Can a 4 month old puppy catch Parvo from a rat?

Question

About 2 weeks ago, my puppy Moose, found a rat and was taking it in his mouth and playing with it. On thursday we sold him to a friend. Two days ago she said he was vomiting mucus like stuff. Today she called and said that he was very lazy abnd just slept in one place and wasnt eating. SHe said she took him to the vet and the vet said he had parvo.
Could it be Parvo?
Could the vomit just be coincidence?
Do you think he got it at our house, or did he indeed get sick at their house?
Do you think it could be depresasion?
******* HE DID NOT HAVE BLOODY STOOL********

- they ARE keeping the dog at the vet for 5 days now

Answer 1

No, your puppy cannot contract the Parvovirus from a rat, but it can contract Leptospirosis, I have included an entry about it and a website about Parvo.

http://www.labbies.com/lepto.htm

Modes of Disease Transmission.
Leptospira thrive in spring and autumn when wet soil conditions and moderate temperatures support their otherwise poor environmental survivability. Infection by contact with infected urine or ingestion of urine-contaminated water is the most common means of transmission of the disease. Less common modes of infection include transmittance of the organisms during breeding, gestation, or through the membranes of the eyes, abrasions or bite wounds, or ingestion of the flesh from infected animals such as rats, raccoons, skunks or opossums. A serovar infects the dog as a maintenance host, using the dog to carry out most, if not all of the organism's life cycle. Under these conditions, the kidneys of the infected dog become the "breeding" grounds for the serovar, some of which will be shed in the urine where they may gain access to other dogs and continue the infectious cycle.

Symptoms of disease.
During the first 4-12 days following infection with Leptospira, the dog may experience sudden symptoms of fever (103-105oF), depression, vomiting, loss of appetite, conjunctivitis, and generalized pain. Within 2 days of the onset of these primary symptoms, body temperature may drop suddenly and there may be a noticeable increase in thirst. A definite change in the color of the dog's urine and/or jaundice (icterus) is often noticed and may be the only indication of disease. Color intensity of the urine may vary from lemon to deep orange. Additionally, frequent urination and subsequent dehydration (uremia) are consistent with invasion of the kidney tubule cells by the Leptospira organism and usually present within a few days of the primary symptoms. In advanced cases of infection, profound depression, difficulty breathing, muscular tremors, bloody vomitus and feces are often observed as the infection progresses to include the liver, gastrointestinal system and other organs. Course and severity of the disease is often dependent upon the serovar responsible for the infection. Serovars associated with liver infection and symptoms of urine discoloration and/or jaundice (icterus), elevation of liver enzymes, and gastrointestinal symptoms include L. icterohaemorrhagiae and grippotyphosa. The serovar grippotyphosa is also associated with symptoms of renal failure as is the serovar pomona.

About Parvo
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1556&articleid=467

It could have been a coincidence, also did she feed him the same food he was eating at your place. Suddenly changing a puppy's food can cause both vomiting and diarrhea.

If the rat died of rat poisoning, there is a danger there, here is an entry about that

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1940&articleid=2231

There is a period of adjustment after being moved to a new home, some adjust better than others. You wrote that you sold him, did you offer a health guarantee? Offer to take the puppy to your vet to have a another Parvo test done, as well as a complete health check done. If health concerns are ruled out then it is most likely emotional, and just needs time to adjust to his new surroundings. Wish you well.

Answer 2

Hmmm... No.. He didn't get parvo from the rat.. He could have gotten it at your house if you had a dog there w/ parvo. He could have gotten it in your yard.. or he could have picked it up on a walk. IF he was in fact diagnosed w/ parvo, and she has only had the dog for 2 days, the dog got parvo while in your care. You sold your friend a sick dog. IF the dog was diagnosed w/ parvo, you are responsible for the vet bills. Or to buy the dog back from her.

The dog is not depressed, and he doesn't need to have bloody stool to be positive for parvo. But it is far more likely that he would have diarrhea than not.
I would get the report from the vet saying that he did have parvo.. Before I would do anything.But in the meantime if the dog has parvo, he should be at the vet and be being treated.. Where is the dog now???

Could be distemper if it's related to the rat..

Answer 3

If the vet said he had parvo, then that is what he has. He did not catch it from a rat. A person could walk through a yard where parvo exist, and get it on their shoes. That way it is tracked into the house.Parvo stays on the ground for a year. It can be picked up anywhere.

Answer 4

its my understanding that parvo is contracted from the stool of another dog that has parvo. if the vet has diagnosed him with parve than its liekly that's what it is. You do not have to have blood to have parvo, its a symptom but like humans not every dog will have the same symptoms all the time.

That puppy should have been vaccinated long ago, parvo is 100% preventable.

Answer 5

No. Parvo is only spread from dog to dog. Parvo can live in the soil and surroundings for up to a year.

Answer 6

Parvo is an airborn illness. It may have distemper.

Answer 7

No. It is a virus specific to dogs.
You can pick it up anywhere! It can live in the soil for a long time.
That is why there are VACCINES!!!!!!!!

Hopefully it is not warfarin posioning!! Or another kind of rat posion.