All Our Three Puppies Died

[Daffy D]

A friend of a friend's dog had a litter of puppies and we took three of them. They were nothing special just you average multi-mix Thai dogs.

We had them for about a month and they were getting on well romping around and squabbling like puppies do and generally just being normal. They were beginning to know their own names and coming when called, they also had stopped chewing the furniture and most of the shoes.

We went to take them to the vet for some injection, sorry don't know what but something important that all puppies should get. Unfortunately the vet was closed that day so we planned to go on another day but as happens in life something always came up to put the vet visit off for just one more day.

Then one by one by one the puppies started getting sick, first not eating then not drinking, being sick and phooing all over the place . We took them to the vet who said they had a virus and put them on a drip, as they could not eat or drink anything but unfortunately it was too late and they all died one after the other.

All this happened within the space of just a few days. I have now idea how they could have contracted the virus as they had not been out anywhere and their brothers and sister puppies who were still with the original owner were all just fine.

Apparently this virus only strikes puppies who have not been inoculated so just a heads up to puppy owners get down to the vet and get all the jabs before it's too late.

[TommoPhysicist]

Highly suspicious, I would suspect poison.

A neighbor might not have liked the idea of three dogs living next door.

Edited December 22, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[MJCM]

Highly suspicious, I would suspect poison.

A neighbor might not have liked the idea of three dogs living next door.

How cruel this sounds, but I have to agree. The family (at our home in Buriram) has the vet coming over for the pups injections 2-3 months after each litter, and for them to die this way because of a missed shot, indeed highly suspicious.

But it also could be because of what they eat, as they will eat anything.

Edited December 22, 2012 by MJCM

[cdnvic]

Highly suspicious, I would suspect poison.

A neighbor might not have liked the idea of three dogs living next door.

I've seen this happen when people were trying to poison rats but weren't smart enough to leave the bait somewhere where other animals couldn't get at it. Though most poisonings are quite obvious, and not very pretty.

In any case, sorry for the sad news.

[Daffy D]

We live in a fairly open area with extended family uncles, aunts, cousins etc. all round. There is no house right next to us so any dog nuisance would not be so bad as say in a town. Besides the guy across the road has a Small pack of yappy dogs that we all tolerate. Our pups were really quit quiet and well behaved in comparison.

I doubt any of the extended family would harm the little fellas as they could see how the kids loved them.

Sometimes we get lighthearted complaint about our older dog who occasionally goes raiding their dustbins but that is about it.

[sbk]

Its not poison, Its canine distemper, highly contagious and a major threat to un-inoculated puppies. Anyone who knows anything about dogs and puppies in this country is well aware of this virus,- it is widespread and almost always fatal in young puppies. Your vet was right.

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/distemper-symptoms-treatments-dogs

[JetsetBkk]

I had a couple of poodle puppies. They both died of a virus - so the vet said - after a couple of months.

Edit: cross-posted with SBK. I agree, a very common problem so the vet said.

Edited December 22, 2012 by JetsetBkk

[bina]

not poison, not distemper, but parvovirus.. which as you all know is usually rampant in many areas in thailand since a majority of pups dont get vaccinated... highly highly highly contagious, almost always fatal, and the virus lasts for a very very long time everywhere in the house, in the mud, in the ground.... parvo is the number one puppy killer in many countries, not just thailand, we have it too.

distemper doesnt cause the horrible diahrrea with bloody stools. sloughing off of the intestinal lining , dehydration and death like parvo does, but rather nervous system symptoms and general malaise and have a higher chance to survive, albeit sometimes with permament damage to the nervous system among other things...

[heatherm]

It does sound exactly like parvovirus. Parvo kills 91% of infected dogs. Puppies that have it die within days of showing signs of being sick. The puppies would have been contagous for about three weeks before getting sick, spreading the virus around your house. It's very hard to kill and it can survive up to a year. The only household product that can kill the virus is bleach. Be sure to disinfect everything, especially where they pooped, before getting a new puppy.

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[David006]

that is sad.....

Did the OP's original litter pups also die?

so do we know where the virus originates, how is it transmitted..from contamination,heredity or other infected dogs...is there a life stage, once passed, at which they are no longer at risk?

could google but we have the knowledge here methinks.

We have two remaining puppies now, approx 3 months old ( gave away the other 6)..wonder if we should inoculate...? Our dogs do not leave the locale but do mix and fight with local farm dogs.

Wonder if there is some natural immunity from the viruses with the more feral?

Remember in UK every puppy was inoculated for hard pad and distemper....never heard of it in Canada or Australia.

Know that the ex took our shepherd from Oz to Canada without need for quarantine so maybe Australia is free of these viruses?

thx

d

[Nienke]

We live in a fairly open area with extended family uncles, aunts, cousins etc. all round. There is no house right next to us so any dog nuisance would not be so bad as say in a town. Besides the guy across the road has a Small pack of yappy dogs that we all tolerate. Our pups were really quit quiet and well behaved in comparison.

I doubt any of the extended family would harm the little fellas as they could see how the kids loved them.

Sometimes we get lighthearted complaint about our older dog who occasionally goes raiding their dustbins but that is about it.

