Anyone lose a pup to Parvo?

[dangler]

Hi Guys,
We brought home our 10 week old Pug on Jan.5th and he passed away at the vets on Jan 11th of Parvo virus. He was so cute and sweet and we all loved him so much. The breeder we got him from right away offered our money back, but is still selling pups. They didn't even quarantine the other pups! They had a few different breeds there as well. My vet said that it is a 7-10 incubation period before the symptoms appear and we only had him 6 days. Both of my kids picked the name Storm for him we all miss him so much.
For anyone who has had to live through this nightmare, did you get another dog? How long did you wait. I have bleached everything that I can possibly think of, spoken to my vet and he said there is nothing else I can do, I have done all that can be done. Is there anything else?
I know that there are no guarantees in life, but I am so terrified that this could happen again.
Thanks

 

[ktglads]

We lost one of the two puppies we got last January to Parvo. Both did get sick but one managed to survive. Most of the literature on the net says that even with bleaching, the virus can live up to a year outside on your lawn and in other places, so unfortunately I would say to wait at least that long.

 

[christiane]

dangler, I'm so sorry to hear about you pug puppy. ..for you & your family.

With proper management of the mom & the pups, parvo is almost entirely preventable. So, if you are thinking of getting another pup:

Ask for proof that the mother is up to date on her vaccines. Make sure she had vaccines at 8, 12, & 16 wks and then every year after that.

Make sure the puppy had vaccines for DHPP or DA2PP starting at 8 weeks.

Parvovirus is a very hardy virus and can survive outside in extreme cold & heat; it can survive for up to a year outside. However, it is susceptible to bleach. Before you bring him home, reclean & launder everything you can with diluted bleach. Try to determine where your other puppy has pooped in your yard and cordone off those areas to the new puppy. This is the most important part --do not let him near where your other puppy pooped. Even if the poop has been picked up the virus can stay in the grass etc. If he has pooped everywhere, then you will need to take your new puppy into the front yard or somewhere else where you know no other dogs have been.

When you bring the puppy home, do not take him anywhere outside of your home and yard until he has had his last vaccine at 16 weeks.

You could also consider getting an older pug puppy who is fully vaccinated. While no vaccine is 100% effective, parvovirus vaccine is pretty close. I checked on petfinders.org and there are several young pugs up for adoption in Ontario.

Best wishes to you...I have seen this so many times and I know how awful it feels for you to lose such a little pup...

 

[Lady V]

I think you should call someone about the breeder. other animals have it there probably and someone might take home a dog that is sick and will then make the animals they already have get sick. It is not right. I bet they offered your money up because they know they are in trouble!!

 

[happybratpack]

Unfortunately I'm part of this club. There's a thread on here about it if you're interested.

I adopted him on January 6th, he spent 5 nights at the hospital and passed away on the 12th. I'm just heartbroken about it. I've bleached everything, threw out toys/beds, etc. The thing I worry about is that it can live in your yard from months to years depending on your weather.

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's a HORRIBLE disease and I just don't think people get how important the vaccinations are.

 

[happybratpack]

I think you should call someone about the breeder. other animals have it there probably and someone might take home a dog that is sick and will then make the animals they already have get sick. It is not right. I bet they offered your money up because they know they are in trouble!!

I don't know how it is there, but here the vets have to report Parvo to the state. Them sending pups sick with Parvo home puts everydog around them at risk.

 

[stm61]

not a pup, but a full-grown dog. I had stopped breeding and was keeping the dogs as pets, so I had a kennel-full, and lost a female, after she'd had every parvo shot she needed. It's been over 15 yrs so the details are a little fuzzy, but I remember asking the vet how this could possibly happen and he said some breeds, including Rottweillers, just don't develop the antibodies as well as others do. SInce she was a non-spayed female, I just thought she was in season when she started bleeding. She had no other symptoms, just the bleeding, and was still running around when that started. It was a few days later that she started acting ill and I took her to the vet. I remember running around with bleach bottles in a panic, scared to death the other dogs would get it. Luckily none of the others did.

 

[chris1gill]

There are two recent threads on the DIS about puppies with Parvo... it is a terrible disease, I am sorry you are going through this

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

not a pup, but a full-grown dog. I had stopped breeding and was keeping the dogs as pets, so I had a kennel-full, and lost a female, after she'd had every parvo shot she needed. It's been over 15 yrs so the details are a little fuzzy, but I remember asking the vet how this could possibly happen and he said some breeds, including Rottweillers, just don't develop the antibodies as well as others do. SInce she was a non-spayed female, I just thought she was in season when she started bleeding. She had no other symptoms, just the bleeding, and was still running around when that started. It was a few days later that she started acting ill and I took her to the vet. I remember running around with bleach bottles in a panic, scared to death the other dogs would get it. Luckily none of the others did.

Also around that time (maybe a few years earlier), there was a batch of vaccinations going around that were ineffective. DW Lauri lost a 5 yr old Poodle because of it. She said when she left for work, her dog had some diarrhea, but she didn't think much of it because she was going into heat and usually had that happen. When she came home from work, her poor dog was laying in a pool of blood. She had a Samoyed pup at the time who miraculously didn't contract the parvo.

Lauri blames herself to this day that she didn't take the diarrhea more seriously and take the dog to the vet, even though the vet told her that at that point, she couldn't have saved the dogs life. Just thinking about that day still makes her cry even 18 yrs later.

I'm so sorry for everyone here who has lost a loved pet due to this disease.

 

[dangler]

Thanks everyone. I will search the other threads, I had started reading one the night Storm died, but it was too hard.
Our pup had only gone to the side of the house as I knew not to take him in any public places since he'd only had 1 set of shots. I bleached the entire area, driveway, steps, porch, all the carpets, floors, furniture, clothes, shoes etc. I had to throw out everything that was his as well.
I tried to call Clorox, but it's Mon-Fri hours to see what they can tell me. My vet was fantastic and also said that the virus can survive for 1 year. He said that Parvo is everywhere, but said I did more than what he would have done.
I think that I will wait the year, just incase.
My sister-in-law had the breeders phone number and told me she was putting in a call to the SPCA. I assume the vets office will as well, since it was a confirmed case.
Thanks for the support!