At Selah Mountain Dogs, the health and well-being of our puppies is one of our highest priorities.
Before leaving our care, each puppy is examined by a licensed veterinarian and deemed to be in good health. We also carefully health test the dogs in our breeding program before breeding.
Selah Mountain Dogs provides written health protection through the Purchase Agreement & Health Guarantee provided for each applicable puppy.
Important: This webpage is intended to provide an easy-to-understand summary of our health guarantee. Specific coverage, requirements, exclusions, timeframes, and remedies may vary by breed or contract version. The signed Purchase Agreement & Health Guarantee provided for your puppy always controls.
Puppies covered by our Purchase Agreement & Health Guarantee are guaranteed to be in good health at the time of pickup, delivery, or shipment and receive an initial 72-hour guarantee against life-threatening illness.
The Buyer must have the puppy examined by a licensed veterinarian within 72 hours of taking possession. This examination is at the Buyer's expense.
If the puppy is not examined by a licensed veterinarian during the required 72-hour period, coverage under the initial guarantee is void.
If the examining veterinarian believes the puppy has a pre-existing life-threatening condition, the Buyer must notify Selah Mountain Dogs immediately and within the 72-hour guarantee period.
The Buyer will be asked to provide:
- The name, address, and telephone number of the licensed veterinarian who examined the puppy.
- The veterinarian's diagnosis and all related medical records.
- If the puppy dies while in the Buyer's care, proof of death and, when necessary, an autopsy.
The Buyer must make arrangements to return the puppy to Selah Mountain Dogs, at the Buyer's expense, within 48 hours of diagnosis.
Selah Mountain Dogs will then have the puppy evaluated by our veterinarian. If the same qualifying life-threatening condition is confirmed, or if the puppy's death is confirmed to have resulted from a qualifying life-threatening illness, the Buyer may be eligible for one of the remedies provided under their signed agreement.
- Refund: A refund of the qualifying puppy purchase price upon return of the original puppy, subject to the exclusions contained in the signed agreement.
- Replacement Puppy: A replacement puppy from an appropriate future litter, subject to the terms of the signed agreement.
Application or reservation fees and transportation, delivery, or shipping expenses are not included in the refund or replacement remedy unless otherwise stated in the signed agreement.
Moving to a new home can temporarily affect a young puppy. Travel, a new environment, changes in routine, and separation from mom and littermates can create stress.
Temporary issues associated with this transition may include stress, low blood sugar, loose stools, or coccidia. Selah Mountain Dogs is happy to provide guidance to families during this transition.
Our Purchase Agreements also contain exclusions for certain conditions that can commonly occur in puppies and generally do not affect long-term quality of life.
These exclusions may include intestinal parasites, coccidia, giardia, bladder or urinary tract infections, undescended testicles, hernias, and other conditions specifically identified in the Purchase Agreement provided for your puppy.
The Health Guarantee does not cover change-of-mind circumstances.
Your puppy will receive age-appropriate vaccinations before leaving Selah Mountain Dogs. However, an 8-week-old puppy has not yet completed the full puppy vaccination series and can still contract serious contagious diseases.
It is extremely important that your puppy continue receiving appropriate veterinary care, including the initial veterinary examination required under the Health Guarantee.
At the same time, families must be very cautious about where an incompletely vaccinated puppy is allowed to walk.
Do not place your incompletely vaccinated puppy on public ground or other high-risk surfaces.
High-risk areas may include dog parks, heavily traveled sidewalks and streets, public grass areas, beaches, lakes, sports fields, pet-store floors, and the ground or floors in and around veterinary clinics.
Veterinary clinics regularly care for sick animals and can have significant exposure to contagious disease. When taking your puppy to the veterinarian, carry your puppy or use a clean pet carrier rather than allowing the puppy to walk through parking areas, sidewalks, grass, waiting-room floors, or other surfaces regularly used by unknown dogs.
Continue to use caution after the final puppy vaccination. Vaccinations require time to produce their full protective immune response, so follow your veterinarian's recommendations regarding when your puppy can safely begin walking in higher-risk public areas.
