New Puppy - Parvo! What to Do

Jodi,
When you adopt from the Humane Society, the dogs are examined medically, all shots given, including fixing/spaying depending on the age requirement, and the adoption fee is supposed to cover all those preparatory treatments. This dog should not have been wormy. Please contact the HS and tell them of the difficulty.
I adopted an adult Aussie Shepherd several years and everything medical was included before I could even take the dog home. I've had no trouble with that dog in all this time.
They sort of "guarantee" them, and I'm certain they will take the puppy back if it's not working out, as that contingency is referred to in the adoption agreement. It it troubles me to think that someone there didn't take care of this before they released the dog to you, and you should definitely address this with them. HS is usually very user-friendly, wanting the very best for their dogs.
Best wishes!

We adopted a puppy with parvo a few years ago, and it turned out to be a HUGE headache. We tried to return the pup to the shelter, but they said they would have to put him to sleep. So, we ended up keeping him, paying the vet bills, and then dealing with his various health problems for about a year afterwards. At the time, we didn't have any kids, so it was easier to deal with. Now, I really don't think we would have the time or resources to take care of a sick puppy. Personally, I would return her. Parvo is really difficult to get over, and your puppy won't be much fun for a long time. Your kids deserve a healthy puppy that they can play with and enjoy.

When my husband first got his dog, it had Parvo as well (and I'd ask ANYONE wanting a dog to NOT PURCHASE ONE FROM ANYWHERE in Canton, Texas -- that is the PARVO CAPITAL OF TEXAS!) ... get a syringe and force feed your pup gatorade every 15 minutes. It's a pain.. but they need the fluids. They'll die without it. YOu can do it! I promise! I've had two friends purchase dogs from Canton and BOTH dogs had Parvo... and they did the same thing. A kid's medication syringe and gatorade (along with a vet trip)... once it starts feeling better... boiled or canned chicken and some rice ... Once you get over this hurdle, you'll have a wonderful companion to love forever!!! :)

TAKE HER BACK! They should never have adopted her out to begin with. They are supposed to check all animals and treat them before they adopt them out and to disclose that information to you before you adopt. I am sorry you had to go through that experience. I would also notify the BBB.

Have you talked to them about it? Maybe they can cover part of the cost or have a vet who will treat her for much less? When we got our cocker spaniel, within a month, she got cherry eye. Because of her age, we had to take her to a veterinary opthamologist (sp?). I didn't even realize there was such a thing. Anyway, the vet bills were close to $1000 total. We were able to get back the cost of the surgery which was about half. Better than nothing. We could have returned her and gotten a new one, but I just didn't feel right doing that, but that was my personal decision. We bought our dog from a pet store, so it might be different. But you have nothing to lose by asking. My sister adopted a dog from the humane society and they gave her vouchers for the first round of shots and first couple vet visits if they went to a specific vet. If none of that works, and you don't want to return her, shop around for vets. Small town ones are generally much cheaper. Since we moved from Keller to Justin, our vet bills are a fraction of what they used to be.

I'm so sorry about your puppy. The Humane Society should stand behind the vet bills or give you another puppy. Their vet should be taking care of the puppy. If you haven't already done so, call the Humane Society. This thing cannot always be prevented, but you should not be stuck with the vet bills. Because you had her only a couple of days when she got sick, it's understandable that you haven't bonded with her. It is a very sad situation, but you should be able to return her and get another puppy. Did you get her from HSNT on Lancaster in Fort Worth? If they refuse, you need to talk with a manager or someone in authority, not just the folks at the desk.

I adopted a dog (long ago) and the same thing happened within about 10 days. They offered to take her back, but I declined - she was a dog I'd placed and they had taken her and given her up, so I wanted to keep her. They paid for the vet bills.

If you return her, they will probably euthanize her, but so many times, they don't survive parvo anyway.

Caution: don't bring another puppy/dog into your home immediately. Parvo is very contagious and you are going to have to disinfect everything - I mean EVERYTHING - to protect the newcomer. This means bedding, dishes, toys, towels, (inside and out) and treat the yard. Contact your vet or go online to find out exactly what you need to do.

