Oprah Winfrey’s loss of one of her two recently-adopted cocker spaniel puppies to canine parvovirus is a sad story on many levels. Although I have disliked Oprah for years, I do truly sympathize with her loss. Parvo is a horrible thing for both dog and owner to go through, and it is a sad fact that even those with the financial means to provide the expensive and intensive care needed will sometimes have to face the loss of their beloved pet. The fact that canine blood bank Hemopet was contacted suggests that no expense was spared to provide excellent treatment.
There have been questions regarding whether the shelter followed proper quarantine protocols, as the timeframes involved suggest that the puppies contracted parvo at the shelter. Parvo is highly contagious and lives for a long time in the environment, so it’s not impossible that the puppies got it somewhere else either.
As a psycho dog person, I also wonder about things like why a shelter would adopt out two puppies of the same age to the same person, even (or should that be especially) a famous person. Or why puppies that were basically too young to have received more than one vaccination in the recommended series of 3-4 shots would be allowed to go to the filming of a television show, where they would come into contact with who knows how many people.
I am not a veterinarian and thankfully I have no first-hand experience with parvo. Rottweilers are one of the breeds that are most susceptible to parvo, so it is definitely a major concern of mine until my dogs are over a year old and getting their first annual booster.
Oprah’s sphere of influence means that many more people are now aware of parvo and how serious it can be. I hope there will be some follow-up to also make them aware of how to prevent and treat the disease as well. Here are some links if you don’t want to wait:
Adopting puppies can be devastating: Dr. Patty Khuly’s commentary on the incident from her excellent “Dolittler” veterinary blog.
How my puppy survived the PARVO VIRUS: The BAM Parvo Treatment: Sina Norris is a veterinary technician and a Rottweiler breeder. This is a day-to-day medical diary detailing the treatment that saved puppy Jarci’s life.
Intervet’s Progard vaccine is the vaccine of choice for many Rottweiler owners as it is the one that appears to be most effective in preventing parvo when administered on the proper schedule. If you do have parvo on your premises, be aware that even with proper disinfection with bleach or Parvosol, most veterinarians will recommend that you not bring a new puppy (or an older dog whose immunization history is unknown) in until at least 6 months to a year have passed.