Our Health Guarantee does not cover certain contagious diseases, including diseases such as Parvovirus, Distemper, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, Coronavirus, Leptospirosis, Bordetella, and Lyme Disease.
Our Purchase Agreements include a 24-month Health Guarantee covering severely life-altering Hip Dysplasia and severely life-altering hereditary eye disease, subject to the requirements and exclusions contained in the signed agreement.
A qualifying claim must be supported by appropriate veterinary examinations, diagnostic testing, imaging, medical records, and other documentation necessary to establish the diagnosis.
Documentation must also support that the qualifying condition is hereditary rather than the result of environmental causes.
Examination, testing, imaging, specialist evaluation, and other veterinary expenses needed to establish a claim are the responsibility of the Buyer.
Hip Dysplasia claims must be supported by the orthopedic testing specified in the applicable Purchase Agreement, including OFA or PennHIP evaluation. Hereditary eye-disease claims must be supported by the appropriate veterinary eye evaluation required by the agreement.
Selah Mountain Dogs retains the right to obtain a second veterinary opinion.
If you believe your dog may have a condition covered by the 24-month Health Guarantee, please contact Selah Mountain Dogs before proceeding with surgery or treatment related to the claim.
Our Purchase Agreements require Breeder approval before surgery or treatment is performed for a claimed condition. Failure to follow the claim procedures contained in the signed agreement may void coverage.
The agreement may also require the Buyer to allow Selah Mountain Dogs an opportunity to obtain a second veterinary opinion before major decisions are made concerning a claimed condition.
If a qualifying severely life-altering condition is confirmed according to the requirements of the signed Health Guarantee, available remedies generally include:
- Treatment Reimbursement: Reimbursement of qualifying veterinary treatment expenses up to the amount provided in the applicable Purchase Agreement. Proof of veterinary expenses and paid invoices is required.
- Replacement Puppy: A replacement puppy from an appropriate future litter in accordance with the terms of the applicable Purchase Agreement.
Under our current agreements, the Buyer is generally not required to return the original dog when making a qualifying claim under the 24-month Health Guarantee.
Exact reimbursement amounts, replacement-puppy requirements, selection position, timeframes, and other claim conditions are governed by the Purchase Agreement & Health Guarantee provided for the individual puppy.
Our Health Guarantee is dependent on the Buyer providing appropriate care throughout the dog's life.
This includes:
- Regular veterinary examinations
- Veterinarian-recommended vaccinations
- Appropriate heartworm prevention
- Regular flea, tick, and worm prevention
- High-quality nutrition
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Appropriate grooming
- Age-appropriate daily exercise
- Training and responsible everyday care
Health-guarantee coverage may be void if a dog is overweight, underweight, neglected, improperly cared for, or otherwise fails to meet the care requirements contained in the applicable Purchase Agreement.
Selah Mountain Dogs is not responsible for illness, injury, or death resulting from neglect, malnourishment, dehydration, accidents, abuse, or circumstances that reasonably could have been prevented or treated by the dog's owner.
Growing puppies and young dogs should be protected from excessive physical stress while their bodies are developing.
Our Purchase Agreements ask families to carefully manage extensive running, repeated jumping from elevated surfaces such as beds, couches, or steps, rough play, and excessive activity on hard or slippery flooring while the puppy is growing.
Appropriate age-based exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, and thoughtful management during growth are especially important for protecting developing joints.
Some Purchase Agreements contain additional requirements regarding exercise, spay/neuter timing, and other factors that may affect Health Guarantee eligibility. Please refer to the agreement provided for your puppy for the exact requirements.
A written health guarantee is only one part of responsible breeding.
Our breeding program emphasizes parent health testing, thoughtful breeding decisions, veterinary care, early puppy development, temperament, and ongoing support for our puppy families.
Our relationship with our families does not end when a puppy leaves our home. If you ever have concerns about your puppy's health, development, or transition into your family, please contact us.
selahmountaindogs@gmail.com
This webpage is provided as a general summary and does not replace or modify the Purchase Agreement & Health Guarantee provided for an individual puppy. The signed agreement governs all coverage, eligibility requirements, exclusions, Buyer obligations, claim procedures, and remedies.