Need opinions on a PARVO outbreak....?

Question

Alright, so recently my family adopted a dog (as we do sometimes) we had it for only a few days and noticed that it was not well. The little dog was throwing up EVERYTHING including water. And he had really bad diarrhea. We took him to the vet and our vet said that he had PARVO. Now, i've had dogs all my life and i've never heard of the diesase. My neighbor whos a breeder didn't even know!!!! My vet acted like it was no big deal, but when I got home I jumped online to research it. The diesease sounds almost as bad as rabies! Once the adult dog is infected it has a 50/50 chance of surviving, and if it does live it will have health issues always. Puppies are at a more serious risk than adult and older dogs, and about 80% who have it will die.

I was really upset, but we decided to give the dog back and demand a full refund. So, I guess my reason for posting this is to alert people about the diesease and also to be super careful and think twice before adopting. I'm also really mad that my vets and the company we adopted the dog from acted like this was no big deal, when it's highly contagious and deadly!!!! I won't post the name of the company for fear of being sued.

Has anyone heard of this diesease before? If not, here's some of my sources: http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dparvo.html

http://www.workingdogs.com/parvofaq.htm

Also, does this situation sound farmiliar? Has anyone had similar problems? Why isn't this a big deal?!?!?!

Answer 1

I am sorry this happened to you, Parvo is a very prevalent disease among un-vaccinated animals. It is a big deal.

You need to consider that before you bring any more dogs into your home, some time will have to pass before the Parvo virus dies. It can contaminate your home and even the ground where your sick puppy went to the bathroom. Getting another dog and bringing it home will only put it at risk without first consulting with an expert about waiting periods and possible cleanup. (Young puppies or dogs who have not had ALL their shots are at possible risk as well.)

Also, if you have had a lot of dogs before, you should already be aware that they do need to be vaccinated against certain diseases - Parvo being one of the main ones. (Vaccination isn't optional if you want to have a healthy pet.) Rabies Vaccination is usually required by law in most states.

When going to a truly reputable/ethical Breeder, they will provide you with a shot record and will not let you have the puppy till they are at least 12 weeks of age. (Avoid Pet Shops and Puppy Mills.)

Finally, if you are mad at your vet, find another that you can trust and feel comfortable with so that in the future you can trust their judgment with your new pet, you need to feel comfortable with your vet and be able to trust them as someday you may have to put your pets life in his/her hands..

Also, read a couple books on getting puppies as Parvo/vaccinations are some of the most basic information out there about pets. It you are well-informed about dogs and their health, you will have the necessary tools to have get a healthy pet and keep them that way for a very long time without any surprises!  Knowledge is power!

Rachel

Answer 2

I didn't go to your links because I see from your comments that they gave you good information.  

I don't know what age your dog is/was, but you said you adopted it, so I wonder where you adopted it from?  Did you buy it as a pup from a breeder?  Did you adopt it from a rescue group?  Did you buy it from a shop?  

I'm amazed you never heard of Parvo if you've had them all your life.  It's one of the most important parts of the multiple-vaccine you're supposed to give all pups in their puppy shot series, with annual booster shots.  Parvo is a real killer.  

Your neighbor may be a back yard breeder, but your neighbor can't be a reputable breeder and not knkow what Parvo is.  It's a killer of pups.  It's amazing if any pup recovers from Parvo.  It's a disease you often find in pups sold from Puppy Mills as they don't go to the expense of vaccinating the pups.  

I'm not sure if the people you bought from is reputable enough to give you a refund.  If it's a pet store, this just is a reminder that too many pet stores buy from and support puppy mills.  If it's a rescue group, you should report it to your local humane office so they are aware that a local rescue group isn't doing it's job right.  

I don't know why your vet left you the impression it's not a big deal.  It is.  Most of us haven't had similar problems because we get the dogs their shots, and this risk is why many of us won't buy from pet stores. -!-

Answer 3

I guess the breeder you got yours from was dodgey because all respectable breeders and the majority of dog owners have heard of it and vacinate their dogs each year to protect them from getting it!!

