Beware - Parvovirus

Parvovirus does exist in Mauritius, contrary to what some people think and some irresponsible breeders may tell you. http://humanesocietynevis.org/deadly-parvovirus/

Please beware when buying or adopting a young puppy that its vaccinations are up to date. By 10 weeks they should have had 2 shots and a third shot by the time they're 3 months old to be inoculated from the virus.

We have just lived the most harrowing experience. A week ago, Wednesday, we picked up our beautiful German Shepherd puppy from a breeder in Triolet, who was recommended by the vet. They had only taken the dogs for one round of shots and deworming and missed the second round, telling us that we should take the dog to see the vet soon. Unknown to us, the puppy had already contracted the virus at the kennel and within a couple of days he went from a happy, lively puppy to very, very sick and frail indeed. Parvovirus attacks the intestines, causing haemorrhaging and there is little to no chance of survival in young pups. We noticed he was a little lethargic on Saturday and Sunday he stopped eating, he spent Monday and Tuesday on an IV drip. The vet confirmed it was Parvo. Last night, Tuesday, he died.

We called up the kennel to warn them that the other pups might be in danger. We were told that they weren't showing signs of the virus. We went past the place today, no one was around, not even the dogs!

Now we can only speculate. I'm not sure if this is the right medium to warn pet-lovers of the dangers due to "hobby breeders" who can't be bothered to take the necessary steps to ensure an animal has a healthy future, but I just couldn't stand the thought of anyone else having to go through the same ordeal. Unfortunately, we can't even consider having another dog now as I've heard that Parvovirus can infect the soil and ground for up to 18 months...