My wife and I are in our 70's and cannot afford surgery that our puppy needs. Are there any programs that help with this expense?

Zipblue, There are many organizations online that you can contact that will pay for the expenses. If you can't find any, Yahoo has a group called PetVetCafe that you can join. They can probably suggest a few. If you still can't find any, write on my wall and I will send you a few. I had a list that was emailed to me a long time ago and I can probably dig it up. Good Luck! PS. Once you let a dog into your heart, its quite hard on everyone to then just give it back.

Talk with your primary care vet about the situation. Depending on the age, some puppies will not even survive the anesthetic, much less the surgery. I had a puppy 15 years ago with a severe heart defect that my very honest primary vet told me would not have a good prognosis due to complications and other probable organ failures related to the heart condition (the vet at no cost euthanized the puppy for me and buried her on his farm property -- heart surgeon for dogs had offered surgery with limited chance of recovery and no payment plan). It still hurts, but I know that I made the right decision for quality of life for the puppy and for me--I would never have been able to afford the ongoing care and restrictions on activity the surgery entailed. If you opt for surgery, some rescue groups can offer help financially or connect you with vets that will perform surgery for reduced cost or offer payment plans (depending on your area). You can also contact the SPCA in your area to see if they can connect you with someone. My heart goes out to you and take care, Helen

You say it was your granddaughter that talked you into getting a puppy, where's her parents? If it were me, I'd go to your son or daughter and tell them the problem. If they say they can't help financially, then I'm sorry but I'd have to give the puppy back or at least give it up. I love dogs, but when you don't have the money you don't have the money. End of story.