Canine Parvovirus: if you think education is expensive try ignorance!
(Responsible breeders may not be as common as you think – hopefully Andrea’s experience will help you to avoid heartache, and reinforce the need for regulation of the breeding industry – animalman)
Finally! The day had come when we pick up our 6 week old bouncy, healthy and blissful pit bull puppy, Baxter! At the breeders house you can see the love, care and sincerity Greg has for his pits. Papers, vaccinations and food in tow we leave Greg’s house not without promising we’ll keep in contact and send photos. What a pleasure!
Few weeks later, we start to realise that Baxter could really do with a companion. Advised by my dog trainer, Rob, we start to search for a retriever and not a terrier breed. Having grown up with the miniature Maltese breed with such fond memories, I begin the search for a miniature Maltese breeder. Within moments of typing on the internet “miniature Maltese puppies for sale- Gauteng”, I get a whole range of breeders promising healthy, adorable white balls of fluff. After calling around, I finally settle on a breeder in the Free state. The only reason why I chose her was because she gave me the added comfort and security that she was a KUSA registered member.
We were more than happy to drive to the Free state to fetch our new puppy, Mouse. Our first mistake was made when we agreed to meet her outside the Game in Fourways to pick up the puppy. She was coming up to Johannesburg to drop off other puppies (Cocker Spaniel, Tea Cup Yorkie, Maltese poodle) and pick up a sausage dog from the pet shop next to Game, Paradise Pets, thus it was convenient.
Why didn’t we see the 1st warning sign? You always go to a breeders home and assess the mother of the puppies as well as the environment. I was so ignorant. The second warning sign that I did not take note of was the cost of Mouse. The breeder said the puppy was R2000 and if I did want registered papers it would cost me an additional R2000. I should’ve known something was not right.
The 12th of March came and we picked up Mouse outside the Game. She was small, not very frisky and appeared a bit sickly. I felt so sorry for her and had to take her home and nurse her back to health.
On the Monday the 14th Mouse seemed to be limping so we took her off to the Kloof Road Animal Clinic, Bedfordview. After an x-ray, we were told there were no broken bones, however it appeared there was problems with her knee caps and this would have to be operated on in the near future.
The afternoon of Wednesday the 16th, Mouse began to throw up digested blood and collapsed with severe abdominal pain. The vet admitted her that night and sadly Mouse passed away the early hours of Thursday morning (17th of March). The vet informed me that this was usually due to a severe case of hook worm or most likely the Parvovirus.
Furthermore, we received a vet’s report stating that the puppy he assessed was about 5-6 weeks old and not the promised 9-10weeks old. His diagnostic was based on the fact that Mouse’s teeth had not even broken through the gums and she could not eat her Yorkie puppy food we were instructed to feed her.
Sadly, a week later (21st March) my pit bull puppy was diagnosed Parvovirus and was admitted to the vet. Baxter already had his 2nd vaccination yet still was infected. Not only that, our concern was that Baxter had been exposed to several other older dogs and environments whilst he was infected.
The week Baxter fought for his life my partner, Darren, and I got educated! Firstly, what is the Parvovirus? How do puppies get it? What is the treatment and survival rate? We thoroughly research this topic and realised the severity of this virus. In a nutshell, the parvovirus is a contagious virus mainly affecting dogs. The disease is highly contagious and is spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces. It can be especially severe in puppies that are not protected by maternal antibodies or vaccination. It has two distinct presentations, a cardiac and intestinal form. The common signs of the intestinal form are severe vomiting and dysentery. The cardiac form causes respiratory or cardiovascular failure in young puppies. Treatment often involves veterinary hospitalization with aggressive treatment. Vaccines can prevent this infection, but mortality can reach 91% in untreated cases.
When then started to question the breeder who supplied us with Mouse as our vet suggested that Baxter had contracted parvovirus from her. His suggestion was based on the fact that Baxter was healthy for so long before Mouse came, Mouse’s symptoms and death suggest this and finally the environment Baxter was exposed to.
