# adopted a puppy with parvo, need advice (life and legal)



## jewnersey (Jan 27, 2012)

so i adopted a puppy this past sunday. she was doing fine until yesterday when she started to act very odd which progressed towards repeated vomiting and no eating, at which point i took her to the emergency clinic. They ran a fecal test which showed positive for Parvo, which she obviously had contracted prior to my having adopter her. SO, she is currently being cared for at the animal hospital and is seeming to do okay aside from some more diarrhea and vomiting. im really hoping she pulls through, and that the distemper test the vet recommended turns out negative (she has had a runny nose since i got her), but im torn up in so many ways. this was my first adoption and its completely spun me. i cannot focus on anything and have 0 motivation to do anything

also , I have spent ~$1400 thus far which allows for 3 full days of care, but will most likely have to shell out another ~$700 to continue care if she is improving. financially this is a disaster and an incredible stress. 

on top of this, im extremely angry with the rescue "organization" from which i received my pup. These 2 women(the organization) do these rescues, and I dont disagree with what they are doing, but there are right and wrong ways to do it, and also standards which i believe must be met, especially if they are making me sign a written contract. because of this and my immense bills i asked for help which they denied. I then read a line in the contract which reads: "5. I agree that the animal is in good health at the time of this adoption and the rescue will not be responsible for any occurring health issues after the animal is out of the rescues care" which i initialed in confidence that the dog was in good health. However, this was obviously not the case...They based there assumption of good health on behavior which is no indication of actual health. They may not have known that she had parvo, but she did, and there assumption of good health was wrong. To me, this makes them entirely responsible for the costs of the bills to make her in good health FOR me, as defined in the contract. i know nothing about the laws concerning things like this, or how a judge will rule but it seems plain to me that they are at fault here and should have to reimburse me.

ALSO, the one woman was trying to defend herself and told me that she has adopted out 12 dogs which have been diagnosed with parvo after they had been adopted. that seems a little strange to me and leads me to believe that their "facility" (the womans basement) is not a great place for young puppies. Also this woman tried to convince me that all young dogs will test positive for parvo while being vaccinated, which, while theoretically possible, is NOT at all how these things work. 

im looking for advice regarding the dogs health and life:
at what point should treatment stop if she is not improving (i cant pay for the hospital to idle)
if she does have distemper, then what

ive dealt with grief and loss in my life, but never concerning an animal. human beings do not get euthanized but dogs do and i have no idea where that line is drawn. i hate that finances come into play concerning the life of my dog, but they are real,

so, im looking for some legal advice as well namely: 
whether or not what im saying is grounded and will hold up in court
and how best to go about this (small claims or lawyering up)



hope that all makes sense.
im all mixed up and confused and wacked by this so my heads all over the place


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

Sorry you're going through that.

Did the puppy see a vet while in their care? Vaccines done when? If she had the runny nose when you adopted her, did you ask them about it? What does your vet say, does your dog have parvo or not? I'm not sure about the testing. How clean was the basement etc.???

One thing to do is to advertise and see if you can find more of the parvo dogs she's adopted out. I have read everything from six months to six years that it can live in a house or on the ground, if not properly cleaned, and even if it's been cleaned. If she hasn't cleaned her basement well and your pup has parvo, then every other pup there is at risk. In any case it doesn't sound right....


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## jewnersey (Jan 27, 2012)

Bordermom said:


> Sorry you're going through that.
> 
> Did the puppy see a vet while in their care? Vaccines done when? If she had the runny nose when you adopted her, did you ask them about it? What does your vet say, does your dog have parvo or not? I'm not sure about the testing. How clean was the basement etc.???
> 
> One thing to do is to advertise and see if you can find more of the parvo dogs she's adopted out. I have read everything from six months to six years that it can live in a house or on the ground, if not properly cleaned, and even if it's been cleaned. If she hasn't cleaned her basement well and your pup has parvo, then every other pup there is at risk. In any case it doesn't sound right....


They did not take the puppy to a vet after removing her from a shelter. the first parvo vaccine was done on January 20 (puppy is about 8-9 weeks by the way). I did ask about the runny nose and sneezing, the woman claimed she was using bleach in the basement and the dogs were reacting to it (even if that were exactly the case, thats terrible). My dog definitely has parvo, the vet confirmed the emergency clinic's diagnosis. i did not see the basement(or wherever the dogs were exactly kept) so i am unable to comment on the cleanliness. I will probably not find the other dog owners. only if this went to full blown court would that information be discoverable.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

12 known dogs shedding Parvo in her basement, and she's still bringing in puppies???? Parvo virus can stay in the environment a long time and it is difficult to irradicate. When I had a little rescue come in who broke with parvo, I practically bathed myself and my house in bleach, and would not allow an unvaccinated or very young dog in my house. He did not go on to the foster home and later adoption until he was well. Many bar associations had an "ask a lawyer" program where for $25 or so, you can talk to an lawyer, and they'll give you some ideas as to what your options are. This does not mean they are representing you. Another possibility is going to the local news. Some of them love stories dealing with consumer fraud. Good luck to your puppy. I hope he makes it through.


