The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Fife couple sold pups that had deadly virus
PROBE: Heartbroken owners spent thousands on pets
A Glenrothes puppy seller is under investigation after she sold severely ill cockapoos for thousands of pounds to unsuspecting dog lovers.
Wendy McKenzie and her husband Ian were reported to the SSPCA by heartbroken owners who had paid the couple £2,500 for their puppies before finding out they were suffering from potentially lethal parvovirus.
One Perthshire woman was left distraught after her nine-week-old puppy Rosie died 10 days after she was brought home, costing the victim nearly £3,000 in vet bills.
A second owner ran up vet costs of £2,000 in a month to keep their dog alive.
They told The Courier: “It was our worst nightmare. We took her to the vet who told us she was extremely ill.”
Wendy McKenzie admitted selling the dogs but claimed she had done so on behalf of a friend and the puppies had been vet checked.
The Scottish SPCA have launched an investigation.
Aprobe has been launched amid claims sickly cockapoos have been sold for thousands of pounds to unsuspecting animal lovers.
Heart broken puppy owners reported Wendy McKenzie and her husband Ian to the SSPCA after buying dogs from the couple for £2,500 each, only to discover they had a host of health problems including the potentially lethal parvovirus.
One Perthshire woman, who wished to remain anonymous after receiving threats, told The Courier her young puppy Rosie died at only nine weeks old.
The distraught owner picked up her cockapoo on November 5 and it was put to sleep on Saturday after she had spent nearly £3,000 on vet bills trying to keep her alive.
“I took Rosie home after she had been supposedly vet checked and vaccinated,” she told The Courier.
“When we got her home she was covered in poo and they (the McKenzies) said that was because they had fed her wet food that day.
“Within 14 or 15 hours of picking her up she was back in the vets with parvovirus.”
Less than 10 days later, the vet was forced to put Rosie to sleep after she became too ill to keep alive.
The owner said: “It was the most horrible day. It was so awful to watch.”
Parvovirus is highly contagious and is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their faeces and the mortality rate can reach 91% in untreated cases.
Another owner from South Lanarkshire bought her cockapoo, Poppy, from the same couple at the same address in Glenrothes on October 15.
A few days later Poppy was rushed to the vet with parvovirus and a host of other health problems.
They also spent £2,500 on their dog, believed to be from a different litter and have run up a vet bill of over £2,000 keeping Poppy alive.
The owner, who wished to remain anonymous said: “It was our worst nightmare.
“She had diarrhoea when we brought her home. On the Monday we took her to the vet who told us that Poppy was extremely ill with parvovirus.”
The woman has since been contacted on Facebook by dog owners who have had similar issues with the McKenzies.
The Courier understands a third couple in the Glasgow area have also paid out thousands of pounds in vet bills after buying a cockapoo from the couple in November.
The SSPCA has confirmed officers have launched an investigation.
When contacted by The Courier, Wendy McKenzie, of Bute Drive, admitted selling the puppies but said they had been vet checked.
She said: “They were vet checked and the vet was happy with them. The SSPCA have permission to speak to the vet.
“I have no idea how they have gotten to be so ill. I was selling the puppies for a friend, they weren’t mine.
“If the vet had raised any concerns they wouldn’ t have went to a new home.”
An SSPCA spokesman said: “As this is an ongoing investigation we are unable to provide any comment.”