Puppy Parvo.....?

Question

Okay so there is a Pet shop in my area and it's called The Dog House. I have been reading some reviews of the shop and some people say they buy dogs there that are carrying Parvo and some people say that they are healthy.
Now what exactly is Parvo?
They have Yorkshire Terriers and Maltese which I am interested in getting but should I take the risk of getting a puppy with Parvo? They're much cheaper than the mall who sells it for $2600 but The Dog House takes cares of vet bills for the first year and come with a guarentee.
What do you think I should do?

I have visited the shop several times...
Note: The overwhelming stench --hygiene problem?

Answer 1

One important thing to note about parvo is that it has an incubation time of 7-10 days. So if you get the puppy tested for parvo at the time of purchase, and the result is negative, it doesnt necessarily mean that it wont have parvo.

Also, parvo virus is generally found everywhere. Outside on the street, in parks, other healthy dogs, maybe even in your house. It can lie dormant for a long period of time.

The only thing that kills parvo is bleach.

This is why it is advised that you do not take your puppy out until it has had all its vaccinations.

My maltese puppy was only home for 4 days before he was hospitalised with parvo. He was sick for 3 days, and it racked up a bill of $2000.

The good news is that with hospitilisation most small breed dogs do very well with parvo. It is the larger breeds that often succumb to it.

Personally, I would never buy a puppy from a petstore, or a backyard breeder. You should aim to buy from a reputable breeder who breeds pedigree pups. Although the initial outlay will be large, it will save you money and alot of heartache in the future.

For more information on maltese checkout the following forums, they are a wealth of infomation:

http://spoiledmaltese.com/
http://malteseforum.com

Good Luck!

Answer 2

That's a loaded question!

#1 never buy a puppy from a pet shop. I can just about guarentee that The Dog House is a retailer for some horrible puppy mill. STAY AWAY!
Check out nomorepuppymills.com (too many reasons to list here)

#2 If you are concerned about prices, a parvo pup is going to cost you way more that 2grand in vet bills so STAY AWAY!

Look for rescues or humane society to adopt a dog.
Go to petfinder.com

Parvo is a viral infection that is common in youg pups that don't have a fully developed immune system or in adults that have not been vaccinated or are immunosuppressed.
Typically causes bloody stool, vomitting, lethergy, dehydration, decrease appetite, etc. Not an easy thing to bounce back from and very easily transmitted from dog to dog via fecal contamination.

Answer 3

Never buy a puppy from a petstore. The puppies that are sold there are puppymill puppies and there is no telling how sick they will be. Some problems may not even show up until the dog is past the age of one.
Canine parvovirus is a particularly deadly disease among young puppies, causing gastrointestinal tract damage and dehydration as well as a cardiac syndrome in very young pups. It is spread by contact with an infected dog's feces. Symptoms include lethargy, severe diarrhea, fever, vomiting, loss of appetite, and dehydration. It has a 50% survival rate. So even if they take care of vet care for the first year it will do you no good if the pup dies from Parvo.
I wouldn't risk it, you should look for a reputable breeder.

Answer 4

The vaccine is to prevent parvo it DOES NOT cure parvo, only a series of fluids will help a dog get over parvo, intravenous fluids, I'm sorry but there is no prescription or magic pill you can give a puppy to rid them of parvo, if your dog has parvo only a vets care will hopefully save him, most die a painful death if not treated. As for intestinal worms you need a prescription from the vet, OTC wormers do not work. If you cannot afford to properly care for your puppy please sign him over to the vets and let them find him a home that can afford proper medical care. I'm sorry but it's illegal to not provide a sick dog with medical care.

Answer 5

Parvo is a disease that causes seve bloody diahrea and vomiting. It's caught through exposure of feces of another dog with that disease. Parvo is extremely dangerous. A puppy that catches parvo has a 50/50 chance of living. The medical bills of curing parvo is very expensive. My dog had caught Parvo once and his vet bills came out to $1500. I would buy the dogs at the mall. Like they say you pay for what you get. It's a horrible feeling to see your dog in that condition. Parvo is very sneaky. My dog was doing fine one day. The next he was not eating, constantly vomiting and had bloody diahrea. He could've died but my mom decided to give him a chance and pay for the vet bill.

Answer 6

I would not even take the chance those are probably puppy mill puppies---mothers are bred until death only for a profit. Just adopt a cute little mut from the shelter and save a life. I hope you adopt because these dogs are up to date on shots and are fixed. Its all a shame because parvo shots cost all of $8...its a sad sad thing

ADOPT!!!

Answer 7

Parvo can be fatal, we've lost 2 pups that way. It is easy to test for it. Any good breeder should offer a health gaurantee. Ask if you can pay for a test to see if the puppy is negative. Don't bring it home w/o a test if you have other dogs.

Answer 8

Parvo is not a good thing and is very hard to treat. Most dogs that get parvo die. I would rather have a healthy dog then the posibily of one with parvo

Answer 9

I think there's a risk with any pet shop/mall that sells puppies.

See if you can't find a professional breeder locally to purchase from, or see if you can find these breeds in your local shelters/rescues.

"Parvovirus is a viral disease of dogs. It affects puppies much more frequently than it affects adult dogs. The virus likes to grow in rapidly dividing cells. The intestinal lining has the biggest concentration of rapidly dividing cells in a puppy's body. The virus attacks and kills these cells, causing diarrhea (often bloody), depression and suppression of white blood cells -- which come from another group of rapidly dividing cells. In very young puppies it can infect the heart muscle and lead to "sudden" death."

Answer 10

It is horrible, and usually will kill a puppy in a few days.. So if they guarentee for a year then I think you would be fine.. The mall is always higher and not always better... They overbreed just to sell.. I think you should stay local especially with a written guarentee