The breeder said she is a registered member with KUSA, but what is KUSA? KUSA (Kennel Union of Southern Africa) is the principle and registry for all breeds of purebred dogs in Southern Africa. The Union makes Rules and Regulations for the Registration of dogs, Breed (Beauty) Shows, Obedience Classes, Working Trials, Dog Jumping, Dog Carting, Field Trials and Agility. In Southern Africa KUSA sets qualifications for and approves people to judge at its Licensed Shows. KUSA is involved in several other areas. What are the advantages of buying a puppy that is registered with an organization? Unfortunately, this statement by the breeder gave me a false sense of security. KUSA and most organizations are voluntary and thus unless the breeder has been convicted in the court of law, any one seems to be able to use this and other names as a marketing tool. Do not be ignorant like I was, being a member of a union or club etc. is no guarantee about the breeder. Other questions we asked was what protection does the consumer have? Most importantly what does the Animal’s Protection Act- No. 71 of 1962 cover?
Baxter was in the vet for over a week and only came home on the 29th March. He was aggressively treated for the Parvovirus and went through terrible pain and suffering during this time. It was heart breaking to see my 8.5 kg healthy, happy and bouncy puppy transform into a sad, terrified and broken spirited puppy that was just skin and bones!
If it wasn’t for the aggressive and costly treatment as well as the incredible care of the vets at Kloof Road Animal Clinic , Bedfordview, our puppy, Baxter, would not have made it. I will be forever thankful to them! Sadly, many puppies in South Africa are not surviving this virus due to: its costly treatment, lack of education and continuous spread from contaminated environments.
What is the solution to this problem? I suggest that the potential puppy buyer request a Health guarantee from the breeder containing a return or refund policy in the event of the animal presenting an illness within a certain period. They must also have sight of certain documentation at point of purchase (vaccination card, registered papers etc). I personally can recommend Pack Leaders who can offer potential puppy buyers a buyer’s guide outlining how to choose a puppy and what questions to ask a breeder to safeguard against genetically and health conditions. The link for advice is http://packleaders.yolasite.com or email info.packleaders@gmail.com. Pack Leaders would normally charge R150 for this puppy buyers guide but thankfully Rob Hendry, a specialist in canine behaviour, is prepared, in light of my experience and a necessary educational blitz, to offer this information for FREE to anyone referencing this article.
This article was written with several purposes in mind. Firstly, to educate people on the this terrible parvovirus. I want to alert potential buyers of breeders that are not sincere and what warning signs to look out for. I want to prevent a handful of breeders from breeding and giving KUSA and other associations a bad reputation as many breeders are breeding for the love of the breed! Unfortunately it takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch and we need to educate people to preserve the reputations of the good breeders. This has been both emotionally and financially taxing on my family, and I hope my story can prevent another family from going through the heartbreak, stress, loss and grief mine did. It’s time to educate! If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!
Kind regards
Andrea Jachs
Email: Andreaj@Merchantwest.co.za
(I must make this clear that this is my, Andrea Jachs, own personal experience. I, Andrea Jachs, cannot be held accountable for any other persons experience.)
I want to say breeding should be stopped but some people do breed for the love of the breed! however if i had my time over i would have gone to the SPCA etc.
Why bring more animals into this world when there are already so many unwanted dogs and cats available from Animal Welfare, the SPCA, etc? I will never understand why people will pay such exorbitant amounts to obtain a “pure bred”, when there are so many animals (puppies too) who would jump at the chance to find a loving home, or face being put down. Breeders contribute heavily to the problem of overpupulation and animal abuse in this country, and those who support them keep them in business – this should be a crime.
Education indeed !!!. I dont even trust registered breeders. Always remember, they breed only for the money, nothing else. Last December 2010, 3 puppies were dumped at my gate. Needless to say, I was greatfull that these beautiful puppies were dumped at my gate and not thrown in the bush. Two days later, they appeared ill. Parvo virus was diagnosed by my Vet. A long road to recovery and R9000-00 later. One puppy died. Today Sadie and Lady is a pure bundle of joy. I will alwys care for animals – I can not say that about some humans!