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

I would also check with a lawyer to see what you can do. Then call the shelter and let them know they either have parvo at the shelter, or the rescue has parvo and is putting the puppies at risk allowing the rescue to take them there. Post some ads on kijiji or other online sites asking for others who have adopted a puppy/dog recently in that area with parvo. You don't have to name names, simply saying 'I adopted a puppy who may have gotten parvo at the rescue and am looking for anyone else in the same situation'. If there's been others, and you can get that information, you have more power than if it's just you.

It might mean some dogs don't get out of the shelter, but parvo isn't a good disease to deal with in a puppy and not everyone is going to have the money to treat their pets, and may dump them or put them down. 

Hope your pup is doing better and home soon....


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I would also contact animal control in your area and ask what to do. Parvo is not a joke and it sounds like this woman is Parvo Mary. Rescues operate under special privileges with shelters, being allowed to take dogs in a manner the average citizen isn't. This rescue needs its status revoked so they can't put any more puppies at risk.


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## BassetMixUp (Dec 14, 2011)

Amaryllis said:


> I would also contact animal control in your area and ask what to do. Parvo is not a joke and it sounds like this woman is Parvo Mary. Rescues operate under special privileges with shelters, being allowed to take dogs in a manner the average citizen isn't. This rescue needs its status revoked so they can't put any more puppies at risk.


"Parvo Mary" for real. I agree with Amaryllis.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Wow ... contact a lawyer first ... the lawyer will tell you the best way to handle this so you stay one step ahead of the situation in general ... and all the above that the other posters mentioned to do. I am so sorry your are having to deal with this and also so sorry for the poor puppy ... as IMO it may have been avoided. 

Thoughts and prayers to you and your pup.


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## vanchica (Feb 3, 2012)

You can ask a lawyer for a modest fee on JustAnswer, the website

I hope your puppy recovers- I am sure you will have years of joy after this first challenge


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

You may be able to sue and win... and stop her from doing this.... but even if you win, she may not have the money for you to collect. Usually, the folks in the Small Claims Court can give you some informal advice, you may even get to see the Judge. But no one knows what her side of the story might be, just you and the paperwork.

I believe that you are in the right, but consider this isolated situation: You buy an item, you sign a contract saying it is undamaged, you pay and take the item, then it breaks. You go to a repairman who finds that it is defective. With most items, there is an implied warranty of good condition. However, with an "As Is" clause, what you see is what you get.... Not sure where your contract fits in this situation, and I'm not a lawyer.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Not sure what state you're in, but google puppy Lemon Laws for (your state) the contract may well be void due to existing state laws. Contact hte county shelter and alert them to what's going on with the rescue and the fact that your pup has Parvo it contracted there. Thye may take action to stop the illness from being spread.


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## Sasha1/2 (Dec 22, 2011)

Did this rescue group provide you with a month of free insurance as part of your adoption fee? Are they on Petfinder.com?


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## lottielove (Feb 5, 2012)

Hi Jewnersey,

Sorry you are going through that. It's not a fun thing. About 10 years ago my mother in law adopted a dog and had him for six months. Sadly the dog contacted parvo, but luckily I was visiting and noticed that this six old month puppy lab was very sleepy, too sleepy for a puppy. Took him in and sure enough was diagnosed with parvo :/

He was in the hospital for two weeks and went through treatment. $3,000 later he was able to leave having been cured of the disease! I raised him and he lived until he was 14 1/2. He never had any unusual systems his whole life, however, he did get large tumors in his 13th year. They were benign but didn't look pretty. He was a great dog and I am happy to have paid the money for his treatment. I have to say that the vet was pretty amazing tho, the survival rate for dogs with parvo back then (20yrs ago?) was small but he made it through.

Good luck!!


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## jewnersey (Jan 27, 2012)

so an update on my situation and unfortunately, not a good one...

my pup, after having spend several days in the hospital getting fluids and being monitored, ended up having a rectal prolapse on saturday at which point the cards were stacked to high and euthanization was the best option. She had not overcome parvo and with the possiblity of shock which would require emergency surgery which was risky at best, I decided it was best to just let her go, which the vet agreed was the best course of action. so so so terrible to have to make a decision like that, and im pretty beat up about it.

concerning this woman and her continuing to house dogs in a parvo contaminated environment; i contacted animal control and they went to her house tonight to investigate the situation. i have not heard back, but the officer seemed a little shocked that the woman openly admitted over the phone to adopting out 12 dogs which later tested positive for parvo. Once i hear from AC and speak with the free lawyer that comes to my campus every weds, i should have a better gauge on the next course of action, but consumer fraud is a possible route i may take. I will look into the things everyone recommended and keep this post up to date with the situation.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Sorry to hear about the pup, poor baby never had a decent chance, you and the vet did the best you could and at least the pup knew a good caring home for a little while. 

Make sure you disinfect the entire house, yard, car ect before you try to bring another dog in (pup or adult). 

We definately want updates on what happens, hopefully this woman is charged with something!


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm very sorry your pup didn't make it. Thank you for giving her a chance.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I'm sorry for your puppy. 

I'd also like to commend you for following up with AC. I'm quite shocked that she spoke so openly about the previous parvo cases and it makes me wonder if maybe she doesn't truly understand the danger of bringing puppies into that environment. In addition to your legal case, hopefully you've helped prevent more puppies from contracting parvo in her "care" by your action.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

After you talk to the Lawyer, consider that the local news stations may be interested in this human interest story...


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