WARNING for all the Puppy Buyers out There

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After writing an article on how to save your puppy from parvo, I have been talking dozens of people through treating their parvo positive puppies at home. The majority of them are heartbroken people who simply purchased a cute little puppy only to discover they were parvo positive within a week of having their new bundle of joy brought home. I am a dog breeder myself. In fact, I wrote a book on being an ethical dog breeder and let me tell, you... DO NOT buy a puppy (or even adopt free) which has not been vaccinated. Parvovirus is such a heartbreaking disease and so hard on your puppy. Yet, it is completely NEEDLESS. A simple vaccination will protect them. A vaccination which will cost $3 when breeders give it themselves and maybe $20 or $30 if their vet does it for them. Aren't these puppies worth that investment? I'm so angered that the current trend of not vaccinating puppies has seemed to take hold recently. Yes, there are risks in vaccinations. Allergic reactions, over vaccination, etc. But the risk of parvo and other diseases is so great and the risk of something going wrong from a vaccination so small. Even flies can carry parvo to your yard so don't think you can 100% protect them by lack of exposure. Make sure your new puppy is vaccinated BEFORE you take them home. They should receive three vaccinations. One between 6-8 wks and another every 3 wks there after. Then repeat once a year. It's not a buildup that helps protect the puppy. The reason you need to repeat it is the hit and miss gamble of giving the vaccination when the puppies system is prepared to accept it. Between 14 and 16 wks is a given so if your adopting an older puppy and they get one vaccination at that age, it's okay. Just repeat once a year after that. Sorry to ramble but I am heart sick over all these poor puppies who have not been given this simple shot and now are battling for their very lives and while doing so, risking the health of more dogs due to it's contagiousness.