So angry and upset, parvo from rescue

[2LaZ2race]

I’m typing to get my emotions out because I’m just heartbroken.

My younger sister has been wanting to adopt a dog for months. She took her time to research breeds, talk to rescues and finally found the dog she wanted to adopt.

We picked her up from her foster home Wednesday. She had her first round of shots, dewormed, clean bill of health. She was 10 weeks old.

This morning she had some spit up. Around noon some loose stool. We got her some pumpkin and she was still eating and drinking. Around 4 the diarrhea got worse and we took her to the emergency vet.

She tested positive for parvo. The vet care, even overnight until we could see if we could transfer her to a non-emergency care facility would be $2700.

My sister had even signed up for insurance, to be prepared for something terrible, but it wouldn’t be enough.

The puppy was in pain and having trouble breathing so she made the difficult choice to put her down.

I’m just SO upset. We called the rescue and left a message. She was part of a full litter so I’m sure they all have parvo. I’m angry that I didn’t know that having the vaccine and a vet cert wasn’t enough.

[cowboymom]

I’m sorry that you and your sister and the pup had to deal with that, parvo is a terrible thing. I don’t feel remotely safe about it until a pup has at least three series and I’ve heard some vets recommend four. I was told that the virus is becoming resistant to the vaccine.

But that pup was too young for that anyway.

[Marshfield]

I am sorry for your loss. Working in small animal ER, I can tell you that most of the dogs I see with parvo are ones who come through rescue and have a history of recent transport. It sounds as though the puppy was healthy, but incubating the disease as the point she came home. I would have expected the rescue to pick up the tab for her care, though.

And, just an FYI regarding vaccines; we don’t know the magic moment when the antibodies from mom drop to the point where vaccinating a puppy will allow him to make his own antibodies to replace the ones gained from colostrum.

[Laurierace]

It sounds to me as if they did everything they could have. Sorry for your loss.

[CrowneDragon]

So sorry. When I got my dogs as puppies they came with parvo too. Nasty bug.

[2LaZ2race]

I’m trying to take my mind off things by scrubbing my house. I have two adult dogs who had their shots as puppies, and the puppy never went to the bathroom in the same yard as them, nor did they really have any contact besides a quick nose touch. I still feel the need to clean.

[vacation1]

That’s an awful thing for your sister to go through, and I hope the rescue recognizes it. Even if there was no direct negligence on their part, the reality that an adopter had the ultimate bad experience should make them take a look at their procedures, and they should let her know their decision and how they reached it. Not saying they were at fault - I don’t know much about parvo - but saying I hope they take this seriously. It really should not happen.

[Casey09]

I am so sorry. That is so difficult. Unfortunately they can be incubating the virus while in the rescue. I knew someone who adopted a parvo pup. In that case the rescue did pay the vet bill, although I don’t believe he had parvo nearly as severely as he spent a couple of days at a regular vet hospital and then was okay.
You could call your vet to be sure, but I really wouldn’t worry too much about your adult dogs. If your sister gets another puppy, then the virus shed could be an issue. Maybe she could find one that is 4 months old and therefore fully vaccinated.

[CrowneDragon]

[QUOTE=2LaZ2race;7513530]
I’m trying to take my mind off things by scrubbing my house. I have two adult dogs who had their shots as puppies, and the puppy never went to the bathroom in the same yard as them, nor did they really have any contact besides a quick nose touch. I still feel the need to clean.[/QUOTE]
Yes, definitely. Have your dogs been kept vaccinated or only done as puppies? Keep a close eye and look up what disinfectants kill parvo.

[cowboymom]

I would be cleaning too. Bleach water is effective and so is nolvasan if you want to hit a broader spectrum. Parvo can live in the environment for a long time; I would spray the yard with a bleach solution too but I’m a little germophobic that way.

Depending on what the conditions were at the rescue it’s hard to say what they could have or should have done. Adult dogs can carry parvo with little to no symptoms. They usually handle it better b/c of their size and grown up immune systems. But I would sure consider a booster on dog’s shots if they are due. And more bleach.

[2LaZ2race]

[QUOTE=CrowneDragon;7513537]
Yes, definitely. Have your dogs been kept vaccinated or only done as puppies? Keep a close eye and look up what disinfectants kill parvo.[/QUOTE]

My dogs are vaccinated but only had parvo shots as puppies, I was never told to give them parvo as adults.

