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...