NEWS - Ridgefield Press, March 15

True Breeders resumes puppy sales after state lifts quarantine
by Macklin Reid
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True Breeders, the Branchville puppy store closed by the state two weeks ago, passed an inspection by Connecticut Animal Control Officer Nancy Jarvis today and has reopened.

The store Route 7 has state approval to resume all aspects of its business, including the sale of dogs.

“The state animal control officer went down, conducted an inspection of the facility this morning, didn’t notice any animals exhibiting signs of illness, and the store subsequently passed inspection and she’s ready to go,” said Ray Connors, animal control supervisor with the State Department of Agriculture.

Mr. Connors said Monday morning’s inspection was carried out by Animal Control Officer Nancy Jarvis, who had imposed a quarantine on the store March 5 after a puppy sold by True Breeders was diagnosed with canine parvovirus, a highly contagious disease that is often fatal.

True Breeders owner Christine DiCarlo confirmed in an e-mail Saturday had she had refunded Victor and Cheryl Muniz of Wilton the $1,603 purchase price of the Teacup Yorkshire Terrier puppy they’d bought. The dog was put down after it failed to respond well to treatment for parvovirus, which the dog was diagnosed with a few days after being sold.

Ms. Muniz told The Press Friday that she’d been reimbursed the cost of the dog, but was still seeking restitution for more than $2,700 in veterinary bills run up during the dog’s illness.

“Yes, I refunded them 1,603, the price of the puppy,” Ms. DiCarlo said. “All our other puppies are healthy, no other puppy has been diagnosed with parvo.”

Although there has been talk circulating that another puppy had been diagnosed with parvovirus, Mr. Connors confirmed Friday and again Monday that the state Department of Agriculture had received no report of a second parvo case related to Ms. DiCarlo’s store.

“Any veterinarian would notify us,” he said. “I’ve checked around the office and nobody’s heard anything about another parvo puppy. The rumor mill spins.”

Symptoms of canine parvovirus include diarrhea, often with bloody feces, and sometimes by vomiting.

Many puppies have immunity inherited from their mother, but that wears off. To be protected against canine parvovirus, puppies need to be vaccinated after the maternal immunity has worn off — the maternal immunity can prevent the vaccine from working — but before the dog is exposed to the disease. This is one of the main reasons dogs get a series of puppy shots — to bracket the time immunity wears off.

“Most of those puppies will lose their maternal immunity at 16 weeks,” said Dr. Bruce Sherman, a veterinarian and Director of the Bureau of Regulation and Inspection with the state Department of Agriculture. “If you’ve had a series starting at six weeks and going to 20, you’d probably be safe.”

Most older dogs have that have had their shots kept up retain an immunity. Cats are susceptible to feline parvovirus, but not known to get the canine strain of the disease.

Canine parvovirus is not know to cause disease in humans.