Re: PARVO new strain ?

["Deb & Boyd McFail" <bdmcfail@alaska.net>]

oh Gina this is horrible! We have a lot of outside dogs coming in for our summer
shows here so keep this in mind when we get you ready to head home from here in
August! This is the one thing I am truly paranoid about even up here in Alaska.
Debs

----------
>From: Gina Heitz <brier@oregonsbest.com>
>To: brierpups@fast.cs.utah.edu
>Subject: PARVO new strain ?
>Date: Wed, Jun 20, 2001, 9:32 AM
>

>
>
> All of you should be out of the woods on this but did want to share it...
>
> Gina
>
> Forwarded Message Below:
> Parvo is running wild in North Texas (Dallas in particular). This is a
> particularly Hot strain of parvo that has not taken the lives of so many
> puppies since the original eruption of the disease back in the early 80's.
> This strain also seems to be testing negative to the in house test most vets
> use and even A & M didn't detect it. Only on autopsy was the diagnosis
> definitive. I was hit just before mothers day and with the exception of one
> puppy ALL THAT GOT IT DIED! Two different vets each tried to save the pups
> brought to them (we lost a total of 7) The bleeding in the lower intestine
> was so bad that it could not even be called diarrhea anymore it was pure
> blood and the pups were literally bleeding to death. We tried a manmade
> hemoglobin (very expensive) and even used one of our big boys to transfuse
> sick pups. Neither worked. Unlike the typical parvo this strain doesn't
> run
> it's course in 3 days pups linger 5 or 6 days appear to start getting better
> and then up and die. My adults and a litter of pups that were born in
> January were all totally unaffected but it hit my two litters that were born
> on March 4 and 20th. They had already started their shots and some of the
> pups never even got sick my vet doesn't know if it is the shots or maternal
> antibodies that kept them healthy but 8 puppies got it and 7 died. We had
> pups in the animal hospital before the major signs, if they just looked a
> little "off" we brought them in. It didn't matter. Mine were the first
> cases that were seen by the vets in my town. But within 2 weeks my vet told
> me they were seeing 5-7 cases a week and like my puppies the mortality is
> almost 100%. My vets supply rep told her that in his entire region (from
> west of Dallas/Ft Worth to the TX/LA border north into OK and south about
> halfway down to Houston) virtually every vet has several cases.
> I know that Texas is gearing up for some of the biggest shows on it's yearly
> circuit but be warned. If you have puppies it's not worth it. That major
> falls flat if your dog or the litter you had such high hopes for is dead. I
> am bypassing one of the few rare breed shows that comes to Texas because
> (even though my vet assures me that once 30 days have gone by we are no
> longer infectious) I don't want to risk either infecting someone else or
> possibly be reinfected. We don't know where we picked it up. My vet thinks
> since we own the dog grooming shop and have the vet right next door that we
> probably brought it home that way. Even though we bleach our feet before
> coming in and spray ourselves with Lysol before getting into the car. If
> this is truly the case than this is one super contagious strain. A friend
> of
> mine in So. California told me last fall about a strain of Parvo her vet was
> calling "Black Parvo" it appears that what we were hit with now might be the
> same strain. If that is the case it has made it's way halfway across the
> country in a few months and with the hot weather upon us and some very big
> dog show circuits coming up the stage is set for disaster. We were hit once
> before in 1991 and after that I was quite the fanatic about prevention and
> quarantine but I have to admit the over the last 2 or 3 years we got a
> little
> less crazy. (I spent 6 weeks once summer with a refrigerator that iced up
> every 3 days and had to be unplugged for almost 2 because I had pups and
> wouldn't let a repairman in because it was parvo season.) I don't know if
> being that diligent would have prevented this last outbreak but the fanatic
> is back.
> If you have or are expecting pups take every precaution you can. Let Bleach
> become your best friend. Stay away from the shows even as a spectator. If
> you make a trip to the vet ask if they have any cases and if you can delay
> your visit. If you can't delay try to be the first appointment, Don't let
> anyone in the waiting room touch your dog/pup (they may be covered with the
> virus).
> Please pass this on to anyone you know with pups. If this post can keep one
> litter from being hit like we were it's worth it.
>