My recent post about a person who relinquished two puppies after they were diagnosed with parvo has inspired quite a bit of outrage. I hesitated to write the initial post because I generally try to go easy on people, and I couldn’t bring myself to do that with the author of the question (read the original post if you are getting confused). However, the question kept haunting me and ultimately I felt that I had to respond.

The question, my response to it, and the comments from other readers have reminded me of a different parvo story — one that is quite the opposite of the story that has triggered so much anger on the Vet Blog.

Several years ago a family brought an adorable six-week-old Chihuahua cross to my clinic. The family had traveled to a shelter in a poor area of California’s Central Valley to adopt a puppy that otherwise would have been euthanized because nobody wanted him. On the way home, they noted that the puppy was lethargic and seemed weak. They came straight to my clinic, without even stopping at home. The puppy tested strongly positive for parvo. The staff at the shelter had not realized he was sick.

The family had only known the puppy for a few hours, and they had to borrow money to treat it. But they didn’t hesitate to get the best possible care for their new friend. The puppy survived, and now he has an excellent home with people who have saved his life twice. He is a lucky little guy, and I really admire and respect that family.