First of all I'm very sorry for your and your family's loss. Three pups in one go is very devastating.

Unfortunately the parvo and distemper viruses can be brought in by you or visitors to your house as well, via the tires of the car, your shoes, clothes, etc. It is even possible that you picked up the virus at the vet. People bring their sick dogs there. If recently a dog owner had brought their parvo or distemper dog and this dog has been walking or pooping outside, or the vet had a sick dog staying at their clinic and had this dog poop and pee outside, the virus is around and can stick to your shoes or to the tires of your car.

It is not true that the parvo-virus only strikes puppies that have not been inoculated. I've encountered fully vaccinated pups that still came down with parvo-virus. And, more often, puppies that received too many multiple shots in too short of a time, that came down with distemper from the over-vaccination.

Heatherm is very correct with his/her warning about the virus being in the environment now. Therefore, be very careful with deciding in getting a new puppy soon.

@ Bina: the distemper virus certainly can cause severe bloody diarrhea similar to parvo, and cough similar to kennel cough. Neurological problems usually start at a later stage. A

[Daewoo]

Its not poison, Its canine distemper, highly contagious and a major threat to un-inoculated puppies. Anyone who knows anything about dogs and puppies in this country is well aware of this virus,- it is widespread and almost always fatal in young puppies. Your vet was right.

http://pets.webmd.co...treatments-dogs

Massive problem with puppys, along with Parvovirus... both highly contagious... can be caught from anything or anybody that has been in contact with an infected dog...

I highly doubt it would have been deliberate poisoning, little puppies don't back and annoy people, which is the usual reasoning for malicious poisoning... maybe accidentally from snail bait or rat bait or something...

Still absolutely most likely distemper or parvo...

Edited December 23, 2012 by Daewoo

[maturebrit]

Its not poison, Its canine distemper, highly contagious and a major threat to un-inoculated puppies. Anyone who knows anything about dogs and puppies in this country is well aware of this virus,- it is widespread and almost always fatal in young puppies. Your vet was right.

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/distemper-symptoms-treatments-dogs

dont know if Parveau virus (incorrect spelling prob) is common in Thailand but many thai dog owners I know dont even think of taking a sick dog to the vet....only cows etc.... they rely on them they dont rely on dogs for income

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[sbk]

Its not poison, Its canine distemper, highly contagious and a major threat to un-inoculated puppies. Anyone who knows anything about dogs and puppies in this country is well aware of this virus,- it is widespread and almost always fatal in young puppies. Your vet was right.

http://pets.webmd.co...treatments-dogs

Massive problem with puppys, along with Parvovirus... both highly contagious... can be caught from anything or anybody that has been in contact with an infected dog...

I highly doubt it would have been deliberate poisoning, little puppies don't back and annoy people, which is the usual reasoning for malicious poisoning... maybe accidentally from snail bait or rat bait or something...

Still absolutely most likely distemper or parvo...

its not poison. I've had puppies die from this years ago as well. And it was most definitely not poison.

[Daffy D]

Thank you all for your kind words and usefully information for the future.

Poison here is always a possibility but I seriously doubt it in this case, certainly a virus of some kind.

The remainder of the litter still with their owner are fine so they did not bring the virus with them.

I don't know where they may have picked it up from as they never wandered out of sight of the house, probably as mentioned some visitor or tradesman inadvertently brought it in.

Our original 3 year old dog has not been affected and thankfully is alright.

I still can't believe how quickly they went from being bright healthy bouncing little puppies to being dead.

I doubt we shall be having any more pups in the near future especially with the possibility of the virus still lurking around.

[Daewoo]

Its not poison, Its canine distemper, highly contagious and a major threat to un-inoculated puppies. Anyone who knows anything about dogs and puppies in this country is well aware of this virus,- it is widespread and almost always fatal in young puppies. Your vet was right.

http://pets.webmd.co...treatments-dogs

Massive problem with puppys, along with Parvovirus... both highly contagious... can be caught from anything or anybody that has been in contact with an infected dog...

I highly doubt it would have been deliberate poisoning, little puppies don't back and annoy people, which is the usual reasoning for malicious poisoning... maybe accidentally from snail bait or rat bait or something...

Still absolutely most likely distemper or parvo...

its not poison. I've had puppies die from this years ago as well. And it was most definitely not poison.

Hi SBK - I meant that I think it is unlikely that the dogs died from deliberate poisoning... Unless it is personal against the OP, no one has a reason to poison a puppy... people poison other peoples dogs because they bark, they foul on their law, or they are a nuisance/viscous... puppies aren't any of those things...

they might have accidentally been poisoned with something like snail-bait... but unlikely to be deliberate...

I am with you on parvovirus...

To the OP... The Parvo Virus is extremely strong, it could have been transmitted as easily as you stepping where an infected dog has crapped, even tho there in no crap visible... a dog that has survived the virus can be contagious for 6 weeks... The only way to really avoid it is vaccination... the same vaccination is also for Distemper...

No reason to avoid more puppies... just do the full course of vaccinations...

Cheers,

Daewoo