Petland Novi, MI 18 month old puppy sold by Petland euthanized due to genetic kidney disease, owners found was bred at puppy mill. Novi Michigan

To Whom It May Concern:

Have you ever had to put your 18-month-old puppy down while he was still wagging his tail and playing with toys?  I have.  Do you know what it is like to put your loyal companion to sleep while he looks at you with big playful eyes? I do.

On August 27^th, 2015 our black Labrador Retriever, Biggby, was diagnosed with Renal Dysplasia after what we thought was going to be a routine visit to the veterinarian.  We first took him to a local vet who ran a blood test and sent us to an emergency vet.  They then looked at his condition via ultrasound and shared the heartbreaking news that our little buddy had an incurable kidney disease called Renal Dysplasia.  This is a genetic disease, usually caused from inbreeding, in which the puppy’s kidneys never develop.  The baby-sized kidneys they are born with are the only kidneys they have to function on, and eventually as the puppy grows the kidneys can’t keep up with filtering the toxins out of the dog’s body.  Even the kidneys that they do have are damaged and full of cysts so they can’t produce enough blood for a pup reaching adulthood to be healthy. 

Biggby was the most sweet and loving dog we have ever known.  Our friends and family shared in the joy he brought and loved him like their own. He really made an impact in our community as well, and was being trained to be a therapy dog.  He also attended a day camp and the workers there were also very attached to him. This being said, when I found out Biggby needed a kidney I researched his breeder in order to contact her and see if I could get a healthy kidney from one of his relatives in order to do a transplant. We were willing to do anything.  As soon as I typed in his breeder’s name I was appalled at what I saw.  There are several advocacy groups that warn against this breeder stating that she is running a puppy mill.  I also found out that she failed several of her last inspections with the state of Kansas for the conditions that her dogs were kept in.  I felt so betrayed by Petland who told me that he was from a “champion bloodline” and was bred by one of the best most renown Labrador breeders there is.  We were also told that he was checked for any health deficiencies and he was a completely healthy puppy.  So in order to prevent us from going through any heartache like we have, we were willing to pay the $1700 that Petland wanted for the dog.

After his visit to the emergency vet, we took Biggby to another vet the net day to get a second opinion and to see what, if anything, they could do for us.  They ran the blood work again and saw the same sad findings.  They also ran IV fluids through him overnight in order to flush out toxins in his kidneys.  Unfortunately when his blood tests were checked the again afterward, we were told that his levels had worsened.  On August 29^th, 2015 we had to put down our puppy.  It was the most heartbreaking day of our lives.  Because we do not have any children, Biggby was our child.  He was treated just as if he was one of us. 

Here is some of the information that comes up when you do a simple Google search for “Marla Yeubanks” the name of his breeder…

K & M KENNEL YEUBANKS, KEVIN & MARLA

ADDRESS

Coffeyville , KS

USDA Licence # 48A1828

Breeds: Poodle, Labrador Retriever, Shih Tzu

USDA inspection notes (from March 29, 2011 unless otherwise noted)

• 2723 door frame/doggy door of outdoor housing of poodle shelter needs repaired
• 2720 excessive feces in lab pens.
• 2724 door frame/doggy door of outdoor housing of poodle shelter needs repaired
• 2730 cob webs on walls and ceiling of poodle and lab shelters.
• 2737 cob webs on walls and ceiling of poodle and lab shelters.
• 2718 excessive feces in lab pens.
• 2721 replace surface, feces, dirt, and gravel mixed cannot clean and sanitize properly.
• 2728 Inside walls of shelter of Poodle and Lab enclosure.
• 2736 Inside walls of shelter of Poodle and Lab enclosure.
• 2716 replace surface, feces, dirt, and gravel mixed cannot clean and sanitize properly.
• 2717 replace surface, feces, dirt, and gravel mixed cannot clean and sanitize properly.
• 2726 Inside walls of shelter of Poodle and Lab enclosure.

Is it any wonder that Biggby had a genetic birth disease? If Petland at all researches their breeders how in the world can it be possible for them to purchase a dog from someone with such a TERRIBLE reputation?  Also, why do they tell you gobs of information at purchasing about how well bred the dog is and about his bloodline and his health, when a simple Google search shows so many red flags? (and this is just one of MANY disgusting inspection reviews about this breeder, don’t look at the pictures if you don’t want to be devastated)

Becuase we were so devastated with what happened to us, and did not want anyone else to experience something like this my husnad and I placed a review online stating our experince, Petland then, out of the blue, tried blackmailing us, telling us that if we take down our review they will give us 100% towards a new dog and if we don't they will not.  This was outrageous as well, as if our puppy was just replacable.  I wouldn't want another pet from there if they PAID ME to take it.  We were then warned that they may seek legal counsel against us. This is the last thing we need while we are still grieving the loss of our best friend.

 Please assist us in making right this tragic event, as our hearts, and many of those in the community in which we live, have been broken.