wicks-silver-labs Reviews
Animals

Wicks Silver Labs

4.3/5 - based on 12 reviews

Wicks Silver Labs Overview

Wicks Silver Labs has a 4.3-star rating, derived from feedback provided by 12 customers. In the Animals category, it secures the 11th position out of 127 companies.

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Wicks Silver Labs Reviews

5/5

Sad to hear...

I got my dog from Wick's Silver Labs 6 years ago. I am very sad to hear about the passing of Pat & the decline in the quality of the breeding. My dog has the best temperament of any dog I have come in contact with & is the light of my life. She sometimes has issues with her tummy but other than that... She is the light of my life. It makes me to sad to hear that people are regretting their decision to get their furry family members from these folks. I am sure that Pat is probably rolling over in his grave. I wrote to him & spoke to him on the phone a significant amount of times leading to the birth of my dog & transport of my dog. He was kind, patient, and informative. I was on the phone with him when Maggie went in to labor with her litter & he was patient with my anxiety. I am very sad to hear of his passing & I send my condolences to his family & anyone else who's life he touched.

1/5

Buyer beware, do your homework

When buying any breed of dog it is important to research what the breed is all about, Colors, ( there are no silver labs, they are a mix of Wheim at some point to create the gray color, there are no charcoal, or any other dilute color Lab) Black, Yellow with its many shades, and chocolate. Silvers are registered under chocolate because there is no such thing as silver and the AKC can't see the color of the dog. I am glad your dog has grown a real black coat and think it will kept that just fine. I am sorry you were led to believe things that aren't true and really you were taken, suckered in. Inverted vulvas are common in little girl puppies and will fix themselves as they mature, no surgery needed. The only girls that might get UTI's are little dogs that live close to the ground and rub on grass. Best of luck with your girl and do your homework next time, read breed standards, all breeds have one

1/5

I have a silver lab that the father was from wicks.

I have a silver lab from ladys labs from hillsboro ohio area. the male was ballet from wicks silver lab. My lab has had problem with hair loss but she is always chewing on the area. Does anyone elses labs chew and scratch the area that they have lost there hair. my vet thought it may be food allergies. so we put her on no grain duck blue food and it cleared up. but now is coming back. My lab also has had a problem urniating without knowing, most of the time when she is sleeping. she is on meds for that and we give her a hydroxy for the itching.

1/5

Wicks Silver Labs Continues to Pump out Puppies

Even though Pat Wickliffe has passed away his kennel continues to pump out puppies. For a business that advertises "1-2 litters a year" on its Better Business site there has been 7 litters produced in 2012 and Wicks Silver Labs is now taking deposits for future litters. Taking deposits on puppies site unseen. There is no information or pictures of the parents on these prospective pups either. Buyer beware ! Don't buy anything, especially a puppy online. We bought our puppy from a picture posted on that site. We had to have her put down at 13 months old due to escalating aggression towards our family and other pets in our home. We consulted our vet to rule out a possible medical condition causing the aggression. There were no medical issues that could explain her behavior. We also consulted a behavioral therapist who advised us that her aggression was related to her breeding, or lack of quality breeding and that in all likelihood she would not respond to behavioral therapy. We were told just like there are people who are mentally unbalanced, there are also animals that are mentally unbalanced. Breeding puppies should be taken very seriously and great thought and effort should be exercised in this endeavor. When quantity is the goal, quality will go out the window. Our puppy also had color dilution alopecia (CDA) and had lost most of her fur. Wicks Silver Lab did not include CDA as an excluded genetic condition at the time we bought our puppy. It was only after we attempted to hold Mr. Wickliffe to his health warranty that he added it as an exclusion. Mr. Wickliffe never did honor our contract under the replacement clause. We lost our money, we lost our puppy and no one at Wicks Silver Labs has made any effort or shown any compassion for our situation. DON'T BUY A PUPPY FROM WICKS SILVER LABS. YOU MAY LIVE TO REGRET IT LIKE WE HAVE. The aforementioned is the sole opinion and/or experience of the writer. Any prospective buyer should thoroughly research any breeder that they may be considering purchasing a puppy from and come to their own conclusions/decision as whether to purchase from a breeder. There are many puppies and dogs waiting in local shelters for loving homes. Consider adoption. We wish we had.

