"What is Parvo?"

pawzaddict

Its different per dog. Some dogs have actually never showed severe symptoms but that's rare
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MorningGlory

paws, I know you know best, but back last month when I was ultra-super parvo paranoid (and every hiccup she had, let alone her tummy might be upset because she decided people hair was tastier than steak or because I fed her junk food all day , was an "OMG must scrub apartment," moment) I thought I had read that on average the symptoms appear 7 to 10 days after exposure which is why you wait 2 weeks until after the last shot cycle before releasing the little guys to the big big world. 1 week for the shot to kick in, and then another week in the case parvo symptoms appear (since during the week or so it takes for the shot to kick in they can theoretically still catch the virus and it wouldn't appear until 7 to 10 days after the last day of which their immune system has built up). Does it differ between dogs and breeds?

I mean that could be total hog-wash (why I ask...tee-hee), I also remember reading in places that vaccines do not guarantee safety against it and so never *ever* take your dog around animals you don't know (which may or may not be true (I mean I was vaccinated against measles as a kid, caught them when I was 29...remote things happen but they're so remote that it makes it sort of absurd to keep pets (or people) in a sterile bubble all of their lives) and if you do be very very scared (scare tactics for vaccinated doggies...yay ). I also remember reading that like black and tan breeds are more susceptible to catching it too, which seemed a bit off base and perhaps far fetched to me 'cause, well, like doxies, they have black and tan variations but it's the same breed of dog, heck two colors could be from the same litter. I have no clue if that was accurate or not though since it didn't really apply to me.

pawzaddict

Everything I put on here is from personal experience only, by no means have I been to vet school nor training school

This is not set in stone. I have always recommended people wait 3-4 weeks, not 2. The vets I work for of course tell owners the average on when symptoms occur, but the average is not always correct either I worked at clinic where a dog was tested for Parvo because one of the neighbors dogs who was in their yard came down with it, the dog tested positive for parvo but NEVER showed a symptom, this is rare, but its always worth mentioning.

I dont know how valid this is anymore, but yes it used to be that black dogs were more susceptible to parvo and I think there were breeds that were listed, but I think the breed thing is b/c of those types of people who own that breed...if you get my drift.

gershepsmyfav

We got a puppy that had Parvo already, when we got it. We didn't know anything about Parvo. We had never had any dogs that had it or had been around anybody that had experienced it. So when our puppy got sick. We took it to the vet. Because I use the BARF diet she said it was Salmonella. She did not give our puppy the Parvo test. She gave me meds for Salmonella. We went home. He didn't seem to improve. Then he got sicker. We rushed him to the emergency night vet, a different vet. The first thing she did was to take a Parvo test and said he had Parvo. Our puppy fought for his life for almost a week, but ended up dying. I'm telling this so that people will be sure to have their vets take a Parvo test when your puppy gets sick. I have since learned a lot about Parvo. I wished I had known about it before our sweet little puppy died. Thank you for telling everybody about it. Yes the cost is a lot and we are still paying on the bill, but that doesn't matter, we wish our puppy had survived.

pawzaddict

I am so sorry for your loss I hope you called the original vet and told her a little somethin somethin that cannot be repeated here. Its so prominent where I live and it breaks my heart. Thank you for sharing your story and ty for doing your best (and please know you did!) The second your pup became ill
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gershepsmyfav

We did and we complained to the administrator and told him we weren't satisfied with her care of our puppy and wanted another vet to take over. They wouldn't do that. So we refused to pay the $45. that she charged us for the initial examination. They didn't make us pay that. We were thinking of going to the state board. But that wouldn't bring our puppy back.

fawkese1

so sorry for your loss... that is a terrible story...

thank you for sharing it with us tho, hopefully someone will learn from it...

i agree, that wouldn't bring your puppy back, but it may help prevent this from happening again... just something to think about...

gershepsmyfav

We did think about that.We thought a long time on it. But we are on limited income and knew we couldn't afford an attorney. So we tell everybody we know that has a dog to always get a Parvo test. We hope we can help that way at least

fawkese1

ah... i didn't realize that it was as complicated as that, i thought it was just making a complaint... i totally understand, and thank you again for sharing your experience here...

TonkaTruckJK

Actually, the state board would be VERY happy to hear your complaint, and you don't need an attorney to file one - this is not a lawsuit, just a formal complaint that will be investigated. I deal with both pharmacy and medical boards on a daily basis, and believe me (I'm on the defendant side), they will investigate your complaint. If they find something out of whack (malpractice, negligence, etc), they will act accordingly of their own behalf.

The complaint is merely an indicator for them to do their own research.

Not trying to push for it, but I'd hate to see you walk away with a feeling of helplessness or a feeling that the vet is not practicing appropriately and not think you have any recourse.

Happy to talk further about it if you'd like...not sure if you're in the states or not, but that's my professional experience here (I deal with all 50 state Boards of Pharmacy regularly)