Puppies bought from dodgey breeders/puppy farms etc are at much higher risk of catching these diseases because they are not vacinated and their living conditions are c**p, which is why people should stay clear of them!

Answer 4

Parvo is a very serious and highly contagious disease. Unfortunately, it is hard to get a dog or puppy to test positive for the disease until the symptoms are already in full effect. Dogs and puppies may even contract the disease if they've been vaccinated for it. Trust me, I know. I had a dog that got Parvo while he had all his shots for it. We treated him at the cost of $500 and he still passed away.

Parvo is a VERY serious disease and is to be treated as such. I would suggest keeping a close eye on your current dogs, disinfecting the inside of your house with lysol and using hand sanitizer before and after petting your current dogs.

But yeah, the breeder sounds shady because any decent breeder has heard about parvo and knows the seriousness of the disease.

Also, the first sign of Parvo is typically depression in a dog. The dog will seem lethargic and just genuinely unhappy. Its tail won't wag and it won't play.

Answer 5

I'm really surprised that anyone involved in this would treat Parvo as 'no big deal'. As you found out, it IS a big deal, very contagious and more often than not deadly in puppies.

It is unlikely to cause serious problems in older, vaccinated dogs but can literally wipe out a litter of little pups who haven't yet been given their shots. If you have any other dogs who haven't been vaccinated, it's very important that you watch them carefully for symptoms, and get them help immediately if they get sick.

Animal rescue shelters and city pounds vaccinate their rescues against Parvo and the other common dog illnesses, but if a dog has been exposed PRIOR to the vaccination it won't be much help.

I'm sorry that you went through the worry and heartbreak of dealing with this, but hope that it won't deter you from adopting in the future. So many dogs need a second chance.

The links below contain a lot of information on dog illnesses, including Parvo, and all dog/puppy owners should be aware of what to look for in terms of symptoms. Immediate veterinary attention MAY save the life of a puppy with Parvo, without help they almost always die.

Thanks for sharing your experiencing and alerting others to this problem.

Answer 6

Yes, Parvo is a VERY big deal and nothing to mess with.  If I were you I would consider going to a new vet.  This disease is treatable if caught in time. I used to work at a 24 hour vet emergency hospital.  We had an isolation room for animals with Parvo and Rabies.  When we would walk in that room we would have to cover up and use gloves.  It had to be sterile at ALL times!  

Answer 7

I have a 7 month old lab.  We rescued her from the animal shelter 3 months ago.  She was very quiet and un puppy like.  At first we thought she was just scared.  One morning about a week later I woke up to the sound of my sweet little puppy getting sick.  She never had Diarrhea but threw up a lot.  My mom took her to the Vet while I was at work.  She was diagnosed with Parvo.  Although most puppies don't survive he said we caught in time and she should be okay.  

He gave us some special food, and told us to give her Pedialite every 2 hours.  After a coupld of days my puppy started acting like a puppy.  Now 3 monts later you'd never know we could have lost her.

Obviously she had the Parvo when we got her.  The policy of the shelter is within ten days you can exchange a dog/cat but you cannot get a refund.  This is why I kept my dog.  If we took her back I knew they would have just put her to sleep without ever giving her a chance.  At least by staying with us, had she died, she would have died knowing she was loved.

I thank God he saved my precious Colt.  

Answer 8

Parvo is only really bad if it is left untreated. Most of the puppies die from dehydration not the Parvo disease itself. Unfortunately you most likely could have save that dogs life and you sentenced it to death instead. Because you chose to take it back to the shelter and get your money back, the shelter put the dog down because they will not keep a sick dog in their care. I don't agree with them adopting out a sick dog but most likely they did not know that he was sick. Parvo takes 7 - 10 days to show up so there is no guarantee that he was showing symptoms while in there care. Hope you are happy for sentencing a dog to death.