Bought a puppy or kitten from a pet store and it's sick: your rights in Nevada
In plain words: if a vet finds within 10 days of the sale that a dog or cat you bought from a pet store or dealer had a terminal illness, or a condition needing immediate hospital care or surgery, that existed on the day you bought it, the seller must, your choice: refund the price when you return the pet, give you another pet of equal value, or pay your vet bills up to the price you paid (NRS 574.490).
Who these rules cover
- A retailer: anyone who buys pets to resell them (NRS 574.320)
- A dealer: anyone who buys, sells, breeds, trades or imports cats or dogs for resale for money (NRS 574.260)
- Pet means a domestic cat or dog (NRS 574.300)
- Livestock and other farm animals
- Dog and cat shows
- Someone caring for another person's pets at home for expenses only (NRS 574.340)
Before you pay
- A vet must examine each dog or cat before the store can sell it
- Again 14 days later, then every 30 days until it's sold (NRS 574.450)
- The store can't knowingly sell one with a terminal illness or a condition needing immediate hospital care or surgery
- The seller's name, address and phone
- Birth date if known, where the store got the animal, and the breeder's name and address, with any USDA license number
- Shots given, with dates and the vet's name
- Vet exam dates, any treatment, and that the vet's evaluation is available to you
- Signed and dated by the seller, with a place for you to sign
- No separating a puppy or kitten from its mother before 8 weeks, or before it's eating food other than nursing, whichever is later
- That's a misdemeanor (NRS 574.500)
- Near each pen, a large notice that Nevada law requires the birth date, source, lineage and medical history be given to you before the sale (NRS 574.480)
Your pet got sick after you brought it home
- A refund of the price, returning the pet
- Another pet of equal value
- Repayment of vet costs for diagnosis and treatment, up to the price you paid. For this choice the law says the vet is one chosen by the seller, so ask the store first which vet to use.
What doesn't count as a covered illness
Worms, fleas and other internal or external parasites don't count unless the animal is clinically ill because of them (NRS 574.450(5)). A condition that started after the sale isn't covered by the 10-day rule.
The store knew and didn't tell you
A seller who knowingly sells a dog or cat with a terminal illness or a condition needing immediate hospital care or surgery, and doesn't disclose it at the sale, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and the court can bar them from selling dogs or cats for up to 1 year (NRS 574.510). Missing or false paperwork can bring State Department of Agriculture fines of up to $250, then $500, then $1,000 per violation (NRS 574.485).
Puppies sold at swap meets and flea markets
Selling or giving away live animals at a swap meet is a misdemeanor unless the county or city has an ordinance allowing it with the same protections as the pet store rules. Shelters and nonprofit rescues can still hold outdoor adoptions (NRS 574.550).
If the store won't make it right
- For the price or your vet bills: small claims court
- Bring the vet's written findings and dates
- Missing disclosures or no posted sign: the Nevada State Department of Agriculture (NRS 574.485)
- Paid by card: card disputes
- Lost or found pets: animal control
Read 2026-11-05 from Nevada Revised Statutes on this house's law shelf: NRS 574.260, 574.300, 574.320, 574.340, 574.450, 574.460, 574.470, 574.480, 574.485, 574.490, 574.500, 574.510 and 574.550 (chapter 574, Rev. 4/15/2026).