Should/Can I sue my breeder?????????

Hi everyone!
My puppy died yesterday, I had to put him to sleep to stop his pain! Please I don't need smart-*** answers!!! I need helpful answers!!!. He was sick since day 1!!!.
My puppy was 11 weeks old, I got him for my b-day so I didn't even know it was bought from a breeder, the doctor found a stricture eshophagueal, problem in the heart and bone malformation in two legs, congenital problem!!! why? I guess the breeder is mixing family relatives.
He won't give me my money back, he said he would give me another puppy but I don't want a dog from him, anyway... since I called him yesterday he is not picking up the phone.
I was wondering if I can sue him to get the money paid for the puppy, vet bills (4000$) and shut down his business and put all his puppies in adoption????
Please HELP!!! I'm so sad I lost mine yesterday!!!

It was a Maltese, I'm in California but he came from Oklahoma!

I am truly sad to hear of your situation. State law controls your contractual situation, so we would need to know where you are. Most likely, the tendering of a "defective" and dibilitated puppy was likely a breach of the agreement and you should be able to rescind the contract and also get damages for the consequential bills.

Good luck.

This is not legal advice and I am not an attorney in your state. If you have any questions whatsoever about this situation, you should consult an attorney for advice.

I dont know much about law although I am a vet tech.. curious what kind of breed it is, some are just more likely to have genitic issues and you may not be able to do anything (not nessaraley the breeders fault.) I would say the most important thing is to get the Vet to document their opinion of the cause of the problems. Bad breeders need to be shut down, esp. puppy mills, which this one may be. You should help to prevent others from dealing with this. good luck

If the total bills come to 4K (less that 5K), you can take him to small claims court. Make sure you have pictures of your puppy, vet bills, any documentation from the breeder, his AKC papers (if he was registered), his shots. Also, you can call the vet to testify as your witness if he agrees that you were sold a defective puppy who's injuries and death were a result of inbreeding or something else that holds the breeder liable.

Also, contact the American Kennel Club (AKC). He needs to be reported if he is inbreeding and they can take his license away. Or, if he is breeding and selling puppies without a license, then you can call the police. And, odds are, if he is breeding without the license, he is operating under the table, which means he's in trouble with the IRS.