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Adopted puppy had parvo, child is heartbroken

lohud.com — It took forever to convince the child's mom to let him adopt a puppy. She finally relents, and the puppy has parvovirus, perhaps the most contagious and a potentially fatal disease... The puppy had to be given back and has survived, but the family's going to wait a while before trying again.

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  • BCCStu, on 07/23/2008, -1/+25Brutal...
  • GetSmartGal, on 07/23/2008, -0/+20Poor little guy!
    • ironeus, on 08/01/2008, -0/+7The puppy or the 12 yr old?
      • DaHuuuuuudge, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5The guy who had to write the article, now his keyboard is all salty :(

        Edit: I realized somebody will undoubtedly take that the wrong way. I'm talking about tears, people. TEARS.
      • GiggleStick, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Well, what else is salty DaHuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge? Are you speaking from experience?
      • LiquidShield, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Ok if read this right. all the names up till mine read:

        GetSmartGal
        Shelikes
        DaHuuuuuudge
        GiggleStick.

        Correct me if i am wrong on the 2nd name... that is seriously funny.
    • dragon76, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I have a Labrador/Shepherd mix that I got from my sister's neighbour and she seemed totally healthy and was SO beautiful. The day I brought her home she started having loose stool and it was brick red while feeling really hot, breathing fast and having a fast heart (for a puppy). I heard everything from Parvo to stomach parasites from everyone around me and I was really scared because I just got her and I didn't want her to die.

      Turns out she was just allergic to my sister's dog food (she has 4 dogs and lives in the country, she buys cheap dog food). The colour of the stool was because of the dye in the food. Labradors are notorious for sensitive stomachs. I would not be surprised that since this was a first dog they didn't get it decent food and that's all it was. Tummy ache.
  • Tevediggs, on 07/23/2008, -14/+20I hate to be the one to say it but people get way to emotional over animals. Just like human lives, you take it for all it's worth while you can knowing that it one day must end. With that being said children take these things harder because they likely haven't experienced losing something they love forever, but most kids with pets, like I did, have a dog/cat/whatever die during childhood and they still end up ok. I feel sorry for you kid but it'll be ok.
    • ameologger, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4true, many people just doesn't believe the fact of life and death or the common sentence " bad things happen "

      many people/animals died and many other survived ... world always move on
    • sgtbutterscotch, on 07/24/2008, -3/+5I hate to be the one to say it but this sounded like an Onion story. I'm pretty sure this happens often. I don't get what's so special about this. Can someone tell me?
    • Asshate, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4For this one kid, 1000000 more saw their puppy run out onto the road and turned into a gore spot right in front of their eyes.
    • mbrindam, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5My wife used to talk like that too, but she hadn't really ever had pets before... now that she does, she understands. Pets work their way into your heart, and really become part of the family. If they didn't, there would be no point in having them. Yes, in the long run it will be ok, but for a while, it's gonna hurt when a pet dies. alot. There's something to be said for sensitivity, friend.
      • liuite, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3pets don't work their way into your heart. you allow yourself to become emotionally attached. while people here are so attached to their pets as if they are a member of the household, there are people in China selling their children for $1600 each...kind of like a breeder.
      • LiquidShield, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4@Liuite

        Being emotional detached from things of this nature is fantastic is it not? It's fantastic not to cry when a loved one dies huh. Makes you look like a real hard ass when your the only one not being so emotional. They have probably went to a better place then this hell hole huh. Who really cares that the Chinese people are selling their female children off to other families so that they can get a cow, or chickens, or some pigs to live off of. You know that they would rather have males that can work in the fields all day. Oh and better yet what about them Ethiopian kids. Looking all sickly and malnourished with their stomachs all sticking out there in wind like that. Kinda makes you want to see if you can just poke them in the belly and watch them go POP! ! ! ! It would be hilarious. Who really cares that the flame of a new life has been put out never to know what the world truly offers, because there will always be another to takes it's place. I mean common the Aztecs used to sacrifice their new born children to please the sun god. Just like with the Spartans they killed off the sickly, and frail new borns. Just remember there is always another baby that can take that once place. I bet you didn't see any of those mothers or fathers getting emotionally attached to those children.
      • liuite, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1yes, too bad so sad for your child's loss...he or she is learning a very valuable lesson in life that sooner or later you will pass away too
    • toby78, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0 That is the lesson that children (and adults) learn from having pets, yes it is a sad thing, I recently lost my dog and it hurts like crazy it hurts every time but that's the point of life, we aren't here forever and we cherish them while they are. Same with family. I'm actually in the middle of searching for a new dog to rescue and become part of my family. That is the lesson that children (and adults) learn from having pets,
  • louiebaur, on 07/23/2008, -2/+14Ah poor thing.
  • akpwnz, on 07/23/2008, -2/+29I hate it when animals suffer.
    • arcooke, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2People are animals, too. So are insects. Would you hire an exterminator if your house if it was infested with bugs, or is it just the cute ones that bother you?