I asked the vet at the emergency clinic and he said the chance of them getting sick is very rare. I’ll of course keep a close eye on them.

[shayaalliard]

Sadly I’ve been there several times. One of the problems with parvo is that it is FAST. I am sure there was no way for the rescue to know- these little guys can go from fine to dead in under 24 hours.

I wouldn’t worry too much about older dogs, even without vax it is a much less serious issue for adults.

The worst outbreak we ever had was with puppies who had all been vax. Some had 1, some had 2 and some had 3 shots. 17 puppies sick. I was going to work around the clock and running fluids, and we had them in and out of the vet. I saved 9 and called that pretty darn good.

I;m so sorry for her loss- she did everything right, and it isn’t fair.

[2LaZ2race]

[QUOTE=shayaalliard;7513576]

I wouldn’t worry too much about older dogs, even without vax it is a much less serious issue for adults.

…

I;m so sorry for her loss- she did everything right, and it isn’t fair.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for easing my mind, as the vet did. You seem amazingly committed to dogs, bless you!

[Justmyluck]

[QUOTE=2LaZ2race;7513577]
Thank you for easing my mind, as the vet did. You seem amazingly committed to dogs, bless you![/QUOTE]

I would worry about your older dogs. We recently had a 5 year old dog come in with screaming parvo after the owners friend brought over her new puppy. Puppy died the next day. You need to properly disinfect everything and update your dogs vaccines.

[2LaZ2race]

[QUOTE=Justmyluck;7513585]
I would worry about your older dogs. We recently had a 5 year old dog come in with screaming parvo after the owners friend brought over her new puppy. Puppy died the next day. You need to properly disinfect everything and update your dogs vaccines.[/QUOTE]

I was told by the emergency vet to monitor them but the chance they will get sick is not very high. I’m going to call their normal vet in the morning and get his input.

[cowboymom]

It may not affect a grown dog as badly but they can still get it (especially with it being in the same household) and they can still spread it even if they have a mild case.

Dogs should get a series of 2 to 4 as puppies, then a booster at a year old and then every three years afterward, ideally. Parvo is on the rise. The vaccine can be bought for $5 and given at home (at least in my state); too easy NOT to do it and you’ve seen what can happen.

Maybe do some of your own research if your regular vet is the one that never told you they might need the vaccine as adults? That seems odd to me… maybe a misunderstanding. A simple google will tell you a lot.

[Nicker]

I had a case in a trailer park were a 5 month old Pitt puppy came down with parvo. Within a couple days three adult dogs, that lived in the same park, were also sick. Two had to be euthanized, puppy survived. One of the adult dogs attended a yearly dog event at our local city park. ER vet adv’d me that they saw numerous parvo dogs after that weekend. The one thing they all had in common was attending the event. No way to know for sure how the dogs picked it up. My vet said it lives in the ground and dogs come into contact with it frequently.

[Beckham03]

I have also seen aged dogs pass in the ER from parvo.

I don’t work in GP, but isn’t parvo part of the core we give? DHLPPC?

I am very sorry for what you and your sister went through.

[cowboymom]

Yes, it is. :yes:

[SquishTheBunny]

Sorry to have to had to experience that. The vast majority of rescue groups around here include 6 months pet insurance, for this exact reason.

We have treated parvo dogs for minimal costs, but some reach up to the $10,000 mark. It is a very unpredictable disease, and seems to be more life threatening in general to the smaller breed puppies. Thankfully in our area, a lot of people do treat because the puppies are insured. However there are still a groups where they don’t offer insurance and it really is a difficult decision for owners to make as even with an unlimited budet, it can be a rollercoaster of a ride for the dog and no guarantees for outcome.

Such a horrible thing to experience, I hope you and your sister can feel comfort knowing you made a reasonable decision.

If your older dogs have had full puppy vaccines, and boostered every 3 years since you are likely not to experience the same type of illness. Mild symptoms can happen for sure, but the full effect of bloody diarrhea, vomiting, GI sloughing, severe dehydration etc. is very very very unlikely to happen. I would assume those older pitties that died were not properly vaccinated. Its rare to see a fully vaccinated dog succumb to the disease.