1/5

Skeeter: my silver lab

My silver lab was purchased from Pat Wickliffe as well and we have had a ton of issues with his immune system. Pat said he was not getting the proper amount of milk from his mother so we took him at 6 weeks to get him help and get him out of there. So far he does not have hair loose but he has had an intestinal infection 3 times due to the lack of his mother milk. Our vet bills would be horrific if we didnt have the insurance plan from them(Banfield). I have to feed my dog a grain-free food cause the first 3 months he had loose stool. Since we have switched to Taste of the Wild he has been doing better and the vet said hopefully he may grow out of the weak immune system with the proper care. Knowing the issues is more reason to give him a better life with us and getting him out of that place. You should make wicks as a bookmark and see how quickly he post new puppies. It is sickening to see when you hear of all the issues people are having. I would not trade my boy for nothing tho. We just give him all we can and love him tremendously. Good luck to all the folks out their who have gotten or will get their puppy from Wick's.

1/5

Wicks Silver Labs 2

I have posted a prior complaint as Avoid Wicks Silver Labs Please. I wanted to post another picture of my silver lab's most recent hair loss due to the genetic condition bred within Wick's Silver Labs and could not add another photo to the intial complaint. Mr. Wick finally responded to my complaint saying that it is my responsibility as a consumer to research the problems that can occur when buying a rare colored dog. Therefore, I believe it is my duty to help potential buyers to understand what can happen when dogs are bred for "rare" colors. Sores did not accompany the hair loss in my dog this time, thankfully.

1/5

Promised a "replacement" puppy in January, still waiting!

We bought a puppy from Wicks Silver Labs in December 2011. Our puppy began losing her fur after being home for only 5 days. She was diagnosed with a genetic disorder, color dilution alopecia, in January 2012. Our puppy's genetic disorder is covered under the health warranty we were given in December 2011. Mr Wickliffe has since precluded "alpache" (alopecia) as a covered condition. Mr. Wickliffe, owner of Wicks Silver Labs, agreed to replace our puppy in January. He stated that he didn't know when he would be having another litter arriving and would have to let us know. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Wickliffe told us we "voided" our warranty. Mr. Wickliffe has yet to give us an explanation as to how we allegedly "voided" our warranty. We have made multiple request to Mr. Wickliffe for an explanation regarding the warranty. In March Mr. Wickliffe informed us via email that he would have no further communication with us on the advice of his "attorney". He stated we would be hearing from his attorney "soon" We have yet to hear from his "attorney" or Mr. Wickliffe! Now Mr. Wickliffe has two litters available from which to provide us with a "replacement" puppy from. Mr. Wickliffe had a litter arrive March 24 and April 3. He professes to only have "1-2" litters a year, just an occasional breeder. He also had a litter advertised on his website born Feb 22. In our opinion, Mr. Wickliffe knew full well when he would be having future litters available when he promised us a new puppy but couldn't tell us when one would be available. In our opinion, Mr. Wickliffe sells puppies with a health warranty that he has no intentions of honoring if need be. He is not concerned about the quality of the puppies he sells or the people who unwittingly buy from him. He is ONLY concerned about making his money, a $1000 per pup with an additional $250 for breeding rights. In our opinion Wicks Silver Labs is a Puppy Mill. Unfortunately, Ohio does not have very effective legislation regarding dog breeding or breeders. In our opinion, we were SCAMMED.

1/5

My 5 month old puppy is losing her fur AGAIN!

Updated by user Mar 30, 2012
Pictures were submitted with this complaint. Evidently they did not make it to this site. ???

Original review Mar 30, 2012
Please read my complaint entitled: Wicks Silver Labs sold me a genetically defective dog. As previously stated my puppy has a genetic disorder Color Dilution Alopecia (CDA). This disorder has been diagnosed by genetic testing via skin biopsies at Michigan State University Veterinary Clinic in January of this year. We where told in January, by Dr. Peterson (dermatologist) that Willow would regrow the fur she had lost, however if Willow lost her fur again, her fur loss would be permanent. Willow has started losing her fur for the second time (this will be permanent). She is losing fur on the backs of her hind legs, abdomen/sides, under her front legs, her rear end, base of her tail and has small patchy areas in various places. My husband and I have attempted to hold the breeder, Mr. Wickliffe of Wicks Silver Labs, to the health warranty contract which states that if a genetic defect is diagnosed within one year of purchase, a replacement puppy would be provided. We have made several unsuccessful attempts to resolve this with Mr. Wickliffe. Mr. Wickliffe promised us, in January, a replacement puppy, but has not done so nor has he told us when another litter will be available. Mr. Wickliffe then told us we "voided" our warranty, however he has yet to give us an explanation as to how we specifically "voided" our warranty. We sent Mr. Wickliffe an email approximately 2 weeks ago requesting an explanation about the "voided" warranty" and received a response from him that he had sent all "saved documentation to his attorney" and that we would be hearing from his attorney "very soon". Mr. Wickliffe further stated that he was advised by his attorney not to have further contact with us. We have not received any communication from an attorney representing Mr. Wickliffe. Mr. Wickliffe has breached the health warranty contract. We believe that he has no intention, nor has he ever had any intention of honoring the health warranty that he advertises on his website. This is deceptive advertising. Mr. Wickliffe shows lack of regard for the puppies he breeds and the unsuspecting customers he sells to. All we wanted was a healthy puppy. What we got is a puppy that will be bald or partially bald when all is said and done. Mr. Wickliffe of Wicks Silver Labs has no intentions of making this situation right. The aforementioned is the exclusive opinion of this writer.