      Life is life, no matter how cute or ugly you are.

      And no, I'm not some crazy animal loving, tree hugging, vegan. I'm a mammal loving, not-really-concerned-about-trees-carnivore. Just making a point (slash trying to educate).. because most people discard insects and humans as animals when we in fact are.
    • KingGorilla, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Tell that to the cat "playing" with that mouse
  • LewP, on 07/23/2008, -2/+17Awwwww, somebody get this kid a puppy!
    • Murdats, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3We need 10 cc's of puppies her stat!
  • lucy22, on 07/23/2008, -3/+14ah, this is so sad.
  • sogeshirts, on 07/23/2008, -5/+9nothing that another puppy won't cure.
  • shogan191, on 07/23/2008, -1/+11As I get older, all life seems to be more precious. Now I understand why grandparents are so much more tollerant than parents. The older you get the softer you get.
  • badwithcomputer, on 07/23/2008, -2/+26this story makes me sadwithcomputer
    • DaHuuuuuudge, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3That was so lame. I...I can't even believe I just read that.

      But I can't stop reading it.
  • lesleye, on 07/23/2008, -1/+6This is the sort of thing that my mother would tell me is "character building". i.e. it sucks.
  • cuevas4711, on 07/24/2008, -8/+4ahahahahhahahaa.
  • xsquirrel378x, on 07/24/2008, -7/+8Not a PETA member. But never ever support anything Petsmart.

    ADOPT!!!!!
    • heliox, on 07/24/2008, -2/+10They did adopt AT Petsmart.
      Petsmart just provides the facilities, rescue groups and shelters provide the dogs and cats.
      • xsquirrel378x, on 07/24/2008, -4/+2First, AFAIK Petsmart does use certain rescue groups. And mass breeders as well. When I say adopt I mean from your local shelter. Not ***** Petsmart!
      • heliox, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6The PetSmarts around here only use shelters. They promote that fact.
        Why not give shelters a place to help get the animals adopted? PetSmarts tend to be more accessible than shelters. I can tell you where five PetSmarts are, but I have no idea where any shelters are.
    • kat81, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Yeah, umm.. the Petsmarts here often help with the overflow of kittens during 'kitten season'. They offer some extra room and more awareness for their shelters they get their cats from. I recently adopted a (sick) kitten from the Petsmart here. This Petsmart has only cats/kittens, all of which are from a shelter and often came from foster homes (since the kittens were found before they were ready to be spayed/neutered or weened off milk).
      I think it's a great thing that Petsmart offers extra space to help out the shelters, and also offers discounts and free items at the store when you adopt there.
      The kitten I got was severely underweight when I got him and so lethargic - but now, 2 months later, he's a happy and healthy kitten. He was found in a garage, alone, and fostered for nearly 3 months. All the cats/kittens from the shelter (and Petsmart they might get sent to) have all their shots, are spayed or neutered and even come microchipped.
      They also have a return policy if your cat/kitten gets sick within the first 6 months. I don't really agree with that - if you get a cat/kitten, I don't think it's great to say "Well, sorry your pet got sick - here, have a new one for free..". Part of committing to adopting a pet is accepting that things might happen. Returning a pet because it ends up sick is not very nice. If anything, I think they should simply offer to treat the animal for free rather than have it returned, treat it, and have to start the adoption process all over again.
  • ARedPirate, on 07/24/2008, -6/+3Why did I just read that...
  • Jenadae, on 07/24/2008, -14/+10STOP THE PRESSES! WEVE GOT A DEAD PUPPY!
    • Oronar, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6Uh, the puppy is alive and well.
      • Jenadae, on 07/24/2008, -4/+2GET TO TEH CHOPAH!
      • Asshate, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Send in the marines!
      • DaHuuuuuudge, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2@Asshate
        Are the marines going to kill the puppy so they don't have to stop the presses a second time?
      • LiquidShield, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yeah common the tossed one of the side of a cliff... You really want to see that again?
  • BestJaxx, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5What the hell, I turned on Animal Planet last night for the first time in a long time, and I saw this exact same thing. It's been on my mind ever since.
  • selphishnerd, on 07/24/2008, -2/+8Obviously a sad story, but seriously, if you looked for stories this local you could find thousands of depressing stories everyday. I don't understand why we've promoted it to the front page...
  • flogistan, on 07/24/2008, -0/+21I'm sorry, but this kids parents are turds. I just got a couple lab pups and within a few days of taking them away from their mom they both came down with parvo. We nursed them back to health and they got well and now I have the two best dogs I've ever had. I mean, once you buy the dog you take care of it and make the best of things. Talk about a bad lesson for a kid to learn about the value of life. I hope some day when his folks are pooping their pants with Alzheimer's he dumps them at the old folks shelter and forgets about them.
    • Teck64, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3parvo pups die of dehydration mostly, we had a dog that came down with parvo too, we kept shooting gatoraide into his mouth for a couple of day and feeding him some special food paste, he survived just fine.
  • itsbob, on 07/24/2008, -0/+13Parvo sucks, its pure evil, I almost lost my best friends to it, he caught it when he was 6 months old but survived after an expensive hospitalization. He was the best dog my family ever had, lived another 14 years.
    Keep up on your pets immunizations, and never buy from a mill.
  • Dundasbro, on 07/24/2008, -6/+17Dear Mom and Dad,