I'm so sorry about your puppy. Poor baby.

Good luck.

Defintely contact the humane society. If you got her on Monday and she was diagnosed on Wedsneday, I wouldn't think she got it from your yard. We adopted from humane society once and our dog came home with kennel cough. We went back there and they gave us the meds to treat it. Now parvo is defintely more expensive to treat than kennel cough, but it is certainly worth discussing with the shelter to see if they can help.

My sister-in-law lost three puppies to parvo before they realized it was in their yard. They were getting them from the pound, so they thought it was coming with the dogs. Then one of their great danes got it. The great dane lived, the puppies all died. They waited until they moved to a new place to get another puppy. Do some reading up on it on the internet. There is no cure for parvo in puppies; they just treat the symptoms. I would take the dog back for treatment or...whatever they need to do. It is a huge mess. I am so sorry for your and the poor puppy. Be very careful bringing home another puppy as the parvo virus may still be around your house. Read up on how to clean the house to get rid of the virus or consider adopting a little bit older of a dog that already has at least one parvo shot under his belt.

You've already gotten a lot of response on this, but I wanted to share one more thing with you. We had a puppy with parvo about 3 years ago. Luckily, he made it through it and has been an awesome dog for us...but one thing the vet warned me about was this: once you've had a dog in your house with parvo, that virus is there and its there to stay. There's no getting rid of it. It will be in your house, in your yard, anywhere that the puppy may have used the bathroom or thrown up. He said that they use all kinds of really strong chemicals at vet clinics and still cannot completely get rid of the virus. So he told me that as long as we live in this house, we can never (or should never) have another puppy. We can get another dog that is older (past the point of all of their shots where they are immune), but that is all. If you were to get another young puppy and bring that puppy home, chances are a new one would get the virus as well. You may ask your vet about all of this, but that is what my vet (Dr. O'Gormon--Heritage Trace Vet) told me.
I'm so sorry for you and your family and your puppy!!!!
~B.

I can't believe the Humane Society didn't check for those things. Don't they usually??? She is not yet a true member of your family and I'm sure you wanted a healthy puppy, so I think it would be alright to take her back. I'm sure others will disagree, but you have to do what is right for your family. Good luck, and I'm sorry this happened.

I would take her back. They should have told you and I would also have thought that they would have been taking care of this dog and checked all that out before getting her adopted. You got a lemon. For that cost of that vet bill you could have bought a puppy from a breeder and the best puppy in the whole world to us is our Shih Tze. But she will have accidents here and there after three years and it is expected puppies are not trained. Ours took a year. But the best personality and she stays at my side all day long. She has personality and because I think of her being mixed with Lapsa she is a calm nature. Loves kids and I have a Day Care at my home and she is great with the kids. Take care and happy puppy searching. Also this Home Again that we got a microchip put in has pet insurance and I think it is about $30 a day. Maybe pay for that for a few months and get the costs covered. G. W

If you got the puppy from a true humane society as opposed to a local shelter, then they should have been notified ASAP of the parvo and they should pay for the vet bills IF you went to their vet. If you got the puppy from a local animal shelter, that is a different story because they are limited on the assistance they can provide (city budgets, etc). All of this should have been told to you at the time you adopted and part of your adoption contract. I have volunteered for 15 years with local humane societies and both groups ALWAYS take back any sick animal and provide the animal with treatment. Parvo comes on extremely quickly and without warning so the humane society may not have had a clue even with a full vet examination. Unfortunately parvo is rampant at the local shelters throughout Texas and even occurs with puppies from breeders. Contact the humane society TODAY and see what they can do to help you out, suggestions, etc. to save your dog. Parvo can be deadly and can spread to your neighbors' dogs if they are not current on their vaccinations. We try our best to save animals but if the adopters don't let us know what is going on, then we can't help. The humane society should have been calling you to follow up, to make sure everyone is adjusting, any questions, etc. Most groups also provide a free vet visit with the adoption and if you used that that would have alerted the group and the vet to the problem. Contact me if you have any questions.