answer
Rights of adopters and shelters are typically contained in a written adoption agreement. Even if the adoption agreement does not state that the shelter will provide or pay for veterinary care (and usually these agreements state that the adopter is responsible for the animal’s veterinary care), some shelters will work with adopters to ensure that the adopted animal gets necessary veterinary care, particularly when animals become so sick immediately after adoption. Spaying can provide health benefits and should not cause bladder problems. Good luck!
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