My Parvo Experience: Make Sure you have health Insurance for your puppy !!

[Karen and "Gabby"]

Hi, just wanted share my experience:

Gabby was 8 weeks old when she came to us, from a reputable breeder, with all her vaccines,etc...-- we were very careful not to take her out in public around other dogs, or dog-populated places.  At 9 weeks old, she became very sick and contracted Parvo--Luckily, we took her to the Vet hospital the first day of  diarrhea and vomiting--After three days in the hospital, she pulled through (most have a 50/50 chance of survival). My husband and I were so shocked; we couldn't believe she got Parvo since we were so careful not to expose her. The only outside  places she had been were in our backyard, frontyard, and around a short walk in our cove. After research, I learned a lot about Parvo-- It can live in the environment for months and is transmitted through the infected animal's feces. Even Coyotes or foxes can carry it since they are part of the canine species...And several gray foxes and a coyote had been known to frequent our neighbhorhood. 

Although I had purchased puppy health insurance, my plan had a two week waiting period so I had to fork out not only the 1600.00 for the emergency hospitalization but also the follow-up vet visits which were weekly for about a month... Although my sweet breeder had mailed me a puppy packet ahead of time that had a 30-day no wait immediate activate puppy insurance-- I had overlooked it....Bummer...

So for those of you who are getting new babies, check with your breeder to see if they participate in a breeder plan that offers a free 30 -day no wait coverage for health insurance. Also, you can't be too cautious on protecting your baby from  this virus. Take the advice of breeder and Vet-- no exposure to dogs or dog places until the puppy has finished all of it's vaccinations.http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/parvovirus

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/puppymadness/forum/topics/my-parv...

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Thank you for posting this as a reminder to all new puppy parents to be very mindful to firstly get insurance, but to also take advantage of breeders free immediate cover which would certainly, in your case, have saved you a small fortune. I am glad to hear that Gabby pulled through  this awful disease.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ditto to Nicky's comments. It is soooo important for all dog owners to have pet insurance from day one. 

I am so glad that Gabby recovered! Hope she continues to thrive and be well. 

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

So glad Gabby recovered.  Hope all is smooth sailing for you and that you have all illness and worries behind! Love the Santa picture! 

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

I a so sorry for your experience with Gabby!  I hope she's all better now.

We did not have pet insurance when my last ALD was dx'd with lymphoma. We were treating and paying out of pocket. I'd love to investigate insurance before bringing home our next ALD next week. Do you have any particular insurer you recommend?

[Ginny Nightingale]

There are lots of discussions on our forum about pet insurance--you can search and see what people have said in the past.

[Karen and "Gabby"]

I went with Healthy Paws-- -  See the link below that offers some comparisons:

.http://www.consumersadvocate.org/pet-insurance/best-pet-insurance.h...

[Susan, Coby & Chloe]

Great link -- thank you!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Oh, wow! So sorry to hear what you have been through--I raise pups for a breeder and try to tell the new owners as much as possible about the dangers to a new pup--but they don't always pay attention--I will bring this story up to them to make my point! One person emailed me a week after taking her pup home that the pup's favorite place to sleep was on top of everyone's shoes!! This was after my warnings not to let the puppy near shoes as they can bring in the virus from the soil--ugh! I wrote her back right away to warn her again--

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Thanks for the great reminder to all new puppy parents! People don't realize one or two vaccinations don't fully cover these babies. Putting your puppy down, anywhere another dog could have pottied, means you are putting your dog at risk. That includes your own yards!
So thankful Gabby has made a full recovery! ((Hugs)) to you both!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks for posting all this information. I am glad your puppy pulled through and I wish you many years of happiness with Gabby after such a rough start.

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

I'm so glad Gabby is ok! Parvo is a terrifying sickness to deal with. I'm glad you acted quickly & she is a fighter!