Doberman puppy lost the fight to Parvo at the Florida University Veterinary School

In Florida, a "breeder" had a litter of 8 Doberman puppies under his or her care. More than a week ago, all of the puppies got sick. And then five of them died. That breeder then got tired of it and took the three who were left to the Florida University Veterinary School and instructed for them to be euthanized.

The puppies all had parvo. Of the three, a little fawn girl died yesterday, and one of her red sisters died this afternoon. Only one is left, named Scorcha by those taking care of her. The Doberman Assistance Network has stepped in to help. If you'd like, you can donate to her care on the Doberman Assistance Network sponsorship page.

Sorcha has been sick for long enough that the deck is really stacked against her. She's under constant care in puppy ICU, on IVs for fluids and food. The best I can say about this is that she's under loving care, and if she pulls through, DAN will get her foster care with a rescue, and that rescue will find her a loving home.

I cannot countenance watching puppies grow that sick, for that long, and watching five of them die. I cannot. The details I've related to you are the only ones I know; I don't know the breeder's history of care otherwise, what vaccines the puppies did (or did not) receive, the condition in which they were kept. I can only make assumptions, and none of them are good. At least those poor little ones knew some love before they left us.

Edited to add:  As of 10 p.m., little Sorcha has died as well. I truly hope that the person who produced these puppies will take a hard look at how they do things in the future, or no longer keep dogs altogether. The Florida University Veterinary School tried their hardest, but sometimes it just isn't to be. So rest in peace, little ones. I'm sorry your stay here turned out the way it did.

The Toby Project: Low Cost Spay and Neuter

I'm not in New York City, but this is a project that definitely deserves attention.

Poking around on Dogster, as one does, I found an article about the Toby Project. The Toby Project is a non profit, low cost spay and neuter van that travels New York City.

The spay or neuter (and rabies vaccines, apparently) are free to New York City residents who are on public assistance. They're also free for "pit bulls and non-purebred and cats". For purebreds and "designer breeds", the spay or neuter is $100 and the rabies vaccine is $10.

The November calendar for the Spay/Neuter van can be found here, and you can call 212-799-1120 for information.

At prices like that, and with the information readily available, cost is no excuse. It's cheaper to go spay or neuter your dog or cat, no matter how awesome that individual may be, than to responsibly breed a litter. It may or may not be healthier for your dog or cat; there are opinions on both sides of this. A female dog who has been spayed cannot get uterine or ovarian cancer; a female dog who was spayed before her first heat has a reduced chance of mammary cancer. A male dog who has been neutered will not roam the neighborhood to find the female in heat that he can smell, will not get testicular cancer, and may or may not be more mellow in general (though dog behavior is frequently a training issue rather than whether the animal is intact).

Spay or neuter your pet. Elka says it's the responsible thing to do.