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#2068127
Hummi
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 Parvo!!
I went against myself and actually bought a puppy. I usually go to a shelter or will get an unwanted dog from someone that is ready to dump it. So, as of this past Sunday, I was the proud owner of a 8 1/2 week old beauceron. Monday afternoon she has a loose stool. Contributed it to stress. She already had a vet appt for Wed, so no big worry. Tuesday, she will not eat. Still drinking water and playing, even going potty outside everytime I take her out. I called the vet. They weren’t too worried since she was active and not showing any real signs of being ill. I did finally get her to eat some boiled chicken. Tuesday night she throws it up. She throws up twice more overnight. I take her to her appt on Wed and she ends up having giardia, which is a nasty parasite which could cause all her symptoms. I go ahead and opt for the parvo test just to be on the safe side. Test comes back negative. I was so relieved it was something so simple. So I take her home with some meds and I was told to give her pedialite every 45 minutes and when she is keeping that down to go ahead and mix some meat baby food with it. I was told she would be feeling better within 24 hours and if she wasn’t doing better by Saturday, to bring her back. So, I was on my way home. Wednesday night the vomiting gets worse. To the point nothing will stay down and she will not willing take fluids. By Thursday morning she is so weak she can barely move. I rush her back to the vet where they take her to urgent care immediately. By the time I get home, I have a message that she tested positive for parvo and that I needed to call them immediately. I called only to be told she is in very bad condition and they do not see her recovering. She had lost over half a pound overnight and was too cold to get a cathater into to start fluids. I call every couple hours for an update and it is never good. I was told not to expect her to make it through Thursday night. She was unable to keep her body temp up and her blood sugar was too low. They work on her non stop. Thursday evening, no improvement. Friday morning, I dread making the call to check on her. The vet was confident they would find her dead. Surprisingly, she was alive. She had only vomited a few times overnight, her blood sugar was improving and she kept her temp up with the help of heating blankets. Once again, the vet tells me things do not look good and she hasn’t made any real improvement and the chance of her turning around is still next to nothing. Needless to say, I don’t sleep during any of this. I spend Friday night wondering if I am just delaying her death and making her suffer longer than she needs to. So, Saturday morning I make the dreaded call once again. To my surprise, the tech tells me she looks good. She was sitting up and wagging her tail. Not much more info than that since they were just getting in for the morning and she hadn’t ran the morning blood work yet. I was told to call back later in the afternoon for an update. So I mope around all day waiting to hear something. Afternoon finally comes and I call again. I really think they are getting tired of me calling, lol. She is maintaing her own body temp and blood sugar. She went pee. She is up and moving around. They gave her oral electrolites and were waiting to see if she would keep them down. She still had no interest in food, but things are looking up. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being normal and 1 being pretty much dead, she has gotten up to a 6. I am supposed to be getting an update Sunday afternoon. If she eats and keeps food down, she could be coming home within the next 48 hours. I hope she eats. I know it will still be a long road for her, but at least she will be alive.
As for the breeder, and I use the term lightly, they are sad really. She did come with a health warranty. I called them to let them know she had giardia, and the guy got defensive. Told me that was a parasite and all puppies get parasites. I wasn’t calling to complain, I was just trying to let him know that the other pups need to be checked out. When I called the next day to tell them she did have parvo, the man would not deal with me and made me talk to his wife. She said they would replace the puppy, just get them a written statement. When I told her I was going to have the puppy treated, she didn’t sound to happy. She said she was taking the rest of the litter to the vet and would let me know what the vet said. So, I call her later and no answer. I call the next day and get her husband. He of course hands the phone to her. She said 2 of the 3 remaining puppies had giardia and they did not have parvo. Then she went on to say it couldn’t be parvo because they had their shots. Then she said her vet doesn’t like the parvo test because it will give a false positive if they have had a parvo shot within 3 weeks. I told her the puppy wasn’t expected to survive and she didn’t seem too concearned. Now she will only replace the puppy, and that is if she dies. So, because I chose to have her treated, my warranty if voided because they do not pay any vet bills. Really ticks me off. I don’t want another puppy from them, even if she did die. What would be the point in replacing a puppy with another puppy that is more than likely sick or will become sick, especially if I bring it into my house? I have bleached everything, including carpets and grass, but what if I missed something? But, I don’t want them to get away with selling me a sick puppy either. I just don’t know what to do. Since I have a written contract stating they are not responsible for vet bills, there isn’t anything I can really do about any of it. It makes me angry to know I am dealing with all of this and they don’t even care because they got their money. I should have just put out the money ($1000) for a puppy from a local breeder since I know her, but I didn’t see spending that much on a puppy I didn’t plan to breed or show. Now, I will have over that invested in this one and still no guarantee she lives.
