Seller keeps delaying WB vetting

[Gemini]

I am having major doubts and need some advice. I think I found my perfect girl 12 year old WB X! The only problem is the seller has postponed the prepurchase exam 3 times already on me and I am beginning to wonder if there is something he could be trying to hide?! Whenever it’s planned he will text me 3 days in advance and tell me she’s still coughing and congested and we should but it off. He has her on antibiotics but I haven’t seen her in this 3 week time period. Should I walk away? I really love this mare but I am starting to get iffy on these constant delays?

Advice would be so appreciated, I’m so upset and don’t know what to do!

[Scribbler]

Well, it certainly sounds like horsey has some respiratory infection. I would say: I am seriously interested in this horse, but I won’t buy without the PPE. Let me know when she has recovered from her head cold/strangles/whatever it is, and we can proceed.

[atr]

Respiratory infections/viruses/coughs can take an age to clear up, so he may not be trying to hide anything. I know my old guy was out of work for a good 4 or 5 weeks when he picked up a cough a few years ago. (And I had the flu about 6 weeks ago, and still certainly wouldn’t pass a PPE…)

I wouldn’t give up yet if she’s a good one. When you do finally get the PPE, I’d mention it to the vet and get him to check out her respiratory system thoroughly, however.

[Palm_Beach]

I see both sides. But be careful, most antibiotics can have anti inflammatory properties, so if there is a physical issue lurking, it may get masked. I’d find out what the horse is being treated with, and ask my vet what effect that would have on the prepurchase.

[js]

Have you or are you able to go by and check on the horse yourself to see if it really does have a cough/congestion? A bit untrusting but might help assure you seller has the horse’s and your best interest regarding the PPE.

[gumtree]

“I am beginning to wonder if there is something he could be trying to hide?! Whenever it”

IMO this depends on the seller. If it is someone that sells the odd horse they most likely don’t know enough about the process to have nonferrous intent.

Someone that sells and has been selling horses for a while maybe. “The horse lost a shoe and my farrier can’t get here for a couple of weeks. I let you know when he is out of the hospital”.

Sure respiratory issues can be serious but most are not. If it is serous most vets would take blood and swab their mucus for a lab to check out before deciding what to treat with.

So there should a vet report and possible a lab report. Certainly wouldn’t be out of line to ask for this as a perspective buyer. I would want to know if it was minor, run of the mill “barn cough”. Or something much more serious that may or may not be chronic and or have some long term damaging effect, scaring on the horse’s lungs,

Not be allowed to see, interact with the horse is strange IMO. I certainly would allow it. Getting that close to seeing a check I wouldn’t want to loose the buyer’s interest. Lots of horses for sale. The internet makes it real easy to window shop.

[Highflyer]

If you haven’t put a deposit down, I would just let them know that you’re going to keep looking at horses but to let you know when horse has recovered. If you find another horse in the meantime, great. If not, you can do a thorough PPE. If you have put down a deposit, it comes down to what your contract says, but IME this would usually be enough to void it.

I don’t think it’s necessarily nefarious (did they SAY you couldn’t see the horse, or have you just not seen it?) but obviously being cautious is always a good thing.

[fordtraktor]

Have you not seen her because he won’t permit it or because you just haven’t been out there? that was unclear to me. if you are worried, go see her. I’d probably want to do that anyway just to see what this “resp infection” looks like in person.

[shezabrazenmare]

walk away

[findeight]

How long has this been going in and did you put down a deposit? Sign a contract? At some point you need to go see the horse, this doesn’t sound like a run of the mill case of the snots if it’s been going in for several weeks. The horse may be losing condition while you wait and may not be in useable shape until it recovers fully. It’s not in marketable condition as it was when your offer was accepted.

If you do not have a signed contract, its possible seller is still shopping the horse around or holding it for another potential buyer.

You need to visit! If seller says no way? Walk.

[GrayMare]

I think it’s impossible to know. Personally, if I were selling a horse with a respiratory infection I’d prefer to wait until the horse had recovered before completing the vetting and the transaction, both to protect myself from being blamed later if the horse should prove more ill than suspected and also because its better to avoid the virus being spread to other barns/horses. Normally, sellers as well as buyers want a transaction where everyone is happy afterwards.

From your standpoint as a buyer, you definitely want to wait until the horse has recovered to do your vetting, 1) because you don’t want to take the chance that the infection gets worse instead of better, 2) you don’t want to bring a sick horse home or to your boarding barn, and 3) you don’t want to do the vetting and then have to wait 2-3 weeks before you can take the horse home, during which time all sorts of random things can happen (and you also might feel like you need to pay for another vet visit to confirm that the horse is okay before taking it home).

