My Parvo Experience- Make sure you have pet 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

[Bonnie and Kona]

Karen, This is extremely valuable information. Thank you for posting. I hope you will re-post on the main page so everyone can read it and not just members of the Puppy Madness group.

I hadn't heard of the breeder plan for pet insurance. Maybe more of the new puppy buyers can advocate for this option with their breeders. 

I am so grateful that Gabby is well now. PHEW! What a scary time for your family. 

[al haskins]

Amen about pet insurance.

Lakta has now run up bills over several thousand dollars due to an immune problem. We have never purchased it before and so felt it was not necessary considering the many restrictions the plans had. Latka is still not 100 percent. On the other hand I am fortunate in that I can keep on teaching.

al

[Dynamite & Doodle]

I'm really glad your puppy is going to be ok, Parvo is a scary thing.

Another thing to consider is to keep the puppy away from your shoes and the area where you keep your shoes as those can be contaminated as well. Don't wear your shoes around the house either, sometimes the virus is brought to the puppy, not the other way around.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.  I hope Gabby is totally recovered.

[Karen and "Gabby"]

thanks for all your well wishes. I just felt it was important to remind everyone about the prevalence of Parvo--

 And, by the way, Gabby is now 6 months old and doing great!! 40lbs of love and joy!! 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Fabulous news! I can't imagine how scary that experience was for you! :(

[Paul Schumacher]

So glad your pup made it through.  Must've been such a terrible experience for everyone.  I believe Trupanion is instant coverage.  We have heathy paws and had a 2 week waiting period, which was stressful even without a sick dog!