Pet of the month for March 2023 goes to this brave girl, Scout!
Scout was adopted through a rescue center by her owners when she was only a little puppy. She first came to visit us when she was 10 weeks old to have her final vaccination. She is such a great dog & for only being 8 months old, her family have done a great job at training her.
Last month the family decided to go back to the same rescue center and purchase another puppy, so that Scout had a friend. His name is Toby. Unfortunately, only after a week of having Toby, Scout started to become ill. She wouldn’t eat & became lethargic, so she was brought down to the clinic to see Dr Raj.
On examination, it was noted that she also had a temperature. Bloods were run to check for infection & to rule out any other potential issues, all came back unremarkable. Dr Raj wanted to play it safe & even though she was fully vaccinated, a parvo test was completed due to having just brought a new puppy into the household.
To our shock, it came back positive. Parvo is a very highly contagious disease that attacks the lining of the small intestine, and leads to severe vomiting and diarrhoea, often with blood. Parvovirus can cause severe dehydration, shock and death in severe cases. Generally parvo requires days, sometimes even weeks of supportive treatment & isolation, so Scout was transferred to WAVES emergency. Scout became very unwell & ended up having to spend over a week there. She ended up with an Ng tube to help with her nutrition, a rectal foley to assist with the diarrhoea & ended up having a plasma transfusion. It was very touch & go for Scout throughout her time at WAVES, but she is a strong girl & she fought every step of the way.
She is now home & has made a complete recovery! Scout could not have ended up with a better family, they did everything they could to fight for their girl. She is so loved by us all 