VETgirl April 2024 Beat e-Magazine

QUARTERLY BEAT / APRIL 2024

The family knew nothing about parvovirus and had no idea what the diagnosis would be. It was gut-wrenching to have to explain to them how seriously ill their new puppy was and what treatment would entail. I explained that the best option was to hospitalize the dog and treat him in our hospital’s ICU facility. Due to the level of care required and the anticipated length of treatment, the minimum cost would be $2,000. At the same time, I felt it was my duty to provide a full range of options, so I explained in detail everything from my most aggressive treatment approach to the most minimal. I even suggested that it might be possible to surrender the puppy to the hospital, knowing the puppy would then no longer belong to the family. After I finished outlining these options, the mother asked to speak to me in the hallway, away from her daughter. There she told me that she had literally spent all her money for Christmas on everything else a healthy puppy would have needed—and there was nothing left. She simply couldn’t afford to have the puppy treated. My heart was bleeding for the family because I wanted to do something. When I asked the mother to consider a minimal approach—outpatient treatment that would include fluid therapy

and some injections to help with symptoms—she asked me, “Do you think that is going to work?” And I had to tell her it was unlikely given the status of her pet. We could see the puppy getting more and more debilitated, right in front of our eyes. She responded that the only option she could see that would minimize his suffering was to put him to sleep. And that’s what we did. It’s been 10 years since then and I’ve had to help many more families make this final, yet difficult, decision for their pets. But I’m still troubled when I remember this case. First, I knew the disease could easily have been prevented if the puppy had been vaccinated. Second, it involved a child, and I have always found cases like these—when the owner is very young or very old—to be the hardest. Third, while I know there was no guarantee that even the best treatment would have saved the puppy, with proper treatment he would have had a fighting chance. Instead, I was powerless to help him or his family.

FEATURED STORY

In this VETgirl feature article sponsored* by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets, Dr. Callie Harris discusses the REACH (Reaching Every Animal with Charitable Healthcare) Program, which was created by the AVMF to increase assistance to the most vulnerable communities. Read on to learn how Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets has teamed up to support this critical mission! * Please note the opinions of this blog are the expressed opinion of the author and not directly endorsed by VETgirl.

PURINA PRO PLAN VETERINARY SUPPORT MISSON HELPS VETERINARIANS ANSWER CALL TO CARE

BY CALLIE HARRIS, DVM Veterinary Communications Manager, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets

Early in my veterinary career I worked for eight years in emergency medicine and critical care at a large metropolitan hospital outside Atlanta. Because we were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I saw a wide range of clients from a cultural and socioeconomic status, as well as a broad spectrum of patients. But a particular case I handled early in my career continues to haunt me.

PARVO PUPPY LEADS TO HOLIDAY HEARTBREAK

It was late on Christmas Eve when a mother and daughter came in with a very sick puppy. The dog was the daughter’s Christmas present and the family had brought him home that day. Shortly after, the puppy began to break with vomiting and diarrhea. By the time they brought him to the hospital, he was severely dehydrated and lethargic. I ran some minimal diagnostics and diagnosed him with parvovirus. I don’t recall where the family had acquired the puppy, but he obviously had not received the vaccinations he needed.

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