1/5

Breeders and Rescue

I am so sorry you had such an ordeal with this 'breeder.. notice, unquote.. If you really want to find out about breeders, I suggest that anyone contact the parent Club rescue group, as I am involved in rescue for another breed and we get to know who all the backyard breeders and puppy millers are. These so called breeders and pet stores that sell dogs and cats, ( who buy from puppy mills), depend on you falling in love with the sick animal and you don't have the heart to have it destroyed. The guarantee only covers so much medical care and many of these animals don't show genetic signs of illness until almost a year or two of age. Many of us in rescue started out by buying from a puppy mill or backyard breeder, have gone through similar issues you are going through and we decided to help the rescue group. There is nothing wrong with buying from a reputable breeder, but keep in mind, a knockout website doesn't mean the breeder is good ! Generally if they specialize in several breeds, you can bet they are a puppy miller. There is a site called: www.nopuppymills.com visit it and you can see firsthand what happens there. Again,good luck !!

1/5

More pictures of fur loss

Updated by user Feb 19, 2012
Our pictures don\'t seem to want to load.

Original review Feb 19, 2012
Here are some additional pictures that did not load on my original complaint. We think it is very important to share the pictures because they speak for themselves. We have tried to include pictures that best show the fur loss and thinning of fur. In the areas where our pup didn't completely lose her fur it was very,very thin. As we said in the previous post, our pup's fur has grown back in. How long her coat will remain "normal" is anybody's guess. Bottom line is that any fur loss that results in bald spots is not normal. Another thought we wanted to share was originally Mr. Wickliffe had said that our pup would be ready to go home with us at 8 weeks, which is the norm. When our pup was 6 weeks old Mr. Wickliffe emailed us and said she was "ready to go at anytime" ? Why the hurry to get rid of her? Maybe because he was afraid she would start losing her fur and wanted to get his money before the fur loss started.?? Obviously he has had unsatisfied customers before us and he has had to find ways to manipulate people to still make is money. In our situation it was two weeks before Christmas and he played on that. Buyer Beware! Stick with the traditional chocolate, black and yellow labs. Stay away from designer dogs.

