Flint has parvo

[StateOfMine]

He was at the vet to let his ears dry out over night and get them re-wrapped in the morning when I got a call from the vet telling me he had parvo. He projectile vomited twice, but his poop looked normal. The vet tested him and he came back parvo positive. My pup was vaccinated at 6 weeks then again at 8 weeks. He got treatment immediately but I am devastated. It says parvo can show symptoms 3 - 7 days after infection... well he was at their office 3 days ago and was with us for a full week before I took him to their office for cropping. He picked it up from their facility. He had to have. Is there anything I can do? He is being treated and got treatment right away but this feels like extortion almost. I had a vet tech tell me that this has happened twice already. Does anyone know if there is anything that can be legally done, because this may end up costing me more than I can afford.

I was so careful. I kept him in a carrier when we went to the vet's to get him vaccinated. The only thing he touched was their exam table. When he got too big for that carrier, I carried him in my arms to avoid touching the floor of the vet facility. I am furious and anxious. I did everything right and one careless idiot got my dog sick and is costing me a fortune. I need someone to either tell me what I can do or try to tell me why I might be wrong or what I did wrong.

 

[JanS]

Oh boy I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like you took all of the precautions and pretty much every vet I know disinfects the table between dogs. If there were other pups affected it's possible that you got it on your shoes and brought it home. That happened to a friend years ago and it was no fun for her little girl.

I don't think there's any action you can or should take against the vet.

 

[Ravenbird]

OMG, that's awful. I don't know anything about legal issues. Puppies are not fully immune until some time after their 3rd vaccine at 12 weeks, so all cautions are recommended until at least a couple weeks after that i.e. 14 weeks. Parvo virus can live on surfaces for weeks and in soil - like the ground you walk him on - for months. Why would you leave him over night for the ears?

 

[Ddski5]

Well damn…
You can blame the vet and see if they will comp some of the bill. If not, I guess you can seek legal services but that there will cost you money too.

Don’t mean to sound like a smart ass here, but all the more reason to learn to post yourself and keep vet visits to emergency issues only.

On another note- my past Doberman’s breeder lost one of her entire litters from Parvo. She is a very clean and meticulous person. Pups never left her house. She figures it got on her shoes from walking in the grass and somehow it got into her house. All animals can carry parvo including in bird poop in which can be stepped on inadvertently in the grass.

 

[StateOfMine]

Why would you leave him over night for the ears?

They were going to take the wrapping off, let them air out, then wrap them back up the next day and I was going to take him home. They wanted to monitor him for any signs of infection or other funky stuff before wrapping again, and they wanted to make sure he wouldn't tear the exposed sutures. I asked about alternate forms of wrapping or using a styrofoam cup instead, but the front desk clerks only told me that was up to the doc and I could discuss it with him when I picked Flint up. So I actually did have the intention of asking about a different wrap where the sutures could breathe, like you guys suggested, but also wanted to wait and approach the situation in a way that would be more diplomatic at the vet's office. I'd rather have a good relationship with my vets if I can.

Don’t mean to sound like a smart ass here, but all the more reason to learn to post yourself and keep vet visits to emergency issues only.

On another note- my past Doberman’s breeder lost one of her entire litters from Parvo. She is a very clean and meticulous person. Pups never left her house. She figures it got on her shoes from walking in the grass and somehow it got into her house. All animals can carry parvo including in bird poop in which can be stepped on inadvertently in the grass.

If I would have tried to do it myself and hurt his ears I would have felt like a real moron. Speaking of bird poop... can it be passed from wild quails? I have domestic chickens on my property too, and I am sure Flint sneaks a bite here and there, but we definitely have wild quails around and I have seen micro-poops from them in my yard. My mom had a lab that would eat chicken poop, but the chickens were free range so there was no good way to make sure the lab didn't eat any of it ever. The lab never had issues from it, so other than it being really gross and undesirable behavior I never thought about it being actually dangerous to a dog. But maybe that lab just had an iron gut. I don't know.

 

[JanS]

If I would have tried to do it myself and hurt his ears I would have felt like a real moron.

Don't ever feel like a moron. Like we stated before, his ears should not be wrapped at all right now and once they're healed you can do it yourself without hurting him. Right now, the vet is doing more harm than good and probably causing him discomfort the way he wraps them so tightly. I don't mean to sound blunt but even a great vet can be terrible about the after care of cropped ears.

