Don't Believe the Hype About "New" Strain of Parvo

My mom has seen emails about an article from Oklahoma State University that says there is a scary new strain of parvo, and a vaccine for it (developed by a "team of veterinarians at Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences) that everyone should rush out and get right away.

The article says "...mortality has been quite heavy. One breeder lost 600 puppies in one night." Okay, hold on - what kind of place has 600 puppies at one time? A huge, HUGE puppymill operation, that's who. And that kind of operation usually has very poor and unsanitary living conditions, and does not provide vet care for the dogs that they have. Any reputable breeder only has one litter at a time, usually only one or two per year, from different dogs. Anyplace that has 600 puppies at once is a factory that is continually breeding dogs to sell to puppy broker companies like the Hunte Corporation, who buy puppies in "bulk" amounts and re-sell the puppies to pet stores for a profit.

Please read this article which shows how the majority of statements in the article from Oklahoma State University are false. In fact, this strain of Parvo has been around for years in Europe, where it has been previously documented, treated and written about. AND the current vaccine for parvovirus does provide protection against this so-called "new strain".

So before you panic and call your vet, please get the facts. This has been a public service announcement.