Puppy Parvo

by Debbie Triplett
(Winchester, Virginia)

I am hoping if only one person reads this that a puppy will be saved. We lost our precious Berin to parvo this morning and the sorrow is unbearable. He fought a brave and difficult battle but lost the war at 11:30 today. Like so many others, our lack of knowledge may have been the reason he was exposed to such a horrible virus. We made all of the necessary preparations and did our research to get a "GOOD BREEDER" to prevent any future health problems.

What we didn't know was that our geographic area was literally infested with parvo. We brought Berin home at the age of 10 weeks - which is typically when the breeder does allow and prefer the adoption to take place. Although we had made sure that all of the routine vaccinations were given, we now know that we should have insisted he stay with the breeder until the parvo vacs were in place to have assured his immunity.

We were anxious to get him home and had scheduled for him to see the vet within a week anyway. THAT WEEK MADE ALL THS DIFFERENCE! He was exposed before he had the parvo immunization. Please, keep your puppy with the breeder especially if you know it's a parvo safe environment already, DO NOT stop at any road side pet areas for a potty break as you might expose them to unknown diseases. Preschedule and go immediately to your vet for a check up and shots.

Take these steps seriously! You've invested your wallet and your heart so why not make additional effort to ensure the puppy's health and spare yourself major heartache too. If one person reads this and a life is saved, Berins struggle would not have been in vain. GOD BLESS!

Editor Comment Regarding Puppy Parvo

Dear Debbie,

Thank you for sharing this advice. During the 1st weeks of life a puppy is transitioning from the immunity received from the mother to their own. During this period, it is hard to determine if your pup is fully protected. Thanks for sharing this story. I'm sure it will save other puppies and be a tribute to Berin's memory.