RGV Puppies - Jessica Benavidez - Jessica Lynn - Jessica's Puppies: Sold us diseased puppy. ripoff McAllen, Texas

In August of 2006, we purchased an eight week old Chihuahua puppy from Jessica Benavidez of RGV Puppies. The puppy was shipped from McAllen, Texas to Seattle, Washington. My dad and I picked up the puppy at Seattle International Airport and noticed she was extremely lethargic and her breathing was shallow and fast. Thinking that the puppy was just stressed from the flight, we took her home, kept her warm and attempted to administer food and water.

We monitored her condition all night, and by the following morning her condition had worsened. She had no energy, very little movement, had diarrhea, was vomiting, and could not even raise her head. We immediately took her to a nearby emergency animal clinic where the veterinarian told us she was as close to death as she could be. She was diagnosed as extremely hypoglycemic and dehydrated. The veterinarian recommended she stay overnight in intensive care, was placed in an incubator and fed through a catheter all night. The outlook was not good. He didn't think she would make it through the night. It was a miracle she did.

She had improved somewhat the following morning, but the Doctor recommended that she be transferred to another animal hospital immediately for further diagnoses. More tests were administered. Again she was put on an I.V. in an incubator and monitored for several hours.

When we were finally allowed to take her home we were given several medications to help her condition. I administered the puppy's medications day and night and fed her food and water through a syringe to keep her alive. (The puppy was unwilling to eat or drink on her own).

Unfortunately her diarrhea and low energy continued and she was losing weight. Her condition was worsening every day. We returned to the animal hospital and after further tests she was given further injections for dehydration and we were given antibiotics for Clostridia which we administered day and night for three days.

After her condition worsened still, we returned to the clinic two days later whereby she was further diagnosed with internal parasites, (Coccidia). We were informed that this illness takes 13 days to develop which would have been under Ms. Benavidez's care.

After her Clostridia and Coccidia were finally under control she continued to suffer from several other infections over the next several months involving her understandably compromised immune system. On top of this we noticed she suddenly started itching and losing hair in patches all over her body. After taking her to the veterinarian they suspected either fungus or Mange was to blame. To rule out one or the other painful tests had to be performed involving the scraping of her skin until it bled and ripping out samples of her hair by the root. After another visit to the vet where even more tests were administered they were finally able to diagnose her with Mange. Our vet informed us that, along with the Clostridia and Coccidia, this was also something she had to have contracted from her mother.

To date, our puppy has suffered from the following: severe Hypoglycemia (from the moment we got her), Clostridia, Coccidia, and Mange - all of which (with the exception of Hypoglycemia) were contracted from the puppy's mother which obviously was while she was in the care of Jessica Benavidez. Additionally, she has suffered from several other subsequent infections involving her immune system and has had to be put on many different strains of antibiotics over time. All of these things have certainly taken a toll on her overall health and as a result she now has to be on a special diet and given several health supplements that are very expensive.

Despite how incredibly weak this puppy was she fought so hard throughout this whole ordeal. And luckily she overcame the odds. At one point our veterinarian once told me, She's lucky she has you guys. Most people would have given up a long time ago. Any other puppy would not have survived half of what Jessica Benavidez put her through. It's a miracle she is alive.
When we originally notified Ms. Benavidez of the critical condition and overnight hospitalization of the puppy, her only response was "Oh". She never once called or expressed concern over the health of the puppy after we informed her of her condition. Ms. Benavidez shipped us a diseased puppy that has cost thousands of dollars and hours of patient care and attention to keep alive. Throughout this horrible ordeal, she never once expressed concern over the life or well-being of this puppy, and refused to accept responsibility for the diseased state that she was in when she shipped her to us. We had 2 choices: let her die, or provide medical assistance to try to save her life. Luckily we chose the latter.

I beg anyone who is considering purchasing a puppy from Jessica Benavidez of RGV Pups to reconsider. All these puppies want is a chance at life. And that's the least they deserve. Unfortunately I've come across several other people who have been through very similar experiences after purchasing a puppy from this woman. Not only do many of these puppies die, they suffer trying to fight for their lives with all they've got before they do. Please do not support this woman. I'd like to save as many people the devastating heartbreak it would cause. (Not to mention the money).

Rakel
Federal Way, Washington
U.S.A.