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EXCLUSIVE: Dagsboro woman says she was sold a sick puppy that left her family gravely ill

Woman Claims A New Puppy Caused Her Family To Be Hospitalized

A Dagsboro woman is speaking out, claiming she purchased a puppy from a private breeder in Sussex County only to discover that it was severely ill with a bacterial infection that infected her father and son who had to be hospitalized.

Alexis Boylen says she purchased her Caucasian Shepard, Drax back in January for $2,000 from a Facebook puppy page that operated out of Delmar only to realize once she got it home that it was gravely ill with a serious bacterial infection called Campylobacter that can affect humans, and did, seriously sickening her father and son.

“Immediately, within ten minutes of bringing him home, he had stomach issues and diarrhea on the floor, immediately,” Boylen explained. “I didn’t know if that was normal or not, so I thought ‘maybe he’s just getting used to puppy food, he just weened off his mom, and so about three days later I sent her [breeder] a message letting her know he’s had these problems since we got him.”

Concerned for the welfare of her new pet, Boylen took Drax to her veterinarian who diagnosed him with a serious bacterial infection called Campylobacter that can affect humans, and did, seriously sickening her father and son.

“My dad got really sick, he had a fever, stomach problems, and he was shaking with a fever and he said ‘I have to go to the hospital’ and I think it was after two days of being sick he went to the hospital and was hospitalized,” Boylen said. “They told him he has Campylobacter, which is a bacterial infection that people or pets can get and it can cause fever, diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and vomiting.”

It wasn’t long before Boylen says her son got sick.

“My son got sick about two days later and he had the same symptoms,” Boylen emphasized. “I took him to his doctor, got him tested, and he also had Campylobacter, both doctors told us this is something you can catch from a puppy and that I needed to get my puppy tested.”

Boylen reached back out to the breeder to apprise them of the situation, and they offered to pay for Drax to see their vet, which Boylen denied and instead took Drax to her veterinarian who diagnosed Drax with Campylobacter.

“I took them to my vet, ya know, I wanted him to see my vet,” Boylen said. “He came back positive for Campylobacter, Giardia, which is like a parasite that lives in the intestine, and I was also told that it was very contagious to other pets and I have two other dogs, and she told me that he had the worst case of hookworm she’s ever seen.”

Following the ordeal, Boylen says she reached out to the breeder who sold her the puppy who denied that the puppy was sick from their litter and eventually blocked her.

“I messaged the woman, let her know exactly what happened, and I said you told me you’d pay for him to see a vet, I had to take him to see a vet, here are the bills, and she told me ‘well, he didn’t get it from here,'” Boylen stressed. “Well, he’s been sick since I got him, and my pets have never been sick.”

We were able to track down the breeder who sold Boylen the puppy who refused to do an interview and vehemently denied that the puppy was sick when they sold it. By their own admission, the breeders do not have a license to breed and sell in the state of Delaware.

Boylen says Drax is now doing well and is healthy, and moving forward she’s considering legal action.

We’ll have more on this story and the full interview with Alexis on The Reporter’s Weekly this coming Saturday at 9 a.m. here on TV Delmarva.

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