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Lucy Fernandez spends her Fridays volunteering in the parvo ward when she is not working with the Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender (P.A.S.S.) program. One Friday, Eugene came “in bad shape.” Unlike a normal, bright, energetic puppy, Eugene was lethargic. “When they’re lethargic like that,” Lucy said, “it’s bad news.”
Lucy was holding Eugene while the Parvo staff administered fluids and right before her eyes, Eugene stopped breathing. His head went limp and “he died in my hands.” Parvo and clinic staff jumped into action to put a line in Eugene’s neck and do everything possible to bring him back to life. “It seemed like an hour,” Lucy said. “But it was only a few minutes.”
Miraculously, Eugene started breathing again. “I just bawled,” Lucy said. “He wasn’t even named when all of that happened.”
After several days of treatment and worrying about the squishy pup, Eugene started eating again. Parvovirus can be prevented altogether with proper vaccination in young puppies. But without proactive care, parvovirus is extremely contagious and many shelters do not have the space or resources to quarantine and treat patients. At APA!, we take pride in our 88.5% parvo puppy survival rate!
“What we do is not perfect,” she said. “But it’s a miracle.”
Eugene has been discharged from the Parvo ICU and is in a loving foster home where he’ll stay until he’s available for adoption. Without your support of our lifesaving programs like the Parvo Puppy ICU, we never would’ve been able to treat the 1,087 parvo puppies in 2021.