 

[Ddski5]

^^^^Absolutely positively agree with Jan. I had no idea what I was doing when I posted my first Doberman. The video Jan has is a wonderful step by step guide on how to do it for any newbie.

Yes…sorry to say but little Flint most likely got it from your chickens/quail. You need to be extremely diligent about him outside and decontaminate before you come inside. Hell, I wouldn’t let him outside of your house period. He can catch Parvo over and over until he becomes fully vaccinated.

Thinking on it now…it’s a good thing he went into the vet and they caught it early. Parvo can be very deadly and wipe a poor little pup out.

Sorry this is happening to you/Flint.

 

[Ravenbird]

sorry to say but little Flint most likely got it from your chickens/quail.

I'll do some research later, but this doesn't sound right. Canine Parvovirus can live in the soil where the chickens pooped an the puppy ate the poop, but I don't think the chickens carry or harbor it. I can't spend much time on it tonight, but here's a quick run down for @StateOfMine to start with.
Canine Parvovirus.

 

[Ravenbird]

My mom had a lab that would eat chicken poop, but the chickens were free range so there was no good way to make sure the lab didn't eat any of it ever. The lab never had issues from it,

If the lab had his vaccines and the Parvo virus is in the soil, it wouldn't matter. The vaccines build the immunity.

 

[Ravenbird]

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[StateOfMine]

Well I guess I should be grateful that he was at the vet when the symptoms started and he got prompt treatment. I think he will be okay, but I feel very bad for him. It sounds absolutely miserable.

 

[Kaiser2016]

He picked it up from their facility. He had to have.

I agree. It’s the main place of exposure but they’d never admit it.

wanted to wait and approach the situation in a way that would be more diplomatic at the vet's office. I'd rather have a good relationship with my vets if I can

Sad truth. Often times, you can’t wait. In an emergency, you really can’t. But, you couldn’t have known that this early on. As a Doberman owner, you will change a lot of vets before you find the good ones.

 

[StateOfMine]

Update on Flint. They will offer him food and water this morning and if he can keep it down then he will come home either this afternoon or tomorrow morning

 

[Ddski5]

I hope little Flint is okay…

On another note- you have chickens and quail? What kinds?

I just started a couple of months ago- built a coop and now have 11 (hopefully all) pullets of various breeds. They are fun to watch.

 

[Kswoodssue]

So sorry to hear about Flint, but it sounds like it was caught early. As a retired nurse, I will tell you this; viruses are not easy to ward off, even under the cleanest circumstances, and one animal might contract a virus that another in the same situation would not. Parvo is a tough virus. Maybe your vet was lax, but it is just as likely that he/she took precautions appropriately. I wish you all the best.

 

[StateOfMine]

I hope little Flint is okay…

On another note- you have chickens and quail? What kinds?

I just started a couple of months ago- built a coop and now have 11 (hopefully all) pullets of various breeds. They are fun to watch.

The quails are wild California Quail, the cute little dudes that look like Elvis. I have barred plymouth rocks and buff orpingtons. They do well together. I am primarily using the hens for eggs and once my roosters are old enough (November) I will butcher them and I can use them for meat. I love having dual-purpose breeds! I originally bought 15 barred rocks and 1 buff orpington (I wanted at least one special one). The barred rocks were a straight run, the buff orpington I paid the extra to guarantee me a pullet. Well, we bought from the last of the hatchings for the season and the hatchery gave us extras that no one bought. So I ended up with 22 chickens instead of 16. I had 2 buff orpingtons, both pullets, and the rest were barred rocks. We ended up with 6 roosters, so not bad at all! We sold 1 rooster and a few more hens, and we are down to 13 total, with 5 roosters left that will likely be ready for the oven just before Thanksgiving.

So sorry to hear about Flint, but it sounds like it was caught early. As a retired nurse, I will tell you this; viruses are not easy to ward off, even under the cleanest circumstances, and one animal might contract a virus that another in the same situation would not. Parvo is a tough virus. Maybe your vet was lax, but it is just as likely that he/she took precautions appropriately. I wish you all the best.

Flint actually kicked Parvo's butt! He is back home with us and aside from being skinnier than I would like, one would never guess he was sick at all with how much energy he has. I fed him, played with him a bit, introduced him to a pig ear (that he barked at for about 5 minutes before he settled down and chewed on it) and then sent him to bed so he wouldn't over extert himself. He is doing great!