    I died today. You got tired of me and took me to the shelter. They were overcrowded and I drew an unlucky number. I am in a black plastic bag in a landfill now. Some other puppy will get the barely used leash you left. My collar was dirty and too small, but the lady took it off before she sent me to the Rainbow Bridge.
    Would I still be at home if I hadn't chewed your shoe? I didn't know what it was, but it was leather, and it was on the floor. I was just playing. You forgot to get puppy toys.
    Would I still be at home if I had been housebroken? Rubbing my nose in what I did only made me ashamed that I had to go at all. There are books and obedience teachers that would have taught you how to teach me to go to the door.
    Would I still be at home if I hadn't brought fleas into the house? Without anti-flea medicine, I couldn't get them off of me after you left me in the yard for days.
    Would I still be at home if I hadn't barked? I was only saying, "I'm scared, I'm lonely, I'm here, I'm here! I want to be your best friend."
    Would I still be at home if I had made you happy? Hitting me didn't make me learn how.
    Would I still be at home if you had taken the time to care for me and to teach manners to me? You didn't pay attention to me after the first week or so, but I spent all my time waiting for you to love me.
    I died today.
    Love,
    Your Puppy
    • JerseySlam, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I just HAD to read the latest comment.
    • sharternarter, on 07/24/2008, -10/+0Hahahahaha, die puppies!
    • ThaDRD, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7Depressing, but its point holds true; pets and children for that matter are a huge responsibility.
    • WriterSD, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3:(
    • Buddhist, on 07/25/2008, -0/+4My eyes just welled up with tears. Damnit man. :'[[[[[

      Excuse me while I go hug my dog.
  • BananaGrabber, on 07/24/2008, -0/+11I had a litter of five pups and they all ended up contracting it. Chances of surviving it is supposed to be small. It's really a scary situation. Spent about 500 dollars on each dog for treatment. Luckily, they all ended up surviving.
  • kahlessreborn, on 07/24/2008, -2/+7I dont get the point when i was a kid i got 3 puppies from from North Shore Animal Hospital, the average life life span of them was 1 month, two had massive heart worm infections, and 1 had parvo, I was 6. This kid lost one dog suck it up.
  • SetUpUsTheBmb, on 07/24/2008, -4/+8for christ sakes, its sad, but these things happen all of the time. How did this become a news article let alone on the home page of Digg? If you want to get a 12 year old kid something, then two words. Xbox 360
    • Phlieger, on 07/24/2008, -0/+10NO! We don't need anymore prepubescent voices screaming over the mic "OMG! OMG! I'M 1337!!!"
      --
      That's very sad. The pup's cute too.
  • mileswj, on 07/24/2008, -9/+2Why the ***** is this on digg?

    I didnt know digg was full of 12 year old girls.
  • itsbob, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57KDDKbfhmI
  • greanbean, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3iraq war, illegal immigration, overcrowded jails, recession, and.... puppies! *tear glistens in eye for puppy*
  • leahpee, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6"The family's going to wait a while before trying again."

    My family once tried for a puppy and they got me. Thats what you get for incest I guess.
    • LiquidShield, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Wow.... just.... WOW...

      That has to be either the BEST comment I have ever seen or the most disturbing...