Ok, I am done telling my unfortunate events of the week. If anyone took the time to read all this mess, remember to always have your dog/puppy current on shots. It will save you a lot of heartache. And, if they say they are current on shots, ask for proof from a vet. Anyone can say they gave shots, but without proof from a vet, they could be full of it.
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09/05/09 06:28pm
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#2068143
KrazyKelli
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Message To: Hummi In reference to Message Id: 2068127
Parvo!!
Just to let you know: Giardia comes from drinking filthy/rancid/stagnant water. It isn’t a parasite that captive bred puppies normally get, unless their water is never changed or they are strays. Parvo, on the other hand, is something young dogs can get even with shots. There are some new strains of parvo out there that sometimes ignore vaccinations. Therefore it’s important to mutually quarantine new puppies, don’t take them to any well-populated areas (like dog parks or pet supply stores), and don’t let them sniff at unfamiliar poop.
I would notify animal control of your predicament and show them vet reports concerning the fact that someone sold you a puppy with giardia and parvo.
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09/05/09 07:21pm
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#2074497
Hummi
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Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 2068143
 Parvo!!
She survived!! She has been home 2 weeks tomorrow. However, back to the vet we go. She has once again gotten loose stools, this time with a little blood. I am hoping she just has worms or the giardia didn’t get completely cleared up and nothing more serious. She is acting normal and eating fine, but she is going potty in the house which is not normal for her either. I will never get another puppy.
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09/21/09 12:04pm
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#2074802
FutureVet123
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Message To: Hummi In reference to Message Id: 2074497
 Parvo!!
Hope your puppy gets better! My prayers are with her for a quick recovery.
-Peaches and Jeni
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09/21/09 10:42pm
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#2075027
LizaB2008
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Message To: FutureVet123 In reference to Message Id: 2074802
Parvo!!
Something really good to give your dog after they come home from being treated for parvo is pediasure, it helps get their vitamins back and helps put a little weight back on them. We to went through a battle with parvo, and today he is a happy healthy three year old. We got him from the pound and two days after he became very ill, wouldn’t get up, would eat, wouldn’t drink..... took him to the e vet and sure enough it was parvo, he was there for a week battling parvo, when he came home he was soooo skinny, the vet recomended pediasure, two months later he was back to the playful puppy we adopted.
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09/22/09 05:59pm
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#2075362
Hummi
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Message To: LizaB2008 In reference to Message Id: 2075027
Parvo!!
She has gained a little over 5 lbs in the past 2 weeks. She was running a slight fever so they decided to wait on her shots. They wormed her, since I found out she had a heavy load of roundworm and hookworm when they had her in for the parvo treatment. They also decided to give her another round of treatment for the giardia just to be on the safe side. I am pretty sure the worms were behind her not feeling quiet right just yet. Trust me, she is even more of a terror today, lol. She had a good appetite before, but in the past couple days she has really started eating more. She has also learned that she can bark and does it quiet frequently now. She goes back to the vet in 10 days, so hopefully she will be ready to get her shots finished off and then I can start socializng her and teaching her to walk on a leash.
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09/23/09 01:15pm
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