Puppies die following BVSPCA event

Six puppies adopted at Brandywine Valley SPCA’s Mega-Adoption event were found to have parvovirus.

Five of the puppies passed away, while one is in treatment, said Linda Torelli, spokeswoman for Brandywine Valley. Brandywine Valley SPCA, which offered free care at its clinics for all animals at the adoption event, have refunded adoption fees from the affected animals and reached out to families with littermates.

“These are unfortunate cases that are a small minority, representing .5 percent of the population in an event that has saved thousands of lives in its three-year history,” Brandywine Valley said in a statement.

Dr. Sherri Wood, Brandywine Valley’s medical director, said, “Vaccinations for puppies involve a process staged in time phases over a period of months, and a puppy isn’t fully vaccinated until four months of age. Properly vaccinated puppies can be susceptible to various diseases even when all the proper protocols are followed.”

Torelli said 1,181 animals were adopted at the Dec. 8 event held at Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. The event offered dogs and cats for adoption - dogs had by far the longest lines - and Torelli said many of the animals came from overcrowded shelters, some from out-of-state.

“Many of those animals came from shelters where they’d have little chance of survival without our help and the event,” she said.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, canine parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that can affect all dogs, but unvaccinated dogs and puppies younger than four months old are at highest risk. The virus affects the dogs' gastrointestinal tracts, spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contacts with contaminated feces, environments, or people.

Wood said parvo is unpredictable, and dogs don’t test positive until the virus is symptomatic. She said all the dogs were tested prior to the adoption event, and none were found to have symptoms. Brandywine Valley officials said puppies brought from other shelters had health certificates issued by a veterinarian prior to being brought to Delaware.