So, the idea of waiting while some respiratory crud clears up is perfectly reasonable. IME, while it is fairly rare for a healthy, vaccinated adult horse to get a respiratory infection, they really do tend to drag on sometimes. If it’s a virus (and it probably is) antibiotics aren’t going to cure it, only time will.

The problem is that it sounds like you have some doubts that this is what is really going on. If you get a bad feeling from the seller based on other evidence, you should consider walking away. (If you have given a deposit I think you would be perfectly justified to ask for it back.)

If otherwise the seller has a good reputation and you have no other reason to believe that there is “funny business” going on, then I think it is reasonable to be patient and wait to vet the horse until it is better. In a situation like this where the sale has been complicated by various factors, I’d recommend being a little more cautious about doing a thorough vetting and consider pulling blood as part of the exam (discuss with your vet).

[TheJenners]

The burning question seems to be if OP has been to see horse in this time, if not because of OP’s own accord or at the direction of the seller? If barred by the seller, then I’d walk. If not, has OP been to see the horse to confirm this delay is a cough, or something more.

Feelings aside, I go with fact. Yes buying a horse is emotional, but it’s also hugely financial.

[Amber_Ridge]

Doesn’t sound like a normal cough… do you have any cases of Strangles in your area? It will be really hard but walking away may be the best option unless the owner and their vet are willing to do a full disclosure of the horse’s health history before you go to the expense of a PPE.

[OverandOnward]

[QUOTE=TheJenners;8964102]
The burning question seems to be if OP has been to see horse in this time, if not because of OP’s own accord or at the direction of the seller? If barred by the seller, then I’d walk. If not, has OP been to see the horse to confirm this delay is a cough, or something more.

Feelings aside, I go with fact. Yes buying a horse is emotional, but it’s also hugely financial.[/QUOTE]

This is a good way forward. If you really think this is the one, insist that you need to visit her just as she is now, coughs, sneezes and all. Assure the seller you are serious about her and want to understand her current situation first hand. You may have to insist, and it may be a drive, but if she is the one it will be worth it regardless of the outcome of the eventual sale.

It’s understandable that (a) horse gets sick at the WORST time because that is what horses do, and (b) the seller doesn’t want the sale to fall through because of a ppe that was done before the horse fully recovered, when a wait would have had a different result.

I think you’ll feel more sure of which way to go with this if you see her yourself. If you are satisfied she just has a bug and needs time, discuss with the seller how to go forward with the ppe, and when. Once you see her perhaps you’ll decide to wait a month and then assess her condition and whether you still want to go on to a ppe. Or maybe it isn’t much, and you do the ppe right now, as is, and let the vet give an opinion on her illness along with everything else.

You just need your own first hand information to assess if the illness is a dealbreaker or not. Would you feel comfortable looking her over by video, perhaps, and save the trip? Maybe video, then a trip?

If the seller is resistant to your visit, in your place I would simply say that either I visit or the sale is off and I move on to other horses. That her illness is not necessarily a dealbreaker, so long as I get to stay close to her situation and satisfy myself firsthand that she will be ok.

[2DogsFarm]

What gumtree & TheJenners said.

If seller won’t allow you or your vet to contact treating vet to provide info as to exactly what is being treated: keep looking.

& if seller can’t give a decent reason for you to NOT come see for yourself - contagion aside - then walk away.

OTOH:
If you have not been able to get to see the horse for your own reasons, then follow the above advice before looking further.

[Lord_Helpus]

I would tell the seller that the vet doing the PPE would like to talk to the treating vet. And could she please give her vet permission to discuss the horse’s health.

If she does does not agree then tell her that you are going to send your vet out to examine the horse’s cough and lungs so you will know what is involved, before moving on to look for another horse.

It is bullshit that she keeps delaying the vetting without offering your vet a chance to see or confer on the issue.

If she is not receptive to one option or the other, then walk away. Something more is going on and she doe not want it disclosed.

[Beck]

[QUOTE=gumtree;8963845]

IMO this depends on the seller. If it is someone that sells the odd horse they most likely don’t know enough about the process to have nonferrous intent.

Someone that sells and has been selling horses for a while maybe. “The horse lost a shoe and my farrier can’t get here for a couple of weeks. I let you know when he is out of the hospital”. [/QUOTE]

Presumably if it is nonferrous it won’t involve shoes.

Sorry: I had to.

[gumtree]

[QUOTE=Beck;8965385]
Presumably if it is nonferrous it won’t involve shoes.

Sorry: I had to.[/QUOTE]

LOL, good point!

Spell check, my savor and my nemesis. It’s funny how the eye/mind sees what it want to see. Because I did check things before hitting the post button.

Took me a second to figure out what you were saying also.