      You just get an up digg for both...
  • WhoDoneIt, on 07/24/2008, -0/+15Okay, I'm confused. Why take the dog back to the place they bought it if Parvo is a disease that can be cured? If the kid was heartbroken why don't you step up and show the kid that once you've bought an animal you promise to take care of it and that includes vet bills and hospitalization. The last thing this puppy needed was to go back to the store.

    Demand your ***** money back and then take care of the puppy. But don't give up on it. It needs a family to love it and nurture it.

    I bought a "guaranteed" Jack Russell Terrier 6 years ago from a breeder. Did my research on them and bought the puppy. 7 months later it turned out that the puppy had joint incongruity. I had two options. Take the dog back and get my money back (which would have resulted in a needle to put her to sleep) or they would give me my money back and I could deal with the dog myself. I opted to take care of the dog.

    The surgery costed more than we paid for as it was roughly $1800. She can now walk and isn't in pain. Infact she runs like the wind.

    Don't like what I have to say, sorry. But no matter where you get a pet from you should realize that you are in it for life. It's not the dogs' fault it had Parvo.

    Just like that kid people adopt who come from a crack-whore and are addicted to meth when they are born. Things they don't tell you.
    • WriterSD, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I was wondering this too. And didn't the article say the puppy recovered? If that's the case, why didn't they at least take it back?
      • kat81, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1That is the only problem I have with many shelters. If you adopt a animal from them and it get sick within the time frame of their 'return policy, they only give you the option of either returning the pet for a refund or for a new pet. They don't give you the option of getting a refund and keeping the pet, or treating the pet for free.
        They really should change that policy and let people have the option to keep the pet and get help treating it, rather than handing over the pet to be treated and adopted out again.
    • kateyall, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1You can't actually "cure" parvo, you can only give the poor lil guy IV fluids until his own immunity kicks it. Dogs with parvo die of dehydration. It's horrible. Oftentimes the dogs are given a vaccination only as a very young pup, while they're still nursing. The mother's milk, however, contains antibodies that destroy the vaccines effectiveness. They need several boosters throughout puppyhood, long after the mother's antibodies have left the pup's system.
  • ansatsu29, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6Parvo is such a killing ***** that it wont stop until it kills all of your puppies. I lost 4 dogs to parvo and the only way to combat it is to have the puppies immunized as early as possible as well as bleaching every damn corner of your house if there is parvo outbreak among your pets.

    I now remember those 4 lost dogs of mine. They are all great companions. *tears*
  • maxterpiece, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4seriously? How is this news? Doesn't this kind of thing happen like every five minutes?
  • DP84, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2I'm ready to be dugg down to the depths of ramblomatic first posts, but what the *****? Is there seriously an article on here about someone adopting a dog with parvo? It's a $17 vaccination. (as quoted by my vet 3 months ago).

    Shocker, the dog survived. Good thing someone spent $17 instead of just giving up on a "faulty puppy".
  • dstz, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2The Onion could run with that story without changing a word.
  • yttikolleh, on 07/24/2008, -3/+0so why is this news?
  • seandfeeney, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3This is more common than people think, I bought a dog for around $1200 then we brought her home and found out she had parvo, giardia, and kenel cough. After taking her to the vet we found that we were going to pay about another $1200 in medical bills to keep her alive and well. I really love this dog and she is doing much better now. I am still feeling the effects of the bills almost 2 years later.
  • mage1129, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Does anyone know what the message of this story is? I need to know whether to get a puppy or not and this story doesn't help. Dammitr news tell me how to live me life.

    Although the puppy seems all better now, maybe the parents can try to get it back. Talk about quitters.
  • heartless_, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I am not sure why they didn't keep the puppy. We took a long time to find a reputable Doberman breeder in our area, only to put a reserve payment on a litter that contracted parvo. We were saddened, but with some research found out that 80% of parvo cases survive when it is treated early enough. We kept our deposit, and all but one puppy in the litter survived. Best dog I've ever had and to think, I could of just given up.
  • PicklesNCheese, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1And just because they mentioned Banfield in the article (often found in Petsmart)...I'd watch bringing your pets to these hospitals unless they are charter locations. I have several friends who have been employed at different locations and their stories have permanently scared me away. Think HMO's for your pets, where all of the doctors are either there because they suck too much to open their own clinic or else they are new and biding their time before they can save enough to get their own place. Corporate vet care? Bad idea.
  • WhoopteyDoo, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I love my pets a great deal.....but I dont understand why this is like, "up there" on Digg. THEIR story is special? It's parvo, its highly contagious so it happens several times a week/ It's like Ellen and her dog crisis hitting the major news networks. When did this become pressing news?
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