1/5

Wicks Silver Labs sold me a genetically defective dog

We bought a "silver" lab puppy from Wicks Silver Labs (Pat Wickliffe-breeder) in Dec 2011. Five days after having her home she started losing the fur on her face. We had her tested for manage at our local vet, testing was negative for manage ($75) . The fur loss progress in patches over her entire body. We notified Mr. Wickliffe regarding the hair loss. He replied that he had contacted all the other owners of our pup's litter mates and none were having any problems with fur loss.Mr. Wickliffe stated that in 11 years of breeding our pup was the "first" puppy that had ever had fur loss. He recommended using an ointment that is used on horses and Nu-Vet vitamins. Mr. Wickliffe advertises Nu-Vet vitamins on his site. He has a designated code that you use to order the vitamins with. By using this code, Mr. Wickliffe gets a commission for the sales. Not to mention these vitamins are extremely expensive. As the fur loss progressed (keep in mind we had only had her about 3 weeks), we decided to take our pup to Michigan State University Veterinary Clinic, which is considered the best possible place in Michigan to take your pet with difficult health issues. At our first visit at MSU vet for the fur loss, we also found out that our pup has an inverted vulva. This condition can cause chronic urinary tract infections and usually has to be corrected surgically ($?). Mr. Wickliffe professes that he has been breeding for over 10 years and he didn't know that our pup had this vulva defect. Any quality breeder would know and should know about this defect and either not sell the pup or at the very least inform the buyer. Shortly thereafter our pup started urinating blood, we had to take her to urgent care and was treated for urinary tract infection ($347). Keep in mind that this is still within the first 3 weeks of owning our pup. At our first visit at MSU vet another set of skin scrapings for manage were taken and found to be negative. MSU vet recommended that we take a "watch and see" approach and if the hair loss continued to return in a month and have skin biopsies done ($157). The fur loss continued at such a rapid rate we returned to MSU vet and saw a dermatology specialist vet. Three punch skin biopsies were taken under local anesthsia with stitches to close each biopsy site ($200). The skin biopsies were positive for genetic-color dilution alopecia. Prognosis was that the fur may grow back completely, however she may lose her part or all of her coat in the future and if she does it will be permanent. The good news is she has grown her coat back with the exception of one of the biopsy sites. The bad news is that now we sit on pins and needles wondering if she will lose her coat in the future. Mr. Wickliffe was emailed throughout this whole process. He stopped responding to us after the second email was sent. We called the Clark County Humane Society to see if Mr. Wickliffe had ever had any complaints against him. We were so frustrated that he would not respond to us, we paid $1000 for a "healthy" pup and he wasn't going to honor his health warranty. Well Mr. Wickliffe finally responded to me by phone, when the Humane Society showed up at his door. He called me screaming at me about the Humane Society. I found out from the Humane Society that he did not have a kennel license. He did not have a vendor license-which is required in Ohio so he can pay sales tax to the state. If he isn't paying sales tax, one would have to wonder if he pays state and federal income tax on his inferior puppy profits.? Mr. Wickliffe was finally reached by phone and agreed to replace our pup- but that our pup would have to be "put to sleep most likely". Mr. Wickliffe further stated that he didn't know when he would have a "replacement" puppy. ??? We should return our pup (which we have bonded with and spent a lot of money on already), so he can have her euthanized and we can wait for him to provide us with a new pup! He doesn't even return emails let alone a new pup! The last email that Mr. Wickliffe sent to us stated that he knew that I was "going to be nothing but trouble" after I picked up our pup at his house. Why because I asked questions? Because I had a gut feeling that this guy was a scammer. I should have followed my gut and walked away from the transaction. I wasn't impressed with him or his "breeding" dams and sire (one male to six females). One dam had completely lost her entire coat. He told me that "she always blows her coat after having a litter". He did not allow me to have any contact with the parents or litter mates. He further stated that my husband and I are not welcomed on his property and if we come to his house, we will be considered "trespassers and the proper authorities will be called". Seriously, trespassers! I wasn't a trespasser when I had that cold hard $1000's of cash in my hand. He stated he would only communicate by email (that's funny dude, you don't even return emails )! Mr. Wickliffe treated us disrespectfully and worse yet he could care less about our pup's health and well-being. In his last email he stated 4 times about our pup being put to sleep. He plays on people's emotions and counts on that to solve his poor breeding problems. Mr. Wickliffe use to have the buyers name, city and state by each puppy he sold on his website. I emailed one of these buyers to let them know our problems and all of a sudden the names and addresses of buyers disappeared off his site as did his address. He then added "alpaca" (which should have been "alopecia" and any quality breeder would know that) was not covered under the health warranty. Interesting to me. I would NOT recommend that anyone buy a puppy from Pat Wickliffe at Wicks Silver Labs or Blue Jean Bullies.

1/5

Avoid Wick's Silver Labs PLEASE!!

Updated by user Jan 29, 2012
Approximately one year ago I paid a hefty price for a silver lab puppy from Patrick Wickliffe in Springfield,OH. Recently, my lab developed significant hair loss accompanied by lesions and sores. After several painful skin scrapes and two biopsies it was determined...

Original review Jan 29, 2012
alopecia, a genetic disorder directly caused by breeding these dogs for their color. I approached the breeder via email to no avail. However, he quickly updated his website to include that "alpaca"(I assume he means alopecia) can occur but is not covered by the health warranty. Luckily, my dog does not suffer from alpaca!! I sent a second email andApproximately one year ago I paid a hefty price for a silver lab puppy from Patrick Wickliffe in Springfield,OH. Recently, my lab developed significant hair loss accompanied by lesions and sores. After several painful skin scrapes and two biopsies it was determined that she suffers from color dilution he finally responded by copying and pasting the health warranty, alpaca included. When I was buying a pup from him he always responded to my emails. He must think I want my money back which I don't. I wanted him to know that my beloved pet suffers from a rare genetic disorder that inflicts pain for which there is no cure. I also wanted him to know that the dermatologic veternarian,after receiving the pathology report(regarding skin biopsies) from the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab Center for Veterinary Health Sciences from Oklahoma State University,recommended that my dog should never be bred. Additionally, she recommends "against further breeding of either the sire or the dam" from which my dog was produced. My concern is that there are other people out there buying this "fad" color without realizing the issues that accompany it. I would hope that Mr. Wickliffe would stop breeding the dam and sire after I provided him with this information.

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