Dundee dog owners have warned buyers to check breeders after they were sold inbred puppies.
Two owners have shared their experiences caring for the pups in an attempt to raise awareness and prevent others from going through the same pain.
Margaret McNally and Gemma Malcolm each purchased a Rottweiler puppy from someone they believed to be a reputable breeder in the Dundee area at the start of the year.
At first, everything went well for the two pet owners, with the young pups acting normally and settling into their new homes.
Problems with legs and eyes
However, after a few months, both pet owners began to notice that their dogs were acting strangely.
Margaret said: “We had actually purchased a dog from the same breeder before and we were looking for another one.
“She messaged us saying that there was a new litter on the way and gave us a price of £1,250, saying that they would be Kennel Club registered pups.
“We thought it was a reasonable price so we went to see the dogs and they all looked healthy, but when we were there we didn’t get to see the dad.
“Still, because we knew the breeder and considered her a friend we trusted her word and agreed to take one of the puppies.
“Fast forward to a few months ago, we started to notice that the dog, Teddy, was having some issues with his legs.
“His eyesight was also pretty bad and there were problems with his bowels.
“We were told that none of the other puppies were having problems.”
Inbreeding dogs is not illegal in the UK but experts advise against it due to the health problems it can cause.
Heartbreaking
Gemma’s new dog has also experienced health issues in the past few months.
She said: “We bought one of the pups, Caesar, for £1,150.
“He has been walking with a limp in his front right paw.
“He is booked into the vets as his tear gland has popped out and while under anaesthetic they will x-ray him as most likely to have elbow dysplasia.
“This is costing us an estimated £950 and is not a preventative treatment.
“He is now restricted to a garden and not able to go on long walks, which is heartbreaking for an eight-month old pup.”
Both dog owners eventually discovered that their dogs were actually inbred, with the two Rottweilers which produced their puppies being mother and son.
They soon contacted the Scottish SPCA and it is understood that they have investigated the matter.
What is the problem with inbreeding?
While it is not illegal to inbreed dogs in the UK, the practice can be incredibly harmful to the litters produced.
The act of breeding a dog with its own offspring – known as line breeding – is especially harmful, with dogs produced this way much more likely to be born with defects.
Scottish SPCA chief veterinary officer Ian Futter said: “Line breeding is really bad practice – it’s really dangerous.
“With line breeding you’re much more likely to have real health problems.
“Rottweilers are generally healthy but you can see things like overshot or undershot jaws and other conditions.
“Those kinds of things might not show up in every puppy in the litter and when a puppy is sold it may not be obvious that there are any problems.
“If there are serious issues it can become really expensive and emotional for the owners.”
The dog breeder declined to comment.